Widespread Panic is a southern rock band from Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1985 as a weekly jam session at the Uptown Lounge in Athens, the band tours widely, drawing particularly large audiences near its origins in the southeastern United States. The founding members of the group are guitarist/ singer John Bell, guitarist Michael Houser and bassist Dave Schools. Drummer Todd Nance would soon join, and percusionist Sonny Ortiz and keyboardist John Hermann joined in the early 1990s.
The group is often described as a jam band. However, this is perhaps an inaccurate description. While their live shows often feature extended instrumental segments and their music shows a discernible influence of the Grateful Dead, they do not perform the freestyle jams often performed by the Dead, Phish and other true jam bands. Their music is perhaps better described as southern rock with a loose, jam influenced organization. This misunderstanding has often provoked ridicule from some jam band fans, who expect Panic to live up to the measure of a proper jam band. Appreciators often counter that Panic does not intend to live up to standards, and features more subtle songwriting than such groups. It should also be noted that many prominent jam band figures appreciate Panic; for example, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio has performed on stage with them.
Their debut LP, Space Wrangler, established a small fanbase and inagurated several years of constant touring before the band signed to Capricorn Records and released their major label debut, Widespread Panic in 1991 (see 1991 in music). After appearing with the H.O.R.D.E. tours for a few years, the band became one of the most popular new jam bands that arose in the mid-1990s. Their popularity peaked in the late 1990s/early 2000s, as their concert draw benefited from Phish's temporary hiatus. They still have a large draw in the South, where they are most popular.