BY NOW, YOU'RE PROBABLY HUMMING MMMBOP IN YOUR SLEEP----YEP! HANSON HYSTERIA IS HUGE! JANE MCCUNE BRINGS YOU THE LOWDOWN ON OUR FAVE BROTHERS........
ONE..........We all know them as Ike, Tay and Zac, but Hanson's full names are: Clarke Isaac (Ike), Jordan Taylor (Tay), and Zachary Walker (Zac)
TWO..........Isaac is a Scorpio who'll turn 17 on November 17, Taylor is a Pisces and turns 15 on March 14, and Zac is a Libra who'll be just 12 years old on October 22. They're babes on the way up!!
THREE..........Hanson hail from Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is famous for.....nothing really, except Hanson. We reckon that's probably why they called their album Middle of Nowhere
FOUR..........Isaac started writing music when he was eight and Tay soon started harmonising with him. After a while, their parents would find the guys writing songs instead of washing dishes. They've already written over 100 songs!
FIVE..........Their very first performance was at an arts festival in Tulsa, singing versions of old hits like Splish Splash, Johnny B. Goode and Summertime Blues at just six, nine, and eleven. They've performed hundreds of times since then.
SIX..........They hired musicians to record their first album, but then decided to each learn an instrument. Taylor got the keyboards (because, according to Zac, he'd been playing the piano long enough), Isaac got the guitar (beacause he has the longest arms), and Zachary started playin the drums (because that's all that was left.)
SEVEN..........Their new album, Middle of Nowhere is actually their third album! They've released independently--- Boomerang (and R&B mix of songs) and MMMBOP (which has earlier versions of their current stuff)---before signing to Mercury Records.
EIGHT..........Their age does cause one or two problems----when they performed at The Blue Rose Cafe, a bar in Tulsa, they had to do the gig outside 'cos they were too young to get in
NINE..........Hanson aren't the result of pushy parents. "Our parents didn't push us," Zac says. "But they helped us. They said: 'I'm going to drive you where you want and get you what you need'." Good thing---Ike's the only one who's old enough to drive.
TEN..........The guys grew up listening to rock'n'roll from the 50's and 60's and consider it a big influence, but they also listen to stuff like Aerosmith, Alanis Morissette, and No Doubt.
ELEVEN..........It's Taylor's voice that we hear on MMMBop and most tracks but don't make the mistake of thinking there's only one singer in Hanson. They all take turns and Tay reckons, "Having three voices is what makes us Hanson."
TWELVE..........Hanson made music history in Australia. Their hit MMMBop entered the Australian charts at No.1, making them the first group to have a single go straight to No.1
THIRTEEN..........The boys, particularly Zac and Taylor, often get mistaken for girls, but they don't get offended. "It's pretty funny, " Tay notes.
FOURTEEN..........Hanson, the band, may expand in the future. They have two sisters, Jessie and Avie, and a younger brother, Mac, and have invited them to join them. "We're willing to let them in the band. We've asked them before. But I think they really want to do their own thing," says Zac.
FIFTEEN..........It had to happen but the timing couldn't have been worse. While recording Middle of Nowhere, Taylor's voice broke. "If you listen very closely, you'll hear my voice is about four notes lower at the end than it was in the begining," he laughs.
SIXTEEN..........the boys don't have to worry about missing school while they're touring or working on their music----they've never been to a real school. Because they moved around a lot for their dad Walker's job, their mom Diana, taught them at home.
SEVENTEEN..........They may look like angels, but these cuties have some bad habits, too. They all bite their nails, Taylor taps on everything he can and Zac jumps around all the time.
EIGHTEEN..........Taylor and Isaac like watching sitcoms like Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Single Guy
NINETEEN..........Their fan club is called HITZlist, which is the first letters of their names Hanson, Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary.
TWENTY..........You can write to Tay, Zac, and Ike Hanson at: Hanson, c/- HITZlist, PO BOX 703136, Tulsa, OK 74170, USA. Or e-mail the official club at: hansonfans@hansonline.com
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