Puddle Of Mudd

Puddle Of Mudd — Concert Photography by Wayne Dennon

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Puddle Of Mudd concert photo by Wayne Dennon

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About Puddle Of Mudd

Puddle of Mudd formed in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1991, coming together around lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wes Scantlin along with guitarist Jimmy Allen, bassist Sean Sammon, and drummer Kenny Burkitt. Their name, inspired by the Missouri River levee that often flooded their practice space, reflects the band's gritty, unpolished beginnings. The group self-released their debut EP, Stuck, in 1994, followed by an independent full length, Abrasive, in 1997, both efforts aimed at drawing the attention of a major label while the band honed a raw, post grunge sound rooted in the fading Seattle scene. By the late nineties the original lineup dissolved, leaving Scantlin as the band's sole constant member, until a demo tape found its way to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who contacted Scantlin, and after hearing that his band had broken up, decided to bring him to California to attempt to put a new band together. That reunion led directly to Puddle of Mudd's commercial breakthrough. With Durst serving as executive producer, a new lineup featuring Scantlin, guitarist Paul Phillips, bassist Douglas Ardito, and drummer Greg Upchurch signed to Durst's Flawless Records and released Come Clean in August 2001. Alternative metal/post-grunge quartet Puddle of Mudd's songs contain the fury of contemporaries Korn and Rage Against the Machine, and the resulting Come Clean, which would eventually go triple platinum, went widescreen on the strength of the singles "Control," "Blurry," "Drift & Die," and "She Hates Me," and peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The single "Blurry" became their defining hit, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining their signature song , while the album's success earned the band multiple 2002 Billboard Music Awards, including Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Song honors. The band supported the record with a major run of shows, embarking on a European tour with Godsmack in support of the album before touring the U.S. alongside acts like Linkin Park, Stone Temple Pilots, and Staind.

Following that breakout, Puddle of Mudd continued to build a substantial catalog, releasing Life on Display in 2003, which scored a number one Mainstream Rock hit, and continuing through albums such as Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate in 2009, Welcome to Galvania in 2019, Ubiquitous in 2023, and Kiss the Machine in 2025. The band has sold over seven million albums across its career, even as the lineup around Scantlin shifted repeatedly through the years, with musicians like Dave Moreno, Matt Fuller, and Michael John Adams cycling through the fold. Lead singer Wes Scantlin has served as the only consistent member throughout the band's history , steering the group through changing labels, from Flawless and Geffen to later work with Pavement Entertainment and UMG, while keeping the band's hard rock identity intact.

Decades removed from their commercial peak, Puddle of Mudd remains active, with Scantlin continuing to write, record, and tour behind new material well into the 2020s. Though critical retrospectives have sometimes filed them among the nu metal era's more disposable acts, their run of mainstream rock radio hits in the early 2000s left a lasting imprint on that generation of post-grunge, and songs like "Blurry" and "She Hates Me" remain touchstones of the period's sound. For fans who came of age during that stretch, the band's arena and club shows were a fixture of the touring rock circuit for years.

That circuit is exactly where Wayne Dennon crossed paths with the band repeatedly over the course of his career behind the lens. Wayne photographed Puddle of Mudd across 8 different shows between 2003 and 2010, spanning 5 cities in 3 states, and the 244 photographs he captured of the band now stand among the most visited galleries in this archive, drawing 185,736 views from fans revisiting those nights. Preserved here as part of waynedennon.com's ongoing tribute to his work, these images offer a firsthand look at Puddle of Mudd during the heart of their touring years, a lasting piece of the memorial to Wayne's eye for capturing rock and roll as it happened.

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