Toad the Wet Sprocket was an American folk rock band which consisted of singer Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss.
Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986 at San Marcos High School just outside of Santa Barbara, California when singer/songwriter Glen Phillips was only 14. The band drew its name from the Eric Idle monologue "Rock Notes" on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album from 1980. The band's first public appearance was at an open-microphone talent contest in September 1986. The band lost the competition.
Toad the Wet Sprocket first album came out in 1989. Named Bread and Circus, it was their first effort for Columbia Records, who had signed them out of high school. The album spawned the singles "Way Away" and "One Little Girl," which made the Billboard Modern Rock Charts, but did not recieve much attention.
The follow-up to Bread and Circus, Pale, was released in 1990 and saw their sound mature. Featuring the singles "Corporal Brown" and the Modern Rock Chart hit "Come Back Down," the album was still not a massive success.
The band finally achieved fame with their third album, Fear. The album was released in 1991, and saw the single " All I Want" reach the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. The single "Walk on the Ocean" also reached the top twenty of the Hot 100, and the album became the band's first RIAA certified platinum album.
In 1994, after years of heavy touring, the band released their follow-up to Fear, Dulcinea. This album spawned the hit singles "Fall Down," which reached #1 on the US Modern Rock charts as well as #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, as well as "Something's Always Wrong," which also charted. This album was also certified platinum by the RIAA.