Above / Jim “Soni” Sonefeld of Hootie & the Blowfish performed several songs during a conversation and booksigning at Anderson’s Bookshop to celebrate the release of his new book, Swimming with the Blowfish, Hootie, Healing and One Hell of a Ride.
Update, Oct. 22, 2022 / While the audience was filling at Anderson’s Bookshop, Jim Sonefeld greeted longtime friends and former classmates from Naperville Central High School.
Sonefeld’s story of success, struggles and sobriety was a surprise. Finding sobriety in late 2004, his spiritual journey and love for family and faith creates an impassioned story for Sonefeld to tell. And now, as the caption says under one of 38 photos in the book, he’s “Singing for hope, love and recovery.”
Original Post, Oct. 19, 2022 / Jim Sonefeld, known for his performances with Hootie & the Blowfish, is coming back to Naperville for a book signing and conversation beginning at 7PM Sat., Oct. 22.
The Naperville-raised drummer/songwriter for Hootie & the Blowfish will appear in person at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., to celebrate the release of his new book, Swimming with the Blowfish, Hootie, Healing and One Hell of a Ride.
“I’ve read the book and it’s very well written,” said Ray Kinney when he first mentioned in September that Sonefeld was coming to town. “And maybe because one of my best buds from high school (Naperville Central) turns out to be in the biggest drawing bands for a decade, I may be biased.”
Kinney continued, “I laughed, I cried, but really enjoyed the book. Seeing Jim now trying to help others beat their addictions is inspiring and I hope he helps a lot of people…”
During Saturday’s event at Anderson’s, Sonefeld will read excerpts from his book, perform a few songs, take questions and sign books.
The ticketed event includes a copy of Swimming with the Blowfish. (1 Individual-1Book is $35. / 2 Individuals-1 Book are $45.) Click here for details.
Hootie and the Blowfish, a rock band organized in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986, included a quartet of Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, Dean Felber, Darius Rucker and Mark Bryan, all featured on the book cover. More than one biography praised Hootie & the Blowfish as the most popular band in America during the mid-1990s, a period when Hootie played “a mainstream pop variation of blues-rock, and their easygoing sound netted them a string of Top 40 hits.”
