Question: where did hootie and the blowfish come from

title: Hootie & the Blowfish
text: Hootie & the Blowfish formed in 1986 . The quartet met when they were freshmen at the University of South Carolina in Columbia . Bryan heard Rucker singing in the showers of the dorm they shared and was impressed by his vocal ability . They began playing cover tunes as The Wolf Brothers ; eventually they collaborated with Felber , a former high school bandmate of Bryan 's , and Jim `` Soni '' Sonefeld as Hootie & the Blowfish . The name is a conjunction of the nicknames of two of their college friends . Brantley Smith was the original drummer for the band . He left the group to pursue music ministry , but he has made scattered guest appearances with the band ( he played cello on their MTV Unplugged performance in 1996 , and played drums at Gruene Hall in Gruene , Texas , on June 27 , 2008 ) . 

Answer: answer: The quartet met when they were freshmen at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.  Eventually they collaborated with Felber, a former high school bandmate of Bryan's, and Jim ``Soni'' Sonefeld.  The name, Hootie & the Blowfish, is a conjunction of the nicknames of two of their college friends.