Sugar Ray formed in 1992 calling themselves The Shrinky Dinx, later having to change it (upon threat of lawsuit from the Milton Bradley Company, maker of the Shrinky Dinks toy) to Sugar Ray after the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. The debut album, Lemonade and Brownies, was released in 1995, though it failed to produce a major hit. Their early work was strongly influenced by funk metal, pop, and alternative rock.

Sugar ray’s first mainstream hit came in the summer of 1997 with their song “Fly”, which was released on the album Floored and featured reggae artist Super Cat. “Fly” was notable for not sounding anything at all like the rest of the tracks on the album and received frequent radio play. Although the single was something of an anomaly, those familiar with the first album would have recognized the obvious R&B influence on the band. As a result of the success of “Fly”, Floored sold extremely well and was certified double platinum. However, by the end of 1997, critics skeptical that Sugar Ray could put out another successful song labeled them a one-hit wonder. The same year, Sugar Ray was featured in the movie ‘Father’s Day’, starring Billy Crystal and Robin Williams.
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