Soul Asylum

Formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Soul Asylum is an alternative rock band that rose from the punk and alternative scene in the ‘80s before becoming one of the most successful grunge-era rock bands of the ‘90s thanks to their 1993 single “Runaway Train”. The band – Dave Pirner (vocals, guitar), Dan Murphy (guitar), Karl Mueller (bass) and Pat Morley (drums) – were originally known as Loud Fast Rules but changed their name to Soul Asylum shortly thereafter. Pat Morley was replaced in 1984 by Grant Young. Signing to Twin-Tone Records, the band released three albums for the label – Say What You Will, Clarence… Karl Sold The Truck (1984), Made to Be Broken (1986), and While You Were Out (1986) – and gained a devoted following before switching to A&M Records. The band released two albums for the label – Hang Time (1988) and And the Horse They Rode In On (1990) – but neither was successful so the band was dropped by the label. Reassessing their musical direction, the band refocused and concentrated on their songwriting. Signing to Columbia Records, Soul Asylum released Grave Dancers Union (1992), which was extremely successful. The album reached Number 11 in the U.S. and entered the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The single “Runaway Train” was even more successful. The video featured images of runaway and missing children plus a phone number at the end. According to the video’s director, 26 children featured in the video were found. Drummer Grant Young was replaced by Sterling Campbell and the band released their Let Your Dim Light Shine in 1995. Campbell stuck around long enough for their next album Candy from A Stranger (1998) but left when the band was dropped by Columbia. Soul Asylum laid low for the next few years, but began recording their next album in 2004 with drummer Michael Bland. The resulting album was the last to feature bassist Karl Mueller, who died of cancer in 2005. The Silver Lining (2006) was the last to feature Mueller and the first to feature new bassist Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Bash & Pop). The band’s next album, Delayed Reaction (2012) was the last to feature original guitarist Dan Murphy and bassist Stinson. The band continued with Pirner as the sole original member, releasing the albums Change of Fortune (2016) and Hurry Up and Wait (2020).

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