Who are the Hooters?

The Hooters are a band from Philadelphia who were popular around there, with limited appeal beyond Philadelphia (that I was aware of, anyway) in the mid/late 80’s. They’re called that because of an instrument that they play called a “Melodica”, whose nickname is the Hooter. Normally I like stuff like Black Sabbath, but for me, the Hooters are one top notch band, one I wish had never broken up. I’d have to say their most well known song probably is “All You Zombies”. They’ve also had other hits as well along the way like And We Danced as well as Karla With a K. However, the song that is most well known is “Time after Time” by Cyndi Lauper. Rob Hyman of the Hooters co-wrote that with her, and it was a major hit. In fact, they had broken up before that, and the success of that song led to the band getting back together again around early 1984 or so and getting a record contract.

They have a few albums, they are:

1. Amore (1983) – Only released locally in Philadelphia.
2. Nervous Night (1985) – Some songs from Amore were on here.
3. One Way Home (1987)
4. Zig Zag (1989)
5. Out of Body (1993)
6. Live Album (1994) – Never released in the states
7. Hooterization: A Retrospective (1996) – Greatest Hits

I discovered them in the Spring of 1984 for myself, as I was attending Temple University, and I was working in the Students Activities Board. We planned the annual free concert for Temple that year, and two of the bands (there were three, but I can’t remember the third) were the Hooters and Cyndi Lauper. The Hooters were a major deal in the Philadelphia area, and Cyndi Lauper was just then breaking huge on the national scene.

The Hooters were also the first band on stage on the US side of Live Aid back in 1985. ;)

I loved their albums and their music, I wish they’d get back together again and do a new album. It’s been too long. I urge you to check out their greatest hits album, it’s got most of their major songs on it. There’s some very good stuff there. Here’s a few links:

Hooters FAQ – A little out of date, but lots of good info. The main site for this FAQ is here.

The Hooters Trading Page.