Interstate 95
Route information
Length:	1,919.74 mi[1] (3,089.52 km)
Existed:	1957 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 1 in Miami, FL
	I-10 in Jacksonville, FL I-16 in Savannah, GA I-20 near Florence, SC I-40 near Benson, NC I-85 in Petersburg, VA I-64 in Richmond, VA I-80 in Teaneck, NJ I-87 in Bronx, NY I-91 in New Haven, CT I-90 near Boston, MA
North end:	Route 95 / US 2at Canadian border near Houlton, ME – Woodstock, NB
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States,^[2] running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Savannah, Jacksonville and Miami. It is the longest north–south route of the Interstate Highway System, and supersedes older U.S. Highways, mainly U.S. Route 1. The oldest sections of I-95, including several toll roads, predate the Interstate System; the route has yet to be completed in the Pennsylvania–New Jersey area. Construction of the missing connection is scheduled to be completed by the 2010s (tentatively 2018).^[3]

I-95's two pieces total 1,925 mi (3,098 km).^[4][5] The southern terminus of I-95 is at U.S. Route 1 in southern Miami, Florida. The highway heads north along the Atlantic through Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah, Georgia, and then takes a slightly more inland route through South Carolina and North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia. From Richmond past Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland, I-95 follows the fall line, where the Atlantic Coastal Plain meets the Appalachian Piedmont. The highway continues northeast through Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia, after which traffic must use other roads to continue towards Newark, New Jersey until the completion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project (planned for 2017). I-95 crosses the George Washington Bridge into New York City, and then passes through New Haven, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island, around Boston, Massachusetts, and through Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine on its way to U.S. Route 2 and the Houlton/Woodstock Border Crossing to the short New Brunswick Route 95, which connects to the Trans-Canada Highway.

It is the longest north–south Interstate Highway (five east–west routes are longer: Interstate 10 (2,460 mi (3,959 km)), Interstate 40 (2,555 mi (4,112 km)), Interstate 70 (2,153 mi (3,465 km)), Interstate 80 (2,899 mi (4,665 km)), and Interstate 90 (3,099 mi (4,987 km))),^[6] and it passes through fifteen states, more than any other Interstate; the Interstate that passes through the second-most number of states is Interstate 90, at thirteen. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only five counties along the route—two in South Carolina, one in southern Virginia, and two in northern Maine—are completely rural.^[7] According to the I-95 Corridor Coalition, the region served by I-95 is "over three times more densely populated than the U.S. average and as densely settled as much of Western Europe".^[8]

As of 2007, I-95 is the only non-canceled long-distance Interstate in the original plans that has not been completed. A discontinuity exists between two separate sections in New Jersey and Pennsylvania due in part to the freeway revolts of the 1960s and 1970s; thus it is not possible to directly travel the entire length of I-95 without interruption, since the two sections are about 10 miles (16 km) apart from each other (though this gap is currently being addressed). Most travelers go over the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the New Jersey Turnpike in order to bridge the gap, which is much easier than traveling the exact I-95 mileage.

Route description[link]

Florida to South Carolina[link]

Interstate 95 begins at U.S. Route 1 just south of downtown Miami, Florida,^[19] and follows a path north along the Atlantic coast of Florida, passing near such locations as Florida's Space Coast, Port Orange and Saint Augustine, Florida before continuing north through Jacksonville and entering Georgia. Interstate 95 in Georgia travels through the marshlands of eastern Georgia, closely following the coast to Savannah, where it intersects Interstate 16, then crosses into South Carolina. In South Carolina, I-95 travels further inland than its paths to the south, and passes the South of the Border attraction immediately before crossing into North Carolina.

The Florida section of I-95 had the most fatalities of all US Turnpikes in 2010.^[20]

North Carolina and Virginia[link]

Northbound I-95 at its interchange with I-40.

