Song:King Of New Orleans
Album:Greatest Hits
Better Than Ezra never had a big hit single. But they had success in the alternative rock market in the mid-90s. They may have got lost in the shuffle of similar bands. Better Than Ezra was formed in New Orleans in 1988. All four members were attending Louisiana State University. There was lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Kevin Griffin, lead guitarist Joel Rundell, bassist Tom Drummond and drummer Cary Bonnecaze. They won't reveal the meaning of the band's name. Drummond once told a reporter the origin of the name is so lame you wouldn't want to print it. They released a demo on cassette in 1990. But then Rundell committed suicide on Aug. 8, 1990. Better Than Ezra continued as a trio. They released the CD Deluxe independently in 1993. That got them a record deal with Elektra. Elektra re-released Deluxe and the single Good topped the Modern Rock chart. It reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's probably their biggest hit single. Deluxe was certified Platinum. Bonnecaze left and he was replaced by Travis McNabb. King Of New Orleans was the first single from the 1996 album Friction, Baby. Both charted but weren't a successful as the first album. Better Than Ezra released three albums on Elektra. Then Elektra dropped them due to declining sales. This comp covers their Elektra recordings. Better Than Ezra signed with Beyond Records. But by the time their CD Closer was ready for release, Beyond was having financial problems and they closed. Better Than Ezra is still around. Their last CD was released in 2014. They tour and Griffin tours solo playing off his success as a songwriter. But I think it's fair to say that Better Than Ezra's mid-90s run was a little disappointing. Here's the video for King Of New Orleans by Better Than Ezra.
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