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Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. To date, the band has sold over seven million albums and has had a string of No. 1
mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
singles in the United States. Their major-label debut '' Come Clean'' has sold over five million copies. They have released an extended play, an independent album and five studio albums, with their latest being '' Welcome to Galvania'' in September 2019.. Vocalist and guitarist Wes Scantlin remains the only consistent member throughout the band's history. Puddle of Mudd has been described as post-grunge,
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...
, hard rock, and
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
.


History


Early years (1992–1999)

Puddle of Mudd was formed in 1992 in Kansas City by Wes Scantlin (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Jimmy Allen (lead guitar), Sean Sammon (bass), and Kenny Burkitt (drums).The last name of the original drummer, Kenny Burkitt, is misspelled as "Burkett" in various sources. A 2005 legal document regarding use and rights to the name "Puddle of Mudd" has the spelling of his last name with an I not an E. – ''Burkitt vs. Flawless Records''. According to Scantlin, the band name was inspired by practicing next to the Missouri river levee, which always inundated the band's practice space, but never ruined their equipment since they were on the second floor. In order to get to their practice space, the band "had to walk through a pile of shit." In August 1994, the band played at the Missouri State Fair. The group's first release, ''
Stuck Stuck may refer to: Film and television * ''Stuck'' (2001 film), a short film directed by Jamie Babbit * ''Stuck'' (2002 film), a Canadian TV drama directed by Lindsay Bourne * ''Stuck'' (2007 film), a thriller directed by Stuart Gordon and starr ...
'', a seven-song EP, was released in 1994 on V&R Records. It was produced by the band and E.J. Rose, and was recorded at Red House Studio in Lawrence, Kansas. It spawned two radio singles (the first was "You Don't Know", the second "Drift and Die"). Minus Jimmy Allen, the group released their eleven-song debut album, ''
Abrasive An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by friction. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflec ...
'', in 1997 on Madison, Wisconsin-based record label Hardknocks Records. Three of the songs from ''Abrasive'' were later re-recorded for the band's major-label debut ''Come Clean''. Differences of opinion and other factors led to the break-up of the original Puddle of Mudd by early 1999, leaving Scantlin as the only original member.


''Come Clean'' (2000–2002)

Scantlin's big break in the music business came after a copy of his demo tape was delivered to
Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He a ...
. Durst contacted Scantlin, and after hearing that his band had broken up, decided to bring him to California to attempt to put a new band together. At a 2001 Flawless Records showcase, Durst noted that he originally disliked the band's material and told Scantlin to fire everyone else in the band and rebuild it from scratch. One of the first people Scantlin met upon arriving in California was Doug Ardito, an intern at
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mu ...
. When Scantlin found out about Ardito's bass playing, they decided to work together. They were still in need of a guitarist and drummer. Fred Durst decided to contact a guitarist he knew from his hometown of
Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the c ...
, Florida, Paul Phillips, who had formerly played in a local band there called Happy Hour. After getting the call from Durst, Paul decided to try out for Puddle of Mudd and was accepted, choosing to leave college in order to join. The band held auditions for a new drummer and selected Greg Upchurch, who was an ex-member of Eleven and had also toured with Chris Cornell. Puddle of Mudd entered the studio in 2000 and released its major-label debut album '' Come Clean'' on August 28, 2001. The lead single from the album, " Control" was successful. It was also the theme song for WWE's '' Survivor Series 2001,'' which was critically acclaimed. The second single off the album, " Blurry", co-written with Jimmy Allen and Doug Ardito, turned out to be Puddle of Mudd's most successful single, reaching No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 8 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, and also winning an
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
song of the year award for Ardito, Allen and Scantlin. The song was also used in the game ''
Ace Combat 5 ''Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War'' is a 2004 combat flight simulation video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed by Project Aces, an internal Namco group credited with the development of the ''Ace Com ...
'', published by Namco. " Drift & Die" co-written by Jimmy Allen was also released as a single spending six weeks at the No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The fourth single, "
She Hates Me "She Hates Me", originally (and still occasionally) titled "She Fucking Hates Me", is a song by American rock band Puddle of Mudd. It was written in 1993 but remained unreleased until 2002, when it became the fourth and final single from the ban ...
" co-written by Jimmy Allen was released in late 2002, and reached the No. 1 spot on the
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
, as well as No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Allen and Scantlin won the ASCAP award for most played rock song of the year. The group then embarked on a European and American tour as the opening act for Godsmack and
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
, and were also a part of the Family Values 2001 tour, alongside
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and dr ...
,
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric K ...
, and
Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, an ...
. The album was certified triple
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
in the U.S. by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA) on January 31, 2003, and as of late 2006, total sales worldwide were in excess of five million copies.


