The 2 Two-Hit Wonders From the 1990s Who Came From the Same College Town

For those familiar with I-95, the drive from Philadelphia to New York City is a quick one. A couple of hours at most between the two historic cities. But nestled between those two regions is the small college town of Princeton, New Jersey. And it’s from that town where two iconic two-hit wonder bands from the 1990s emerged.

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And they emerged as friends. That’s right, born in Princeton and perfected in New York, Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors both came from the same town and same high school. Later, they went on to thrive in the East Coast jam band scene and are still putting out music as we speak (indeed, Spin Doctors have a new album out this spring).

Here below, we wanted to highlight these bands and highlight the tracks that each saw rise up the Billboard charts during their heyday. Yes, these are the two two-hit wonders from the 1990s who came from the same college town of Princeton, New Jersey.

[RELATED: 3 Two-Hit Wonder, Foreign-Born Bands that Ruled the 1970s]

Blues Traveler: “Hook” and “Run-Around” from Four (1994)

In 1990, Blues Traveler released its debut self-titled LP. That album featured hits like “But Anyway” and already the group was enjoying some fame and recognition. Fronted by the harmonica-playing whirling dervish John Popper, the band released two more albums before dropping Four, which made them mainstream radio mainstays thanks to songs like “Run-Around” and “Hook,” which hit No. 8 and No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. With energy overflowing and a harmonica that sounds like Jimi Hendrix playing the guitar, Blues Traveler brought new sounds to the forefront.

Spin Doctors: “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” from Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991)

A few years before Four hit the big time, a band called Spin Doctors, whose members had gone to high school together and even lived with members of Blues Traveler, made a name for themselves thanks to their debut 1991 LP Pocket Full of Kryptonite. It was a slow burn at first for the album but it then really picked up steam thanks to songs like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” which hit No. 7 and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, respectively. With a joyful delivery, frontman Chris Barron’s vivid vocals and his big hats and sweaters (seen the songs’ music videos) were famous.

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