Jellyfish Biography

For decades, San Francisco has been the breeding ground for all things experimental and a little bit strange in music. This legacy made it the perfect place to produce a group as off-the-wall as Jellyfish. Drummer and vocalist Andy Sturmer and keyboardist Roger Manning were raised outside of the Bay Area in Pleasanton, California. They bonded over a mutual love for jazz in high school and soon developed an interest in punk rock. They took different paths after high school-Manning attended USC and Sturmer was in a variety of bands-but music would soon bring the duo back together.Sturmer has joined band called Beatnik Beatch and he soon recruited Manning to join him. The band got a deal with Atlantic Record and release a recorded and then soon disbanded. Atlantic stuck with the band members and the duo started to write songs. Atlantic liked them and pushed Sturmer and Manning to put together a band. Manning enlisted the help of guitarist Jason Falkner, who he had met in college. Before they could create an album, Atlantic dropped them. It didn't take them long to find a new label and they were soon signed with Virgin's Charisma label.Jellyfish finished their first album in 1990 but needed a bassist for their live performances. That is when they added Roger's brother, Chris, who had just finished college. They released their debut album, Bellybutton, in the summer of 1990. The album stayed on the Billboard charts for more than six months and produced hit singles for the band. Internal problems led to Chris Manning and Falkner leaving the band, but Manning and Sturmer soldiered on. They added new members and released their sophomore album, Spilt Milk, in 1993. The album didn't do as well as their first, but their loyal appreciated the creative genius is possessed. The group disbanded in spring of 1994.