Interstate 95 in North Carolina is one of four major north–south corridors through the state (the others being U.S. Route 220 (Interstate 73)/U.S. Route 29, Interstate 77, and Interstate 26). I-95 informally serves as separation between the piedmont and coastal plain regions of North Carolina. In Virginia, Interstate 95 roughly follows the same line between the regions, and passes by its state capital, Richmond, before entering into Northern Virginia and then crossing via the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Maryland.

Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania[link]

Interstate 95 enters Maryland on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, where a small, approximately 0.07-mile (0.11 km) portion of the highway passes through the southernmost corner of the District of Columbia. In Maryland, I-95 follows the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C. Once leaving the Beltway north of the city, I-95 travels diagonally through the middle of the state, through Baltimore (see Interstate 95 in Baltimore). After this, I-95 goes through northeastern Maryland, crossing over the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace along the way. On the other side of the bridge is a tollbooth for northbound traffic only.^[21] The highway then goes east to the Delaware border and then toward the city of Wilmington.

I-95 is the most heavily traveled route in Delaware, linking Washington and south with Philadelphia and north. After the road enters Delaware from Maryland, a Delaware Turnpike toll barrier is placed about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the Maryland border. I-95 continues for 23 miles (37 km) to Pennsylvania.

Interstate 95 enters Pennsylvania along the Delaware River near Marcus Hook, traveling along its western bank through the city of Philadelphia, and heading north where it currently enters New Jersey near Trenton in Ewing Township via the toll-free Scudder Falls Bridge.

New Jersey and New York; completion of last gap in the highway[link]

There is currently a gap in I-95 that is in the process of being filled via the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project. I-95 ends north of Trenton, NJ, but begins on the New Jersey Turnpike south of Trenton.

Traffic is directed to continue south in Lawrence Township where I-95 becomes Interstate 295 south at I-95 milepost 8.7/I-295 milepost 68 near the U.S. 1 exit. Traffic is led down the 295 expressway, and directed to get off at Exit 60A for Interstate 195 east in Hamilton Township. Traffic is instructed to continue on the 195 expressway east upon reaching Exit 6 for the New Jersey Turnpike (Turnpike Exit 7A, and the continuation of Interstate 95) in Robbinsville Township.

I-95 then follows the New Jersey Turnpike north through Newark and into New York on the George Washington Bridge. I-95 travels across Manhattan, The Bronx, and southern Westchester County in New York before reaching Connecticut.

New England[link]

Interstate 95 enters New England in Connecticut, and follows along the southern part of the state within miles of the coast in a more east–west direction. It then curves back northward, passing into Rhode Island, and traveling through its capital of Providence. Interstate 95 then enters Massachusetts, heading not into but around Boston via Route 128 before turning north and passing briefly into and through New Hampshire, and then into Maine, following the Maine Turnpike to the Canadian border, intersecting the east end of US 2, and entering the province of New Brunswick^[22] as Route 95.

History[link]

Plans for the Interstate Highway System, 1955

Portions of the highway have or used to have tolls. Many parts of I-95 were made up of various toll roads that had already been constructed or planned, particularly in the northeast. Many of these routes still exist today, but some have removed their tolls. Every current toll facility is compatible with the E-ZPass electronic payment system.

Florida[link]

Interstate 95 as it goes through Fort Lauderdale

Originally, I-95 ran concurrently on Florida's Turnpike for 41 miles (66 km) from Palm Beach Gardens north to Ft. Pierce on the Treasure Coast.^[23][24] Over time, the I-95 adopted a separate route, including parallel from the Turnpike between Palm Beach Gardens and Stuart, with the turnpike being removed from the I-95 alignment in 1973, and I-95 being completed in 1987.^[25][26]

The Fuller Warren Bridge spans the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The old bridge was a drawbridge that was tolled until the 1980s. The current bridge was completed in 2002.

Virginia[link]

Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike was a toll road in central Virginia. The Turnpike was established in 1955, and opened in July 1958. It extended from the northern limits of Richmond to just south of Petersburg on what is now Interstate 85. In August 1958, most of the route was designated Interstate 95. Tolls were removed in 1992.

