Sixpence None the Richer

Sixpence None the Richer is an American alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs “Kiss Me” and “Breathe Your Name“, and their covers of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “There She Goes“.

The band received two Grammy Award nominations, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Kiss Me” and Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album for Sixpence None the Richer (1997).

Guitarist/songwriter Matt Slocum met Leigh Nash in the early 1990s and recorded a demo, circulated as “The Original Demos”, with bassist T.J. Behling at Verge Music Works recording studio in Dallas, and eventually an album, The Fatherless and the Widow, for the independent label R.E.X. Records in 1994. After adding more members, the band toured in support of The Fatherless and the Widow. The band released This Beautiful Mess in 1995.

The band’s name was inspired by a passage from C. S. Lewis‘s book Mere Christianity discussing how children buying gifts for their parents with the parents’ money means the parents are “none the richer” monetarily even though there is value in the act (mirroring the Christian God/human dynamic).

In 1997, the group signed to Steve Taylor‘s label Squint Entertainment and released a self-titled album, which began garnering attention from mainstream audiences.

In 1998, “Kiss Me” was released as a single, propelling Sixpence None the Richer into the national pop spotlight. The next year, the band followed up with a cover of The La’s‘ “There She Goes“. Sixpence appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and numerous morning talk shows.

The band had a follow-up album ready to release, but Squint Entertainment started to fall apart, leaving the band in limbo for several years. Finally, Squint Entertainment folded, and the album, Divine Discontent, was released in 2002.

The band made a musical appearance in season 7 episode 16 of the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch (2003).

On February 26, 2004, Matt Slocum announced that the group had disbanded.

In November 2007, Sixpence None the Richer reunited. They released the EP My Dear Machine on the website NoiseTrade in 2008, the band’s first official release since The Best of Sixpence None the Richer in 2004. In October 2008, they released a Christmas album, The Dawn of Grace.

Sixpence signed to Credential Recordings and played a headline slot at the 2009 Greenbelt Festival in the UK. According to Nash, the band began recording a new album in 2010. The album, Lost in Transition, was released on August 7, 2012.

In September 2023, Nash released a single, “The Tide”, that additionally credited Sixpence None the Richer, making it the band’s first new song in 11 years. She and Slocum also announced a new tour with 10,000 Maniacs, playing songs by both bands, but in January 2024, Nash and Slocum left the tour early, saying they “had other commitments arise”.

In January 2024, it was announced that drummer Dale Baker was returning to the band and that they had signed a management deal with Deep South Entertainment with plans to re-release their self-titled album on vinyl. In June, they announced a 25th-anniversary tour with the classic lineup for the first time since Baker left. In August 2024, they announced a new single, We are Love, and a new EP, Rosemary Hill, released on October 4, 2024.

While the band has made no official announcement of lineup changes, Baker has not played with the band since the anniversary tour. Jon Radford has played live with the band since 2025.

Bassist Justin Cary died on June 18, 2026, at the age of 50, following a stroke.