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 s ...

band 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 seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and "

Breathe Your Name "Breathe Your Name" is a song by the American pop rock band Sixpence None the Richer. It was released in 2002 on Reprise Records and Squint Entertainment as the debut radio single and as well as the opening track from their fourth studio album, ...

" and their covers of " Don't Dream It's Over" 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 Univer ...

. 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 pr ...

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 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 m ...

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 ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'':

Formation and early years (1992–1996)

Guitarist/songwriter Matt 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'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 ''

'', ''

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'', 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 ''My Dear Machine'' is an EP by Sixpence None the Richer, released on the music website NoiseTrade in mid-2008, although it was discontinued from the site in early 2009. It is the band's first official release in the four years since ''The Best ...

'' on the website NoiseTrade 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 tra ...

'' in 2004. In October 2008, they released a Christmas album titled ''

The Dawn of Grace ''The Dawn of Grace'' is a Christmas album by the alternative rock and indie pop band Sixpence None the Richer. The record was released on October 14, 2008. Background ''The Dawn of Grace'' was produced by Steve Hindalong and consists of eight ...

''. Sixpence signed to Credential Recordings and played a headline slot at the 2009 Greenbelt Festival 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 ...

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 no ...

, 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) * Matt Slocum – 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 Tess Wiley (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life Tess Wiley was born in Dallas, Texas in 1974 to a Christian family. Her mother was a poet Kathryn Wiley while her father was a musician Fletch Wiley, one of '' The D ...

– guitars, vocals (1994–1996, 2008) * Dale Baker – drums (1993–2001) * James Arhelger – bass (1993–1994) * Joel Bailey – bass (1994) also in

Society's Finest Society's Finest is a metalcore band from Dallas, Texas. Their first full-length album, '' The Journey...So Far'', was released on Solid State Records in May 2000. Due to member changes and personal matters the band took a break from touring a ...

* 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 p ...

– keyboards (2012–2013) Timeline

Discography

* ''

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1995) * '' Sixpence None the Richer'' (1997) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

Lost in Transition ''Lost in Transition'' is the sixth studio album by the band Sixpence None the Richer released on August 7, 2012, via Tyger Jim label. It is the first album full of mostly original material since 2002's ''Divine Discontent''. The interim perio ...

'' (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