Switchfoot Biography

Originally called Chin Up, Switchfoot was formed in 1996 in San Diego, CA, by singer/guitarist Jonathan Foreman and his bassist brother Tim Foreman. With the addition of drummer Chad Butler, the band's name switched to Switchfoot (a surfing term) and they recorded their debut LP, 1997's The Legend of Chin, for Charlie Peacock's re:Think imprint. New Way to Be Human followed two years later; it was a huge hit, with the title track garnering a 1999 Dove Award for Song of the Year. Keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas joined up for 2000's Learning to Breathe, which found Switchfoot taking more steps toward mainstream modern rock. Breathe would prove to be a transition album for the group, and their first to sell over 500,000 copies. Its success, together with their significant presence on the hit soundtrack to the 2002 Mandy Moore vehicle A Walk to Remember, set Switchfoot up for a major-label run. The Beautiful Letdown, their Columbia/RED debut, dropped in spring 2003; it represented the quartet's full evolution toward a more accessible mainstream sound. The album eventually went double platinum on the strength of constant touring and the radio hits "Dare You to Move" and "Meant to Live." It hit number one on Billboard's Christian Albums chart and number 16 on the Top 200. In September 2005 Switchfoot returned with their fifth album, Nothing Is Sound, their first Top Ten hit on the Top 200 (debuting at number three); the album went gold. It sparked another radio hit in "Stars," and was the first Switchfoot recording to include the work of additional guitarist Andrew Shirley (formerly of the contemporary Christian group All Together Separate), who had been a touring member of Switchfoot since 2003. Wasting little time, the band was soon back in the studio with veteran U.K. producer Tim Palmer (U2, the Cure, etc.) to begin work on their sixth album, one that found the guys broadening their musical scope; Oh! Gravity. then appeared at the tail end of 2006.

Jason Ankeny.