Sublime was an American reggae band from California. Sublime consisted of three members: Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Bud Gaugh (drums), and Eric Wilson (bass guitar). The band achieved commercial success with their self-titled third album. Worldwide, Sublime has sold 17 million albums, including about 10 million in the U.S. alone. They split in 1996 following Nowell’s, the band front man, death.

The band played for the first time on the Fourth of July in 1989 in a small club in Long Beach, California, and for the following years, the group focused primarily on playing at parties and clubs throughout Southern California, although they were able to record a few songs which would appear on later releases.


Sublime became famous within California and they released their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom, in 1992. The record was a combination of reggae, punk, ska, and hip hop, and helped to boost the band's growing fans.


In 1994 they released their second album, Robbin' the Hood, which was regarded as having a more experimental type of sound deviating from the style of Sublime's debut album.


In February of 1996, the band began recording the material which would lead to their third album.


Lead singer Bradley Nowell died of heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 in a hotel room, just two months before the release of their self-titled third record. The album earned the band worldwide fame, and has since gone five-times platinum. Several singles, aside from the #1 Modern Rock Chart hit "What I Got," received heavy airplay, including "Santeria," "Doin' Time," "Wrong Way," and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)."