During the early 1990s, Phish emerged as heir to the Grateful Dead's throne. Although their music was somewhat similar to the Dead's, the group adhered more to jazz-derived improvisation than folk tradition and had a looser attitude. Phish's main claim as the inheritors to the Dead's legacy was their approach to their musical career, concentrating more on live improvisation than recording.
Within a few years of their 1988 debut, Phish had become an institution in certain sections of America, particularly college campuses, but their in-concert popularity didn't necessarily translate to huge record sales. Still, Phish were the de facto leaders of the neo-hippie jam band movement, until deciding to go on hiatus in 2000. Guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, and guitarist Jeff Holdsworth formed the band in late 1983 while attending the University of Vermont. Mike Gordon was then recruited as bassist.
By the fall of 1984, Phish were performing off-campus concerts. At this stage in their career, the band was augmented by percussionist Marc Daubert and, occasionally, a vocalist called the Dude of Life. Page McConnell was added as keyboardist and, shortly afterwards, Holdsworth left the group.
Early in 1988, Phish recorded Junta, which was initially sold at their shows as a cassette-only release.
In 1989, the group played their first tour outside of New England, traveling through the Southeast. Phish also recorded their second album, Lawn Boy, in 1989, although the album wasn't released until the fall of 1990.
Throughout early 1991, Phish toured America; during the summer, they recorded their third album, as well as a set of sessions with their old friend, the Dude of Life.
Late in 1991, Phish were signed by Elektra, which released A Picture of Nectar in February of 1992. After the album's release, the group embarked on an extensive national tour. Also that summer, Elektra reissued Lawn Boy and Junta.
Rift, the band's fourth album and the first they recorded with a producer, appeared in February 1993. During Phish's 1993 tour, the group sold tickets that were specifically designed for fans taping the concert, a major gesture of goodwill.
Hoist, the band's fifth album, was released in 1994 and sold better than the group's previous albums. In the fall of 1994, Crimes of the Mind, the album Phish recorded with the Dude of Life in 1991, was released on Elektra Records.
In the summer of 1995, the band released the double live album A Live One, which attempted to definitively capture the Phish concert experience.
In the fall of 1996, Phish released their sixth album, Billy Breathes, which was produced by Steve Lillywhite and got the best reviews thus far.
Slip, Stitch & Pass, their second live LP, followed in 1997, and the following year, the group resurfaced with the studio effort Story of the Ghost.
The 6-disc Hampton Comes Alive, capturing four full live sets over the course of two nights, appeared in late 1999 and went gold.
Phish's popularity only grew during the last half of the 1990s, and their ceaseless touring had helped make them indisputably one of the top concert draws in the nation.
In the spring of 2000, Phish delivered the pastoral studio effort Farmhouse, which was hailed as one of their finest and tightest to date.
However, exhausted by touring and separation from their families, Phish decided to take an extended break, announcing a temporary breakup in October 2000. A month later, Elektra reissued The Siket Disc, which was previously available only through mail order; it featured improvisational tracks from the band's 1997 Story of the Ghost sessions.
Each member then branched out into different directions with mostly successful results during this period. As for the band, Phish was more a part of American culture than ever when they made an appearance on The Simpsons before releasing a massive set of live albums and a DVD in the spring of 2002. By the end of the year, the group bowed to pressure and came back with the announcement that they would begin to play live again starting at the end of December. They played shows through the following year and a half, then decided to officially call it quits in the summer of 2004 after the release of Undermind and the following support tour. This didn't mean, however, that more albums couldn't be released, and the next year their 1995 New Year's Eve concert at Madison Square Gardens came out, followed in 2006 by Live in Brooklyn, which was recorded in June 2004 on Coney Island.