Formed in 1990 when Kim Deal was still the bassist for The Pixies, The Breeders gave her an outlet to play the guitar and write eccentrically poppy melodies, teamed up with guitarist Tanya Donnelly from Throwing Muses, violinist Carrie Bradley and English bassist Josephine Wiggs.
The group scored a deal with British indie label 4AD and recorded their debut album, Pod, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The album was generally well-received and the follow-up, Last Splash (1993) was released to wide acclaim and featured the hit Cannonball.
Notified by fax that her services in The Pixies were no longer required, Kim Deal called up her twin sister, Kelley, to be her new guitarist (even though, famously, Kelley did not know how to play the guitar) and had the last laugh when this absurdist gem became an MTV phenomenon in 1993.
Kim Deal
Vocals, guitar
Tanya Donelly
Vocals, guitar
Carrie Bradley
Violin
Josephine Wiggs
Bass
Britt Walford
Drums
Kelley Deal
Vocals, guitar
James Macpherson
Drums
Richard Presley
Guitar
Mando Lopez
Bass
Jose Medeles
Drums