Puddle of Mudd

At some point in the late 1990s, American rockers finally said goodbye to grunge, started skate boarding, fell in love with funky bass lines, realised the sales potential of a catchy hook and discovered hip hop. Signed to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst's label Flawless Records, Puddle of Mudd came as part of this wave of nu metal acts and, alongside the likes of Blink 182, Primus and Linkin Park, gave the US alternative scene a new identity. Led by Wes Scantlin and originally formed in Kansas City in 1992, the band slogged away for years and released little-known debut album Abrasive (1997) on an independent label before Durst heard their demos and Scantlin headed to California without his original bandmates. Reborn with major label backing and Doug Artito on bass, Paul Phillips on guitar and Greg Upchurch on drums, their single Blurry reached Number 5 in the US and She Hates Me also became a major hit, while the album Come Clean (2001) made the Top 10 and sold over 5 million copies. Follow-up Life On Display (2003) reached the Top 20 and they won four Billboard Music Awards in 2002. Later albums Famous (2007) and Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate (2009), however, failed to have the same impact and the band's output waned.

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