Sixpence None the Richer 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 ...

band that formed in

New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 United Sta ...

, and eventually settled in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Your Name" and their covers of "

Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...

" and " There She Goes". The band received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

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 for Best Rock Gospel Album was awarded from 1991 to 2011. From 1991 to 1993 the category was awarded as Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album. From 2007 to 2011 it was awarded as Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. The award was discont ...

for ''Sixpence None the Richer'' (1997).

History

Formation and early years (1992–1996)

Guitarist/songwriter

Matt Slocum Matt Slocum (born 27 December 1972) is a guitarist, cellist, pianist and composer, known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist of Sixpence None the Richer. Biography Born in Rhode Island to Joseph and Hildegard Slocum, ...

met

Leigh Nash Leigh Anne Bingham Nash ( ; born June 27, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter who is 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 ...

in the early 1990s and recorded a demo, circulated 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 #"Spotligh ...

'', for the independent label

R.E.X. Records R.E.X. Records, also known as R.E.X. Music, was an independent record label founded by Doug Mann and Gavin Morkel, which operated from 1987 until running into financial difficulty in 1995. Operations were based in Chicago until 1990 when the com ...

in 1994. 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. The name of the band was 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, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

discussing how children buying gifts for their parents with the parents' money means the parents are "none the richer" monetarily, but there is value in the act (mirroring the Christian God/human dynamic).

Into the mainstream (1997–2004)

In 1997, the group signed to

Steve Taylor Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, film maker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed ...

'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 ...

' " There She Goes". Sixpence appeared on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''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 com ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'', 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 the album, '' Divine Discontent'', was released in October 2002. On February 26, 2004, Matt Slocum announced that the group had disbanded.

First reunion and ''Lost in Transition'' (2007–2016)

In November 2007, Sixpence None the Richer reunited. They released the EP '' My Dear Machine'' on the website

NoiseTrade NoiseTrade was a global online audio and book direct-to-fan distribution platform. It was based in Nashville, Tennessee. It enables its users to upload original music and books and give away for free without digital rights management to anyone ...

in 2008, the band's first official release since '' The Best of Sixpence None the Richer'' in 2004. In October 2008, they released a Christmas album titled ''

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

''. Sixpence signed to

Credential Recordings Credential Recordings is a pop and rock record label in Nashville, Tennessee. The label branched out after a distribution agreement with Lowercase People Records for Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman's solo EPs, which tend to be more folk-acoustic in ...

and played a headline slot at the 2009

Greenbelt Festival Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown out of an evangelical Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young people into its current form, a more inclusive f ...

in the UK. According to Nash, the band began recording a new album in January 2010. The album, Lost in Transition, was released on August 7, 2012.

Second reunion and ''Rosemary Hill'' (2023–present)

In September 2023, Leigh Nash released a single, "The Tide", that additionally credited Sixpence None the Richer, making it their first new song in 11 years. Additionally, Matt and Leigh announced a new tour with

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

, playing songs from both bands, but in January 2024, Matt and Leigh left the tour early, noting the duo "had other commitments arise". In January 2024, it was announced that drummer Dale Baker was returning to the band and that they had signed a management deal with Deep South Entertainment with plans to re-release their self-titled album on vinyl. In June, they announced a new 25th Anniversary tour with the classic lineup for the first time since Baker left. In August 2024, they announced a new single, ''We are Love'', and a new EP, ''Rosemary Hill'', released on October 4, 2024.

Band members

Current members *

– vocals (1992–2004, 2007–present) *

– guitar, cello (1992–2004, 2007–present) * Justin Cary – bass (1997–2004, 2008–present) * Dale Baker – drums (1993–2001, 2024–present) Current touring members *

Steve Hindalong Steve Hindalong (born November 29, 1959) is an American drummer, percussionist, songwriter and producer best known for his work with the alternative rock band the Choir. Since 2006, Hindalong has also been an official member of the alternative ...

– percussion, guitars (2024–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) * James Arhelger – bass (1993–1994) * Joel Bailey – bass (1994) * J. J. Plasencio – bass (1995–1997) * Sean Kelly – guitars (1997–2004) * Jerry Dale McFadden – keyboards (2001–2004) * Rob Mitchell – drums (2001–2004, 2012–2017) *

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 pr ...

– keyboards (2012–2013)

Timeline

Discography

* ''

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Your Name" and their cover ...

'' (1997) * '' Divine Discontent'' (2002) * ''

'' (2008) * '' Lost in Transition'' (2012)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{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 Curb Records artists Nettwerk Music Group artists Reprise Records artists Female-fronted musical groups Mixed-gender bands