Like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy revived big band music for the '90s. BBVD concentrated on the swinging days of the '40s and '50s, borrowing some of the Rat Pack lingo in addition to the zoot suits. Formed in
... Like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy revived big band music for the '90s. BBVD concentrated on the swinging days of the '40s and '50s, borrowing some of the Rat Pack lingo in addition to the zoot suits. Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, the group quickly built up a following by playing regularly on the local lounge circuit, playing to Gen-Xers enamored with the kitschy charm of the cocktail nation. This burgeoning lounge scene was captured in the hit 1996 indie comedy film Swingers, which featured a song by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the soundtrack. By the end of 1997, the band had self-released two albums — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Whatchu' Want for Christmas — which were local hits and led to a major-label contract with Capitol Records. In February 1998, Capitol released the group's major-label debut, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, which was not the same album the group had previously released on their own. This Beautiful Life followed a year later. By the time the band came together for a follow-up, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy had sold over three million albums, performed at Super Bowl XXXIII with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan, and had their music used in over 60 film and TV trailers. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy were unstoppable. Their fifth album Save My Soul was slated for a July 2003 release, five years after their Interscope debut.
