Richland Library Main
Meet the Author: Jim "Soni" Sonefeld
Sunday, November 20, 2022 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
"For a time, there was no bigger band in the world than Hootie & the Blowfish—rock & roll’s unexpected foil to the grunge music that dominated the early ’90s airwaves."
Jim Sonefeld, the band's drummer and one of its principal songwriters, will join us to talk about his new book, Swimming with the Blowfish, which describes the "humble beginnings, meteoric rise, Grammy Award-winning musicianship, sudden fall, and ultimate rebirth—and in the telling he opens his heart to readers about addiction, recovery, and faith."
This event will feature an author talk and a book signing.
From Swimming with the Blowfish:
"Hootie’s debut album Cracked Rear View was one of the bestselling in the history of rock music. It saturated radio airwaves, television, and culture, and placed the quartet at the center of the American music conversation—for better and for worse. Though Jim enjoyed the perks that came with fame—the parties, the relationships, the money, the drugs and alcohol—eventually it all became a camouflage that hid a deeper spiritual malady. As his life careened toward disaster, he sought relief in twelve-step recovery, eventually devoting himself to a loving but by no means uncomplicated home life.
Swimming with the Blowfish is an unpretentious, emotional story of one man’s spiritual path to a more fruitful life. Jim’s journey is staggering and redeeming, and ultimately as comforting as your favorite flannel shirt."
About Jim "Soni" Sonefeld:
Jim “Soni” Sonefeld had always dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player, but when that officially fizzled out, he quickly turned his ambitions to his love of drumming and songwriting. Within two years he would serendipitously wind up with three like-minded musicians who called themselves Hootie & the Blowfish. Happily growing their fanbase during the early ‘90s, the band found themselves in an astonishing position by 1995—traveling the world to support their debut Cracked Rear View that would become the
tenth-bestselling album of all time in the US. They would record six more studio albums and receive numerous awards, among them, two Grammys.
As the band’s popularity trended downward, Sonefeld struggled, relying heavily on drugs and alcohol to cope with his inner turmoil. He would finally acknowledge his powerlessness over alcohol in late 2004 and began a spiritual journey he could never have imagined. Since then, he has blossomed as a speaker and solo performer, delivering
his musical message of hope and transformation.
He continues as a member of Hootie & the Blowfish, who in 2019 regathered for their first major tour in over a decade and released their seventh studio album.