Sixpence None the Richer was a Christian pop/rock band with roots in New Braunfels, Texas, eventually settling in Nashville, Tennessee. They are named after a passage in C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.

Guitarist/songwriter Matt Slocum met vocalist Leigh Bingham Nash at a church retreat in the early 1990s. They recorded a demo (which now circulates as "The Original Demos") and eventually an album, "The Fatherless and the Widow," for R.E.X. Records in 1993. The record featured Chris Dodds (of Slocum's band Love Coma) on drums. Shortly after the release of the album, Slocum left Love Coma to pursue Sixpence full time. The band added Tess Wiley (guitar) J.J. Plasencio (bass) and Dale Baker (drums) for 1995's "This Beautiful Mess." Both albums were produced by Armand John Petri.

In 1997, the group signed to Steve Taylor's Squint Entertainment and released a self-titled album, which slowly began garnering attention from a wider audience. In 1999, "Kiss Me" was released as a single, propelling Sixpence into the national pop spotlight.

In 2000, the band recorded a cover of The La's "There She Goes", which became their second hit single. This recording was added to the re-release of Sixpence's self-titled album as a 13th track.

Also in 2000, Sixpence contributed the song "Us" to Today Presents: the Best of Summer Concert Series CD, which raised money for the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance.

The band had a follow up album ready to release, but Squint Entertainment started to fall apart - leaving the band in limbo for several years. Finally, Squint Entertainment was purchased by Word Records and that album, Divine Discontent, was released in October of 2002. It differed significantly from the first pre-release version of the album that had circulated -- the songs "Us," "Deeper," "Don't Pass Me By," "Too Far Gone," and "Loser Like Me" were cut, and "Down and Out of Time," "A Million Parachutes," "Tonight," "Waiting for the Sun," and "Don't Dream It's Over" were added. All of the unreleased songs were eventually featured on singles or compilations, with the exception of "Deeper."

The band had almost a second career recording covers of other people's music for compilations and soundtrack albums. The band has recorded versions of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" (The Beach Boys, from the tribute album A Tribute to Beach Boy Brian Wilson), "On the Run" (Electric Light Orchestra), "Bouquet" (Steve Taylor), "I Need Love" (Sam Phillips), "Carry You" (Sam Phillips), "Don't Dream It's Over" (Crowded House), "Christmastime Is Here" (Vince Guaraldi, Peanuts), "Love Letters in the Sand" (Patsy Cline, Pat Boone and others), "Goodnight Children Everywhere" (Vera Lynn), "Road to Zion" (Petra), "Dancing Queen" (ABBA), and "Love Is Blindness" (U2).

On February 26, 2004, Matt Slocum announced via a letter to CCM Magazine that the group had disbanded.

On July 22, 2004, CCMBuzz reported that Matt Slocum had started a new band, the Astronaut Pushers, with Lindsay Jamieson (of Departure Lounge) and Sam Ashworth (son of influential Christian musician Charlie Peacock). John Davis (formerly of Superdrag) joined the band in 2005. For more information, visit AstronautPushers.com. The Astronaut Pushers released a self-titled, four-song EP on their own label, Runway Network, in 2005. Sam Ashworth reported via MySpace that he and Slocum had acquired and were operating a recording studio in Nashville in early 2006.

Leigh Nash began work on a solo album titled Blue on Blue with producer Pierre Marchand in the fall of 2005. July 14, 2006, "My Idea of Heaven (Radio Edit)" credited to Leigh Nash was released to Current Hits Radio in the USA on the (One Son/Nettwerk) label. The album's official release date is August 15th, 2006.

Discography

• The Original Demos (1993) debut album
• The Fatherless & the Widow (1994)
• This Beautiful Mess (1995)
• Tickets for a Prayer Wheel ^* (1996)
• Sixpence None the Richer (1997)
• Divine Discontent (2002)
• The Best Of Sixpence None The Richer (2004)

Charts & RIAA Certifications

Singles

External links

• www.sixpence-ntr.com (Official Site)
• The Vine (Sixpence Discussion Group)
• Methnen's Mess (Sixpence News and Media)
• Sixpence None the Richer Lyrics
• The Vine (extensive discography)
• Leigh Nash on MySpace

American musical groups | 1990s music groups | 2000s music groups | Nashville bands

Sixpence None the Richer | Sixpence None the Richer | סיקספנס נון דה ריצ'ר | シックスペンス・ノン・ザ・リッチャー