The story of Hanson begins in the most unlikely of places Trinidad, Ecuador and Venezuela. It was during this time that Hanson's father's job took the family to these places and where the brothers developed an obsessive love for the Time/Life collection records covering the years 1957-1969.... (okay, okay, that one's just like a beginning, so I put the other one on here too) The story of Hanson begins in the most unlikely of places Trinidad, Ecuador and Venezuela. It was during this time that Hanson's father's job took the family to these places and where the brothers developed an obsessive love for the Time/Life collection records covering the years 1957-1969. Issac says, "The first music we started listening to was late 50's, early 60's rock and roll. Chuck Berry, Bobby Darin and the Beach Boys." "We also love 60's soul records like Johnnie Taylor's 'Who's Making Love' and anything by Otis Redding or Aretha - 'The Queen of Soul.'," Issac said. it should come as no surprise then that with parents who were always singing and making up songs that the three brother soon learned to harmonize with each other. It was no time before the boys were ditching their dishwashing duties to write a song, which they would insist on performing. Then it was a historic move to the drilling town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1992. Who would have guessed that during these early years Issac, Taylor and Zachary Hanson would soon be topping the charts and captivating audiences everywhere. Before they found themselves in "The Middle of Nowhere," the trio had recorded and released two self-distributed CDs, accumulated over 100 original songs and had already racked up hundreds of live performances. On one occasion, the group was forced to play outside their scheduled venue because they weren't old enough to get inside the Tulsa night spot. The group was about to strike gold with their debut release. Tagged "alternative pop," Hanson's debut, "Middle of Nowhere" on Mercury Records, quickly won the praise of audiences on both sides of the generation gap. With the help of veteran producers Steve Lironi (Black Grape, Space) and the Dust Brothers (Beck's "Odely"), Hanson had achieved a magical mix of "old meets new." Like their elder counterparts, The Beach Boys, Hanson relies heavily on harmonies and according to Taylor, that's a big part of the group's success. "There's not just one guy who sings. Having three voices is what makes us Hanson." For a group in which two thirds are ineligible to drive an automobile, the craft of songwriting seems to come quite naturally. In fact, four of the group's songs on "Middle of Nowhere," including the smash hit "MMMBop," were self-penned by the group. For the remainder of the album, the brothers turned to the talents of such seasoned songwriting of collaborators Mark Hudson (Aerosmith), Ellen Shipley (Belinda Carlisle), and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (The Righteous Brothers, The Crystals, The Animals). The group recorded the album over a five month period in a Los Angeles studio. What was their most memorable moment during that exciting time? "We jumped in the Dust Brothers' pool with our clothes on," exclaimed Zac, the youngest member of Hanson. The popularity of Hanson has shown no sign of slowing down having just aired their first network television special and the release of a Christmas Album called "Snowed In." Snowed In (1997 - Mercury) Merry Christmas Baby What Christmas Means To Me Little Saint Nick At Christmas Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree Run Rudolph Run Christmas Time Everybody Knows The Claus Silent Night Medley White Christmas Middle of Nowhere (1997 - Mercury) Thinking Of You MMMBop Weird Speechless Where's The Love Yearbook Look At You Lucy I Will Come To You A Madeline With You In Your Dreams Man From Milwaukee - (CD Only Garage Mix)