Live

Known for the success of their album Throwing Copper (1994), the American band Live was formed in York, Pennsylvania, in 1988. Comprising childhood friends Ed Kowalczyk (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums), the original high-school band, Public Affection, released their first album, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989, before adopting the Live name. In 1991, it was under this new name that they recorded their album Mental Jewelry, released that same year on the Radioactive label. With its blend of melodic alternative rock, passionate vocals and spirituality, Live made a name for itself with its energetic performances, before winning over a wide audience with its second album, Throwing Copper (April 26, 1994), produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, a bestseller that sold eight million copies in the USA, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, in Canada and Australia, and was acclaimed in many other countries. Its five singles include "Selling the Drama" and "Lightning Crashes", which reached No. 1 in the alternative charts, alongside "I Alone " and "All Over You", which were also acclaimed by the public. As part of the post-grunge trend, Live continued to draw crowds with subsequent albums Secret Samadhi (#1 in the U.S. in 1997), The Distance to Here (#4 in 1999) and even V (#22 in 2001), although they didn't achieve the same level of success. After the release of Birds of Pray in 2003 and the compilation Awake: The Best of Live in 2004, the band left the Radioactive label and signed with Epic for Songs from Black Mountain (2006), still popular in some countries (#1 in the Netherlands, #4 in Australia). However, tensions took shape within the band, leading to Kowalczyk's departure in 2009 and his temporary replacement by singer Chris Shinn for the album The Turn (2014). Returning in 2016, Kowalczyk took the band back in hand, but new disagreements soon followed with Gracey, Dahlheimer and Taylor, all three of whom left in 2022, leaving him alone at the helm.

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