Soul Asylum consists of Dan Murphy (guitar, vocals), David Pirner (vocals, guitar), Ian Mussington (drums), Karl Mueller (bass).
Soul Asylum is an alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983, is perhaps best known for their song "Runaway Train". The group was an outgrowth of a previous band, Loud Fast Rules, formed in 1981 by guitarist Dan Murphy, bassist Karl Mueller, and drummer Dave Pirner. Grant Young joined the group in 1983, taking over the drums from Pirner, who switched to rhythm guitar. The first Soul Asylum record was released in 1984 under the local Twin/Tone label, and they quickly became a mainstay of the local Twin Cities music scene.
The group signed with A&M Records in 1988 where they released Hang Time and And The Horse They Rode In On. Due to poor sales and Dave's hearing problems. the group considered disbanding. After playing a series of acoustic shows in the early 1990s they were picked up by Columbia Records. In 1992 they released Grave Dancer's Union, which became their most popular album. On January 20, 1993, the group performed at the first inauguration of United States President Bill Clinton. The next year, Dave Pirner received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for "Runaway Train".
The video for "Runaway Train" featured photographs and names of missing children in a public service video style. At the end of the video, Dave Pirner appears and says "If you see one these children, or you are one, please call this number", before a missing children telephone helpline number appeared. For performance outside the USA, the video was edited to include photos and names of missing children from the area the video would be used. The video was instrumental in reuniting several children with their families.
Grant Young soon left the band to be replaced by Sterling Campbell, who had been listed as providing "percussion" on Grave Dancers Union (although it turned out he had actually done the bulk of the drumming on that album). The next release, Let Your Dim Light Shine saw the track "Misery" reach the Top 20, but the album was not as successful as the band's previous one. The group returned in 1998 to release Candy from a Stranger and also recorded a live benefit concert for victims of the Red River Flood of 1997. It was released in 2004.