''Life on Display'' (2003–2005)

Puddle of Mudd's follow up, '' Life on Display'', spawned three singles "Away From Me", "Heel Over Head", and "Spin You Around". The album sold below expectations. Although shortly after its release, the record was certified gold and to date, has sold over 706,000 copies. Some suggested this was the primary cause of drummer Greg Upchurch's leaving the band to join 3 Doors Down. Marisa Miller appeared in the music video for "Spin You Around". "Away From Me" was featured in ''
The O.C. ''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initialis ...
'' in 2004. The song "Nothing Left to Lose" was the official theme song of WWE's
2004 Royal Rumble The 2004 Royal Rumble was the 17th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The eve ...
.


''Famous'' (2006–2008)

On October 9, 2007, the band released their third major label record, '' Famous''. The first single, "Famous", was leaked through the band's Myspace page and radio in July before the CD was released. It was a #1 single. Another track, "Merry Go Round", was released through iTunes before the official release. The following single, "
Psycho Psycho may refer to: Mind * Psychopath * Sociopath * Someone with a personality disorder * Someone with a psychological disorder People with the nickname * Karl Amoussou or Psycho, mixed martial artist * Peter Ebdon or Psycho, English snook ...
", topped both the
Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...
and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts for nine weeks. "Livin' on Borrowed Time" and "We Don't Have To Look Back Now" were the final singles released. In the spring of 2007, the band went on tour supporting Hinder and
Papa Roach Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther. Aft ...
on the Door to Dorm tour. Their song "Famous" was the
WWE One Night Stand WWE One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced every June by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 2005 and its name refers to ...
2007 official theme song and was also featured in the video game ''
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008'' (sometimes subtitled with ''featuring ECW'') is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ in November 2007, and developed by Yuke's for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation Port ...
'', as well as '' UFC 2009 Undisputed''.


''Vol.4 Songs in the Key of Love and Hate'' (2009–2010)

In 2009, former guitarist Paul Phillips rejoined the band after replacement Christian Stone was let go on good terms. Around this time the band recruited ''Famous'' producer Brian Howes to begin recording a new record in Vancouver. Prior to the new album's release, band members said the album's name would be called 'Jacket on the Rack'. However, it was changed to '' Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate.'' Released on December 8, it has gone on to sell around 100,000 copies. The first single, " Spaceship", was released in October 2009. On February 10, 2010, a new song, "Shook Up the World", was released. The song was written for Team USA for use in the
2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May Doan Nancy GreeneWayne Gr ...
. All proceeds from the song went to Team USA. Although intended for release during the Olympics, the deadline was missed. Later in the year bassist Doug Ardito left the band and was replaced by Jacksonville
Burn Season Burn Season was an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001. Their final lineup consisted of Damien Starkey on vocals, Kevin Renwick on guitar, Brad Stewart on bass and Bobby Amaru on vocals. The group initially signed wit ...
frontman, Damien Starkey. They played at the Download Festival, and released their first best of collection, titled ''Icon'', featuring the singles from their first four albums.


''Re:(disc)overed'' (2011–2019)

The band released a cover album titled '' re:(disc)overed'' on August 30, 2011. The release featured covers of songs originally by
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
, Bad Company,
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...
, AC/DC and others. According to original bassist Sean Sammon, it was confirmed that the band's first two albums, ''Stuck'' and ''Abrasive'', would be re-released sometime in late 2011. Ardito rejoined the band in 2011 and proceeded to tour with them. Ryan Yerdon was also replaced by Shannon Boone. The band posted several online updates during 2012 suggesting that they were writing and recording a new album. Wes Scantlin was interviewed about his latest arrest for vandalism in July 2013, where he was quoted as saying "We have tons and tons of new hit songs. I write every single night, and we record all the time. We're getting ready to go in and do the record, tour a little bit for the summer, and then do the full production and get back on the scene." Puddle of Mudd toured during 2014 featuring Wes Scantlin with an entirely different line-up. A non-album single, "Piece of the Action", was released in September 2014. The band started recording a new album with Cameron Webb at Grandmaster Studios in 2015. The following year they took part in the Make America Rock Again super tour with other artists who had success throughout the 2000s including
Trapt Trapt is an American rock band formed in Los Gatos, California. Eight studio albums have been recorded to date: ''Amalgamation'' (1999), '' Trapt'' (2002), ''Someone in Control'' (2005), ''Only Through the Pain'' (2008), '' No Apologies'' (20 ...
, Saving Abel, Alien Ant Farm, Crazy Town, 12 Stones, Tantric,
Drowning Pool Drowning Pool is an American rock band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film '' The Drowning Pool''. Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton, and drummer Mi ...
, P.O.D. and
Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy bu ...
.


