Mighty Joe Plum

Playing the post-grunge blend of modern and classic rock that would come to dominate late 1990s rock, Mighty Joe Plum scored a minor hit with the single "Live Through This (Fifteen Stories)" in the summer of 1997. But unlike similar-sounding Matchbox 20 and Creed, the band never really caught on. Singer Brett Williams, guitarist Marlin Clark and drummer Mark Mercado met in Tampa Bay while in the sixth grade and jammed until they graduated from high school. The three reunited with bassist Davy Mason for a battle of the bands competition, which they lost. Undeterred, their honed their sound and won their next competition. Choosing their name from a movie and a fruit, Mighty Joe Plum began touring southeastern Florida, raising enough money to record a three-track demo. After an Orlando radio station first played "Live Through This," other Florida stations followed suit and the group returned to the studio to record an EP, Aardvark. In 1996, the band signed with Atlantic Records and recorded its only full-length album, The Happiest Dogs. ~ Ron DePasquale