The Fray
Nov 7, 2011
By pitching their music somewhere between the arena-friendly style of U2 and the mature pop/rock of bands like Maroon 5 and Counting Crows, the Fray rose to commercial fame with their 2005 debut, How to Save a Life. The Denver-based band had formed three years prior, when former schoolmates Isaac Slade (vocals, piano) and Joe King (guitar, vocals) unexpectedly bumped into each other at a local music store. The pair began a series of two-man jam sessions and soon expanded their lineup with two of Slade's former bandmates, drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist David Welsh. Slade's younger brother, Caleb, also joined the band for a stint but was ultimately asked to leave; the resulting rift between the two siblings would later inspire the band's first hit single, "Over My Head (Cable Car)." After issuing the Movement EP in 2002, the quartet gained the support of Denver's KTCL radio station with a follow-up release, 2003's Reason EP. As the Fray's airplay increased alongside their local station, they began attracting attention from Epic Records. The label ultimately signed the band in December 2004.
How to Save a Life was released in September 2005, and "Over My Head (Cable Car)" found a quick home on modern rock radio. By early 2006, it had crossed over to Top 40 chart status, peaking at number eight and whetting the public's appetite for another hit. The Fray responded by releasing the album's title track, which was heavily used in a promotional campaign for the TV series Grey's Anatomy and quickly became one of 2006's biggest singles. "How to Save a Life" was a world-wide smash, reaching the Top Ten in the U.S. (where it continued to chart for 58 consecutive weeks) and peaking at number one in Bulgaria, Ireland, Canada, and Spain. By the time the smoke had cleared, the Fray's debut had been certified double-platinum in the U.S. and was declared the best-selling digital album of all time.
The group's second self-titled album, released in 2009, debuted at number-one on the Billboard charts and was certified gold in the US, Australia and Canada. The lead single from the album, "You Found Me" debuted online on December 9, 2009, on VH1.com, and debuted at #28 on the Hot 100 chart, the band's highest debut on the chart to date. The song peaked at #7 on the chart and topped the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart. "Never Say Never" was released as the second single from the album. The song was a modest hit in the United States; it peaked at #32 on the Hot 100 chart and at #10 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart while internationally, it failed to match the success of "You Found Me".
The Fray's third album Scars and Stories is set to be released on February 7, 2012. The first single from the album "Heartbeat" was released to radio on October 8 and was released for download October 11 on iTunes. The single debuted at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
