Blues Traveler personified the second wave of jam bands that arose in the late '80s and early '90s. It was the Grateful Dead that turned the idea of playing a different, heavliy improvised set of its tunes every night into a fine art. Like the Dead, Blues Traveler employs a hybrid of a number of classic American styles, from country to folk and blues, delivered in an idiosyncratic style. Led by the mighty singer/harp player John Popper, Blues Traveler had personality and appeal, but it wasn't until their hit "Runaround" that the group was catapulted into the public eye.