Maryland and Delaware[link]

Fort McHenry Tunnel is underneath the harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. This tunnel opened in 1985 and completed, with the exception of the large gap in New Jersey, Interstate 95.

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway is north of Baltimore. This highway was opened in 1963, and it and the Delaware Turnpike were both dedicated by President John F. Kennedy. The highway extended from the northern Baltimore city limits to the Delaware state line. After his assassination, the highway and the Delaware Turnpike were named the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.

The Delaware Turnpike, which was opened in 1963, extends I-95 from the Maryland state line to the south side of Wilmington at the I-295 interchange. There is a toll for both directions between Delaware Route 896 (exit 1) and the Maryland state line. It is the most expensive toll road in the United States, based on cost-per-mile average; $4.00 in each direction; 35.7 cents per mile.

Pennsylvania[link]

I-95 continues north into Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River through Philadelphia, and further north. It continues north past the future site of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project, where it currently passes over the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 276); the two highways were not built to connect with each other. North of I-276, I-95 interchanges with U.S. Route 1 Business/Pennsylvania Route 413 and U.S. Route 1. The route heads into Lower Makefield Township, where it has interchanges with Pennsylvania Route 332 and Taylorsville Road (which provides access to Pennsylvania Route 32) before crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey on the Scudder Falls Bridge.

This section requires expansion.

New Jersey and New York[link]

The New Jersey Turnpike opened in 1952, and currently I-95 is signed from Exit 6 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike Connector) outside Philadelphia north to the New York state line. By 2017, I-95 should follow said connector into Pennsylvania.^[27]

The George Washington Bridge carries I-95, US highways 1 and 9, and US 46 across the Hudson River between New Jersey and Upper Manhattan. The upper deck of this two-level, fourteen-lane bridge was opened in 1931, and the lower deck was opened in 1962. Northbound traffic (which actually travels slightly southward over this bridge) must pay a toll on the New Jersey end before crossing this bridge into New York.

The New England Thruway in New York extended from the Pelham Parkway interchange in the Bronx, just north of I-695 to the Connecticut state line. Construction of the NET began in 1951, but the highway was not completed until 1961. In 1956, this Thruway was designated as part of I-95. Tolls were originally levied in both directions, but these were removed from the southbound direction in the late 1980s during a reconstruction of the NET. Currently, tolls are levied on northbound traffic only.

New England[link]

Interstate 95 begins southbound sign at U.S. border

The Connecticut Turnpike was completed in 1958 and designated as part of I-95. I-95 follows the turnpike through Connecticut from the New York state line to its intersection with I-395 in Waterford, then continues eastward to the Rhode Island state line. Tolls were removed from the turnpike in 1985 after a notorious fatal car accident at a toll plaza in 1983. In January 2007, the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced a $4-million study into the feasibility of reinstating tolls on the Connecticut Turnpike.^[28]

The New Hampshire Turnpike is designated as I-95 in New Hampshire. All of I-95, except approximately the northernmost one mile (1.6 km), in New Hampshire is designated the Blue Star Turnpike, part of the New Hampshire Turnpike System. The Turnpike System diverges from I-95 in Portsmouth at the interchange with U.S. Route 4. Tolls are collected once at a mainline plaza in Hampton.

The Maine Turnpike was built in two sections, completed in 1947 and 1955.^[29] Beginning in 2004, the entirety of the Maine Turnpike was designated as Interstate 95. The Turnpike extends from the New Hampshire line north 102 miles (164 km) to just south of Augusta. The Maine Turnpike uses entrance tolls at exits south of and including Gray, and uses barrier toll plazas north of Gray. This allows travel on the southern section without having main line tolls causing major backups and the northern section saves money by requiring fewer toll collection employees.^{[citation needed]} The shifting of I-95 onto the Maine Turnpike also changed the sequentially-numbered exits to a mile-based system, making these the only such marked exits in New England on I-95.