''Welcome to Galvania'' (2019–present)

In July 2019, a new single, "Uh Oh", was released, with the full album '' Welcome to Galvania'' following in September. In November 2019, the band performed an acoustic session for
SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
's Octane channel. The session went largely unnoticed until April 2020, when the
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
music meme account @catatonicyouths posted edited clips of the band's cover of
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...
's " About a Girl". The cover was also given a reaction video by
YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influe ...
s
Jared Dines Jared Dines (born October 6, 1989) is an American YouTuber and musician who is known for metalcore-themed and adjacent videos, covers, parodies, and his own original music. Career Dines worked as a recording engineer before pursuing YouTube ful ...
and
Steve Terreberry Steven Roger Terreberry (born September 30, 1987), also known as Stevie T, is a Canadian YouTuber and musician based in Welland, Ontario. He is known for his comedic videos involving music. Career Terreberry created his YouTube channel on Janu ...
. The cover has been widely criticised and ridiculed, with most of the focus being placed upon Scantlin's strained, uncomfortable, and off-key vocals. The original video, which has now received over one million views and has since gone unlisted, currently sits at 24,000 dislikes against 9,800 likes. In 2022, Scantlin stated a new album was in the works, and was 'basically pretty much done'. No release date has been announced, but Scantlin later noted he plans on releasing it by the end of 2022.


Lip syncing and other controversies

Since 2012, Scantlin has been accused on numerous occasions of
lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
ing during live performances. On April 16, 2014, Scantlin had an on-stage meltdown during a show at Trees Dallas, in which he threw a microphone and beer into the audience, as well as appearing to threaten and attempt to physically attack members of the audience. He also received criticism as he appeared to be lip-syncing during the performance. On June 20, 2015, the band was booed off stage at a show in Versailles, Ohio, after Scantlin was spotted lip-syncing to the songs. In response to the social media backlash, the band subsequently deleted their Facebook page. With the Facebook page available, the Austin, Texas-based rock band Black Heart Saints gained access as an opportunity to promote their music using the page title "Check This Band Out Instead", although later Puddle of Mudd decided to use the page again. On August 18, 2017, Thetford Mines' Festival de la Relève had to cancel a performance by the band, who were the festival's headliners, after neither Scantlin nor the rest of the band appeared at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, where volunteers were to pick them up to drive them to the festival. No reason was given for the band's absence.


Connection with Fred Durst

Due to the notoriety surrounding how the band was signed with Durst, the band is often asked regarding their relationship with him. Scantlin criticized Durst in an interview in 2004 with Canada's '' Chart'' magazine:
"He doesn't write our songs, he doesn't produce our songs, he doesn't do anything for us. He doesn't do our videos anymore. He doesn't do anything for this band. I don't know what he's doing, I don't know what the guy's like. All I know is that he's like Mr Hollywood guy, Mr Celebrity. Like, 'I don't hang out with anybody except Hollywood celebrities'. Every single fucking interview I've ever fucking done, I get asked about that fucking guy... And for me to do interviews all the time and be asked about this certain individual... People think he writes music with me or something. He does not do that. I just don't get it. We have nothing in common. He doesn't even call us, he has his assistant call us to congratulate us on our record. Yeah, that's how pathetic he is."
On April 22, 2008, in an interview with Artisan News Service, Wes Scantlin took back his previous criticism of Fred Durst:
" redgot our foot in the door and helped us out tremendously. I think nowadays he's doing a lot of directing and we don't really speak to him too much but we appreciate everything he's ever done for our careers."
Limp Bizkit and Puddle of Mudd played together on Epicenter 2011, along with another one of Durst's former proteges,
Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, an ...
. Scantlin later stated that he wanted to make a movie regarding his life and music career, and that he wanted to involve Durst, who had directed several films himself.


Band members


Current members

* Wes Scantlin – lead vocals (1992–present), rhythm guitar (1992–2011, 2012–present), lead guitar (1992, 1996–1999) * Dave Moreno – drums, backing vocals (2005–2006, 2014–present) * Matt Fuller – rhythm guitar (2012), lead guitar, backing vocals (2014–present) * Michael John Adams – bass, backing vocals (2014–present)


Former members


Lead guitarists

* Jimmy Allen(1992–1996, 2005–2006) * Paul Phillips – backing vocals (1999–2005, 2009–2011) * Christian Stone – (2006–2009, 2011–2014)


Drummers

* Kenny Burkitt (1992–2000) * Josh Freese
session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
(2000–2001) * Greg Upchurch (2001–2005, 2011) * Ryan Yerdon (2006–2011) * Shannon Boone (2011–2014)


Bassists

* Sean Sammon - (1992–2002) * Doug Ardito – backing vocals (1999–2010, 2011–2014) * Damien Starkey – backing vocals (2010–2013)


Rhythm guitarist

* Adam Latiff – backing vocals (2011–2012)


Timeline


Discography

;Studio albums * '' Come Clean'' (2001) * '' Life on Display'' (2003) * '' Famous'' (2007) * '' Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate'' (2009) * '' Welcome to Galvania'' (2019)


Accolades


Awards and nominations


Notes


References


External links

* {{commons American alternative metal musical groups American hard rock musical groups American nu metal musical groups American post-grunge musical groups Kerrang! Awards winners Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from Kansas City, Missouri Musical quartets Rock music groups from Missouri Alternative rock groups from Missouri