Sixpence None the Richer (also known as Sixpence) is an American

Christian alternative rock Christian alternative rock is a form of alternative rock music that is lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview. Some critics have suggested that unlike CCM and older Christian rock, Christian alternative rock generally emphasizes musical ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

that formed in

New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just nor ...

, and eventually settled in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Your Name" and their covers of "

Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...

" and " There She Goes". The name of the band is inspired by a passage from the book ''

Mere Christianity ''Mere Christianity'' is a Christian apologetical book by the British author C. S. Lewis. It was adapted from a series of BBC radio talks made between 1941 and 1944, originally published as three separate volumes: ''Broadcast Talks'' (1942), ...

'' by

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

. The band received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Kiss Me" and

Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album was awarded from 1991 to 2011. From 1991 to 1993 the category was awarded as Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album. From 2007 to 2011 it was awarded as Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. The award was discont ...

for ''Sixpence None the Richer'' (1997).

History

Origin of the band's name

Vocalist

Leigh Nash Leigh Anne Bingham Nash ( ; born June 27, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the Christian alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer and was also a member of Fauxliage. Her debut solo album, '' Blue on ...

described the origin of the band's name on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'':

Formation and early years (1992–1996)

Guitarist/songwriter

Matt Slocum Matt Slocum (born 27 December 1972) is a guitarist, cellist, pianist and composer, known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist of Sixpence None the Richer. Biography Born in Rhode Island to Joseph and Hildegard Slocum, ...

met Leigh Nash in the early 1990s. They recorded a demo, which circulates as "The Original Demos", with bassist T.J. Behling at Verge Music Works recording studio in Dallas, and eventually an album, ''

The Fatherless and the Widow ''The Fatherless and the Widow'' is the debut studio album by American band Sixpence None the Richer, released in 1994. Track listing All songs written by Matt Slocum, except "Spotlight" by T.J. Behling. #"Field of Flowers" – 2:37 #"Spotlight ...

'', for the independent label REX Music in 1993. After adding more members, the band toured in support of ''The Fatherless and The Widow''. The band released ''

This Beautiful Mess ''This Beautiful Mess'' is the second studio album by American band Sixpence None the Richer, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). The recording was produced by Armand John Petri, who also managed the band from 1993 to 1997. ''This Beautiful Me ...

'' in 1995.

Into the mainstream (1997–2004)

In 1997, the group signed to

Steve Taylor Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, film maker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed ...

's label

Squint Entertainment Squint Entertainment was a record label owned by Word Entertainment, started and run by musician and songwriter Steve Taylor in 1997. Squint pushed Sixpence None the Richer to mainstream success with their single "Kiss Me". The band had been in ...

and released a self-titled album, which slowly began garnering attention from a wider audience in the mainstream industry. In 1998, " Kiss Me" was released as a single, propelling Sixpence None the Richer into the national pop spotlight. The next year, the band followed up "Kiss Me" with a cover of

The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Bad ...

' " There She Goes". Sixpence appeared on the ''

'', ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'', and numerous morning talk shows. The band had a follow-up album ready to release, but their label

started to fall apart, leaving the band in limbo for several years. Finally, Squint Entertainment folded and that album, ''

Divine Discontent ''Divine Discontent'' is the fourth studio album by American band Sixpence None the Richer, released on October 29, 2002. Background Lead singer Leigh Nash has described her understanding of the album title as being that "sometimes your pain ...

'', was released in October 2002. On February 26, 2004, Matt Slocum announced that the group had disbanded.

Reunion and ''Lost in Transition'' (2007–present)

In November 2007, Sixpence None the Richer reunited. They released the EP '' My Dear Machine'' on the website

NoiseTrade NoiseTrade is a global online audio and book direct-to-fan distribution platform. It is based in Nashville, Tennessee. It enables its users to upload original music and books and give away for free without digital rights management to anyone w ...

in 2008, the band's first official release since ''

The Best of Sixpence None the Richer ''The Best of Sixpence None the Richer'' is a greatest hits album of American band Sixpence None the Richer, released in 2004 (see 2004 in music). It contains all their most successful songs as well as various rarities, covers and three new trac ...

'' in 2004. In October 2008, they released a Christmas album titled '' The Dawn of Grace''. Sixpence signed to

Credential Recordings Credential Recordings is a pop and rock record label in Nashville, Tennessee. The label branched out after a distribution agreement with Lowercase People Records for Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman's solo EPs, which tend to be more folk-acoustic in ...

and played a headline slot at the 2009

Greenbelt Festival Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown out of an evangelical Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young people into its current form, a more inclusive f ...

in the UK. According to

, the band began recording a new album in January 2010. The album was released on August 7, 2012. On November 12, 2016, the band performed at Love Love Rock Festival in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, including hits "Don't Dream It's Over", "Kiss Me" and "There She Goes".Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Band members

Current members *

– vocals (1992–2004, 2007–present) *

– guitar, cello (1992–2004, 2007–present) * Justin Cary – bass (1997–2004, 2008–present) * Rob Mitchell – drums (2001–2004, 2012–present) Former members * T.J. Behling – bass (1992–1993) * Mark Couvillion – guitars (1992–1993) * Tess Wiley – guitars, vocals (1994–1996, 2008) * Dale Baker – drums (1993–2001) * James Arhelger – bass (1993–1994) * Joel Bailey – bass (1994) also in Society's Finest * J.J. Plasencio – bass (1995–1997) * Sean Kelly – guitars (1997–2004) * Jerry Dale McFadden – keyboards (2001–2004) *

Jason Lehning Jason Lehning (born April 14, 1972) is an American producer, composer, musician and mixer/engineer living in Nashville, Tennessee. Biography Early life Jason Lehning was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee in a musical family. The son of pr ...

– keyboards (2012–2013) Timeline

Discography

* ''

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer (also known as Sixpence) is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and "Breathe Yo ...

'' (1997) * ''

'' (2002) * '' The Dawn of Grace'' (2008) * '' Lost in Transition'' (2012)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sixpence None The Richer American pop music groups Christian rock groups from Texas Alternative rock groups from Texas Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 2004 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups from New Braunfels, Texas Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee 1992 establishments in Texas 2004 disestablishments in Texas 2007 establishments in Texas Credential Recordings artists Reprise Records artists Female-fronted musical groups