Parallel US Routes[link]

Although primarily considered to be the interstate upgrade of U.S. 1, the two routes diverge substantially for large portions of the route northward. After paralleling U.S. 1 from 95's southern terminus to Jacksonville, FL, the federal route bears west and I-95 picks up U.S. 17 through Georgia and into southern South Carolina, even multiplexing with it at times. In Walterboro, SC, U.S. 17 heads east towards Charleston, SC and U.S. 15 begins paralleling the interstate. This continues for a short distance to Summerton, SC, where I-95 begins its long close parallel with U.S. 301. The two never stray more than a few miles from each other all the way to Petersburg, VA, where U.S. 1 rejoins the parallel of I-95. With the exception of I-95's brief hiatus on the DC beltway, this remains the case all the way to Baltimore. Here, though still somewhat paralleled by US-1, I-95 is more closely followed by U.S. 40, which stays with the interstate to Wilmington, DE. In Wilmington, U.S. 40 heads east to Atlantic City, NJ and U.S. 13 begins to follow I-95. This continues to the discontinuity near Trenton, NJ. Assuming I-95's route to take the soon-to-be-completed connection, the interstate is paralleled by U.S. 130 to New Brunswick, NJ, where US-1 again picks up the route. U.S. 1 repeatedly crosses the interstate all the way to Pawcatuck, where I-95 leaves all US routes and instead follows the RI-3 corridor. U.S. 1, however, again finds the interstate in Providence, RI and follows it to Boston, where I-95 was forced to take the beltway around the city. U.S. 1 in Boston actually follows some of the right-of-way intended for I-95 before its routing was blocked. North of the City, U.S. 1 and I-95 stick together all the way to Portland, ME, where I-95 takes a more northerly route paralleled by ME 100 to Newport, ME. Here it picks up U.S. 2, which it keeps all the way to its northern terminus just past Houlton, ME. Less than three miles from the Canadian border, I-95 intersects U.S. 1 for the last time; the federal route is headed due north for Fort Kent, ME.

Future[link]

A study that could lead to the imposition of tolls on I-95 in North Carolina is under way as of March 2010.^[30]

Between Richmond, Virginia and New Jersey are a few large projects that are helping to ease traffic along the corridor. The reconstruction of the Springfield Interchange in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, helped to ease traffic at the intersection of Interstate 95, Interstate 495, and Interstate 395, and surrounding interchanges. The Springfield Interchange is one of the busiest highway junctions on the East Coast, serving between 400,000 and 500,000 vehicles per day. With the exception of HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway (I-495/95), this project was completed in July 2007.^[31] A few miles to the east is another major project: the Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement. The bridge carries Interstates 95 and 495 over the Potomac River. The former Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which has since been demolished, was a six-lane bridge that was severely over-capacity. The new bridge is actually two bridges comprising a total of twelve lanes; five in each direction, with an additional lane in each direction for future use (rapid-bus or train). This project is nearly complete. The ten lanes opened on the December 13, 2008 greatly reducing the traffic delays on the beltway. The lanes are divided into two thru-lanes and three local lanes in each direction. About 30 miles north of the Wilson Bridge (and about 20 miles south of Baltimore) near the City of Laurel, a large new interchange is under construction as of 2008 and scheduled for completion in late 2011, which will connect I-95 to Maryland Route 200, the long-planned InterCounty Connector toll road.

Farther north in Pennsylvania, a project is underway at the intersection of I-95 and I-276. The Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project will construct an interchange between Interstate 95, Interstate 276, and once completed, Interstate 195,^[32] as I-95 will no longer go through Trenton, New Jersey (actually the townships of Hopewell, Lawrence and Ewing). This project will result in another toll being added to the route, that of the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge over the Delaware River.^[33] The toll, much like the other crossings of the river, will be for traffic leaving New Jersey only (I-95 southbound). More critically, completion of this project will close the remaining gap in the route.

