Iconic '90s Rock Record Hit No. 1 31 Years Ago Today

Hootie & the Blowfish's first record, Cracked Rear View, featuring hits like "Only Wanna Be with You," "Hold My Hand," and "Let Her Cry," catapulted the South Carolina-based band into the spotlight. Songfacts reported that the 1994 record reached the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 on May 27, 1995.

In a 2024 interview with Q with Tom Powers, the band's frontman and vocalist, Darius Rucker, shared his thoughts about the success of Cracked Rear View.

"Man, it's crazy, you know, I mean, even though we're much older now, I remember when we started, and if you told us we were going to do that, no one would've believed it. You know 21 million records [sold], and you know, they're great stats. We're really proud of those," said the musician, now 60.

He then said he believed Cracked Rear View immediately found lasting popularity because the record came out at "the right place, at the right time." Rucker also said that fans are still drawn to the album, over 30 years since its release.

"People still love it, you know. I think, you know, with the streaming and everything, it still does so well. It's just one of those records that, I don't know, you know, you have to respect it," said Rucker during the 2024 interview.

During the Q with Tom Powers interview, Rucker also shared some insight into Hootie & the Blowfish joining Atlantic Records before the release of Cracked Rear View. He explained that record labels had taken an interest in the band after they began selling their 1993 EP Kootchypop at "Mom-and-pop shops."

In addition, Rucker said while they had the support of the then-president of Atlantic Records, Danny Goldberg, and Tim Sommer, who signed them, not everyone at the label thought they would be successful because they weren't a grunge band.

"There were people at the label that said, 'If you put Cracked Rear View out, Atlantic would be the laughing stock of the music business.' That was actually said," said Rucker during the interview.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 1:29 PM.