Robert Pollard, a teacher, formed Guided by Voices in the early 80s, and the band crystallised in '85 when guitarist Tobin Sproud and bassist Dan Toohey joined the group. A combination of jangly pop and spiky new wave, Guided by Voices's pop songs earned them a small but loyal following in the American indie scene. Prior to 1993's 'Vampire on Titus', the band seemed headed for relative obscurity. But this album received wider distribution that its predecessors, and the band acquired several celebrity fans, including Kim Deal and Thurston Moore. A deal with Matador followed, and their next album, 'Bee Thousand' (1994) became a word-of-mouth hit, resulting in Lolopolooza dates and MTV airplay. Barring a brief hiatus to TVT records, Guided by Voices continued on Matator until 2004, when Pollard announced that he was breaking up the band.