In 2006, the Virginia General Assembly passed SJ184, a resolution calling for an interstate compact to build a toll highway between Dover, Delaware and Charleston, South Carolina as an alternative to I-95 that would allow long-distance traffic to avoid the DC Metropolitan area.^[34]

Federal legislation has identified I-95 through Connecticut as High Priority Corridor 65. A long-term multibillion dollar program to upgrade the entire length of I-95 through Connecticut has been underway since the mid-1990s and is expected to continue through at least 2020. Several miles of the Connecticut Turnpike through Bridgeport were recently widened and brought up to Interstate standards. Work has shifted to reconstructing and widening 12 miles (19 km) of I-95 through New Haven, which includes replacing the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge. Environmental studies for reconstructing and widening 60 miles (95 km) of I-95 from New Haven to the Rhode Island state line are also progressing.

There are plans to expand the 1,054-mile (1,696 km) I-95 corridor from Petersburg, Virginia to Florida through a U.S. multi-state agreement to study how to improve the corridor through widening and reconstruction, with the goal of reducing congestion and improving overall safety for years to come.^[35]

Georgia and Florida continue to complete widening projects. Most of Interstate 95 through Georgia and south to Jacksonville, Florida has been upgraded to six lanes. The section from Jacksonville to the Interstate 4 junction in Daytona Beach was expanded to six lanes in 2005. As of 2009, widening projects continue in Brevard County from the SR 528 junction in Cocoa to Palm Bay, as well as in northern Palm Beach County.

In 2009, state legislators representing Maine's Aroostook County proposed using federal economic stimulus funds to extend Interstate 95 north to Maine's northernmost border community of Fort Kent via Caribou and Presque Isle.^[36] The proposed route would parallel New Brunswick's four-lane, limited access Trans-Canada Highway on the U.S. side of the Canada–United States border. Legislators argued that extension of the interstate would promote economic growth in the region.

Major intersections[link]

Interstate 95 bridge over Lake Marion, Santee, SC; the old bridge (on the left) is now a fishing pier

• Interstate 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida^[37]
• Interstate 10 in Jacksonville, Florida^[38]
• Interstate 16 in Savannah, Georgia^[39]
• Interstate 26 near Harleyville, South Carolina^[40]
• Interstate 20 in Florence, South Carolina^[41]
• Interstate 74 near Lumberton, North Carolina
• Interstate 40 in Benson, North Carolina^[42]
• Interstate 85 in Petersburg, Virginia^[43]
• Interstate 64 for 4 miles (6.4 km) in Richmond, Virginia^[44]
• Interstate 76 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania^[45]
• Interstate 78 in Newark, New Jersey^[46]
• Interstate 80 in Teaneck, New Jersey^[47]
• Interstate 87 in New York City, New York^[48]
• Interstate 91 in New Haven, Connecticut^[49]
• Interstate 93 in Canton, Massachusetts^[50]
• Interstate 90 in Weston, Massachusetts^[51]
• Interstate 93 in Reading, Massachusetts^[52]

Auxiliary routes[link]

Interstate 95 has many auxiliary routes.

• Florida: I-195- Spur to Miami Beach; I-295- Beltway around Jacksonville; I-395- Spur to south Miami Beach; I-595- Spur between Interstate 75 and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
• North Carolina: I-295- Future loop around Fayetteville; I-795- Spur to Goldsboro
• Virginia: I-195- Spur into Richmond; I-295- Bypass of Petersburg and Richmond; I-395- Spur into Washington, D.C.; I-495- Beltway around Washington, D.C.

Defunct: I-595

• Washington, D.C.: I-295, I-395- Spurs into Washington, D.C.; I-695- Short, unsigned connector between I-395 and I-295

Defunct: I-195

• Maryland: I-195- Spur to Baltimore-Washington International Airport; I-295- Spur into Washington, D.C.; I-395- Spur into Baltimore; I-495- Beltway around Washington, D.C.; I-595- Unsigned spur to Annapolis; I-695- Beltway around Baltimore; I-795- Spur between I-695 west of Baltimore and Reisterstown; I-895- Loop inside Baltimore containing the Harbor Tunnel

Defunct: I-595 (Baltimore)

• Delaware: I-295- Bypass of Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and Trenton; I-495- Bypass of Wilmington

Defunct: I-895

• Pennsylvania

Defunct: I-695; I-895

• New Jersey: I-195- Spur to the New Jersey Shore; I-295- Bypass of Trenton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington; Route 95W- Western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike

Defunct: I-495; I-695

• New York: I-295, I-695, I-895- Various connectors around New York City; I-495- Spur to Long Island
• Connecticut: I-395- Spur to Worcester, Massachusetts
• Rhode Island: I-195- Spur to Wareham, Massachusetts; I-295- Bypass of Providence

Defunct: I-895

• Massachusetts: I-395- Spur from Connecticut to Worcester; I-495- Wide radius bypass of Boston and its suburbs

Defunct: I-695

• Maine: I-195- Spur to Old Orchard Beach, Maine; I-295- Loop into Portland; I-395- Spur into Bangor and Brewer; I-495- Unsigned connector between I-95 and I-295 in Falmouth

v t e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 95 Florida 195 295 395 595 7952 North Carolina 2952 795 Virginia 195 295 395 495 5951 8953 District of Columbia 295 395 495 695 Maryland 195 295 395 495 5955 695 795 895 Delaware 295 495 8951 Pennsylvania 1952 6954 8954 New Jersey 195 295 4951 6954 8954 New York 295 495 695 895 Connecticut - Rhode Island - Massachusetts 195 295 395 495 6954 8954 Maine 195 295 395 495 1Former 2Future 3Proposed 4Unbuilt 5Unsigned

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 95

• Geographic data related to Interstate 95 at OpenStreetMap
• I-95: The Road Most Traveled (special series). NPR, 2010.

v t e Main Interstate Highways Signed 4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30 35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 99 H-1 H-2 H-3 Unsigned A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3 Lists Primary Main Intrastate Suffixed Temporary Future Gaps Auxiliary Main Future Unsigned Other Standards Business Bypassed Tolled Major Interstates highlighted

For other uses of the title The Grid, see Grid (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010)

The Grid are an English electronic dance group, consisting of Richard Norris and David Ball (formerly of Soft Cell),^[1] with guest contributions from other musicians. They are best known for the hits "Swamp Thing", "Crystal Clear", "Rollercoaster", "Floatation", and "Cybernetic" (with Robert Fripp and Phil Manzanera).

Band members[link]

• Richard Norris (born 23 June 1965, London) - keyboards
• David Ball (born 3 May 1959, Blackpool, Lancashire) - keyboards
• Sacha Rebecca Souter (musician) (born 26 November 1963, Cockerton, County Durham) - Vocals

Biography[link]

The Grid formed in 1988 and had their first success with debut single, "Floatation", released on East West Records in 1990. They went on to release a string of ten UK hit singles and four albums,^[1] and toured the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. The group's 1994 album Evolver reached #14 in the UK Albums Chart.^[1] The lead single from this album, "Swamp Thing", featuring elaborate banjo lines played by Roger Dinsdale. "Swamp Thing" proved to be a commercial success in the UK, Europe and Australia, reaching #3 in the UK^[1] and Australia and selling a total of one million copies.^{[citation needed]}

In 1996, Norris and Ball agreed to a hiatus period in order pursue individual music interests. Norris formed the Droyds, which went on to remix tracks by musicians including Armand Van Helden and Siobhan Fahey, and wrote the official biography of Paul Oakenfold (published in 2007): Ball reformed Soft Cell with Marc Almond, and also wrote music scores for films.^{[citation needed]} Norris has since formed the psychedelic duo, Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, with DJ Erol Alkan, and has released a number of solo records and remixes under the name The Time and Space Machine.

The duo reunited in 2005, initially playing two gigs under the name GDM with female singer Misty Woods, before writing and recording new material as the Grid. A single, "Put Your Hands Together", was released in 2007 and an album, Doppelgänger, followed in 2008. Both were released on the Some Bizzare label. The album featured vocals by the British musician, Chris Braide.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Grid Central - An Unofficial Page for The Grid
• Death of Roger Dinsdale.
• The Grid on allmusic.com
• The Grid MySpace page

Jason Thomas Mraz
Jason Mraz in March 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jason Thomas Mraz
Born	(1977-06-23) June 23, 1977 (age 35) Mechanicsville, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock, blue-eyed soul, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin, mandola, banjo, ukulele, baritone ukulele
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Elektra Records (2002–2005) Atlantic Records (2005–present)
Associated acts	Tristan Prettyman, Bushwalla, Jack Johnson, Colbie Calliat
Website	jasonmraz.com
Notable instruments
Taylor Guitars

Jason Mraz ( /məˈræz/;^[1] born June 23, 1977 in Mechanicsville, Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z, in 2005, that Mraz achieved major commercial success. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US. In 2008, Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of many international charts.

Mraz's international breakthrough came with the release of the single "I'm Yours" from the album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Mraz his first top ten single. The song was on the Hot 100 for 76 weeks, beating the previous record of 69 weeks held by LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live". The song was a huge commercial success in the US, receiving a 5x platinum certification from the RIAA for sales of over five million.^[2] The song was successful internationally, topping the charts in New Zealand and Norway and peaking in the top ten of multiple international charts.

Early life[link]

Jason Mraz was born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia.^[3] He is of Czech descent through his grandfather, who moved to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1915.^[4] His surname is Czech for "frost"^[4] (Czech: mráz). His parents, Tom (Tomáš) Mraz and June, divorced when he was four years old, but he asserts that he had an idyllic childhood, saying, "My hometown of Mechanicsville was very American. There were white picket fences, a church on every street corner, low crime and virtually no drug use. It was a good place to grow up."^[5] He went to Lee Davis High School^[6]

Music career[link]

[edit] Live at Java Joe's (2001)

In 2001, Mraz released a live acoustic album, Live at Java Joe's, a coffee-house type place in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego where Jewel also made her debut. Here, Mraz performed with percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and felt at home singing and scatting through jazzy-pop songs. He would deliver rapidfire lyrics full of verbal mischief, and he would riff off the crowd like a stand-up comic.^[7] The album featured Mraz's free-lancing vocal style and songs he later re-released, including "1000 Things", "You and I Both", and "Halfway Home."

The album was made available to download on iTunes on March 11, 2008, under the title Jason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001.

[edit] Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002–2003)

In 2002, Mraz signed a recording contract with Elektra Records. He recorded his first album with the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer producer John Alagía, and Virginia-based roots rock band the Agents Of Good Root.^[8] Mraz then released his first major-label debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. The album was a relative commercial success, peaking at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 200 and at number two on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The lead single from the album, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" was co-written by music production team The Matrix and it was Mraz's first top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 15.

Mraz's friend and former roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood collaborated on the album, co-writing "Curbside Prophet" and the album's third single, and "I'll Do Anything".

[edit] Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004)

In 2004, while touring, Mraz released a live album and accompanying DVD^[9], Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom, a special two-disc set including an audio CD of his concert from Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom^[10] , plus a video DVD of the concert plus tons of backstage footage. Mraz performed with his touring band including drummer Adam King, percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and keyboardist Eric Hinojosa along with a guest appearance from Blues Traveler lead John Popper. The Eagles Ballroom (part of The Rave complex) has a capacity of only about 3,200^[11] making it possible for Mraz to have significant interaction with the audience, bridging his earlier coffeeshop performances to his later much larger venue concerts.

[edit] Touring and Mr. A–Z (2003–2008)

Mraz opened for Tracy Chapman in March 2003 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In July 2005, Mraz opened for Alanis Morissette during her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour. On July 26, 2005, he released his second major-label album, Mr. A–Z, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5.^[12] In December, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while its producer, the prolific Steve Lillywhite, received a nomination for Producer of the Year.^[13] In 2006 "Life is Wonderful" the first track of the album was featured in the Hilton Journeys Hotel commercial"

Mraz began his long-running tour in support of Mr. A–Z at the San Diego Music Awards on September 12. The tour featured several opening acts, including Bushwalla and Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had co-written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002.^[14] Mraz and Prettyman dated, ending their relationship in 2006. They also co-wrote the song "All I Want For Christmas is Us".^{[citation needed]} In November 2005, Mraz opened for the Rolling Stones on five dates during their 2005–2006 world tour. Also in 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign for The Gap entitled "Favorites". The music-themed campaign also featured other singers including Tristan Prettyman, Michelle Branch, Joss Stone, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Brandon Boyd, and Michelle Williams.^[15] In December 2005, Mraz released the first part of his ongoing podcast.

Jason Mraz performs at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut on May 17, 2006.

Jason Mraz at Gröna Lund In Stockholm, Sweden 2008

In March 2006, Mraz also performed for the first time at a sold-out performance in Singapore with Noel "Toca" Rivera as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival.^{[citation needed]} In May 2006, Mraz toured mostly small venues and music festivals in the U.S., along with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour included a May 6, 2006 acoustic show with P.O.D., Better Than Ezra, Live, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest of St. Louis's annual Fair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of the Arch on July 1, 2006. During this time, Mraz was also the opening act at several dates for Rob Thomas' Something to Be Tour.

In December 2006, Selections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour, was released. Selections for Friends features Jason's favorite songs from the Schubas Tavern and Villa Montalvo shows he played in July 2006. Jason Mraz began 2007 by debuting his new single "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz entitled "Plain Jane" that he rewrote for the ABC television program Ugly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign.^[16] He has since released a song in Spanish entitled "La Nueva Belleza (The New Beauty)".^[17]

In 2007, American Idol contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink", which subsequently garnered the song mass recognition and increased downloads at the American iTunes Store. "Geek in the Pink" peaked at No. 22 on the U.S. iTunes Store on March 10, 2007, but it was ineligible for the site's Hot 100.^{[citation needed]} The tape-recording of bootlegs during Mraz's shows is explicitly supported by him and his management.^[18] In 2007, he also provided background vocals on Mandy Moore's song "Slummin' in Paradise", of her studio album Wild Hope.

[edit] We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008–2009)

Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on May 13, 2008, following the April 2008 "Music, Magic, Make Peace" Tour with Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and magician Justin Willman. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, giving Mraz his highest charting album to date. Following the success of its lead single, "I'm Yours", the album broke into the top ten of many international music charts and charted in the top three in Australia and the US.^[19]

The first single, "I'm Yours", reached No. 1 on AAA radio charts in the US. The single was a B-side to Mr A-Z, and was made famous by recordings from his live shows. In September 2008, the song became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #6. As of October 14, 2008, the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. The song was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of multiple European charts and topping the charts in New Zealand for six weeks.^[20] In 2008, Mraz launched his single "I'm Yours" at the music industry-only event titled Sunset Sessions. Exactly one year later, Jason was nominated for a Grammy on the single.

Mraz and his song "I'm Yours" were nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 51st Grammy Awards. The album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2009. On January 31, 2009, Mraz was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "I'm Yours" and "Lucky", the latter with Colbie Caillat. "Lucky" peaked on the Hot 100 at 48.

With "Make It Mine" and "Lucky", Mraz won two awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, respectively, at the 2010 52nd Grammy Awards.

On June 20, 2009, Mraz was awarded the Hal David Starlight award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.^[21]

[edit] Love Is a Four Letter Word (2009–present)

In early 2009, a song titled "Try Try Try" was leaked out into the Internet. The song was later released in 2010 by Michael Squire. New songs have been performed in his recent concerts, some of which have been uploaded onto YouTube. Earlier this year, Jason Mraz spent time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil working with Milton Nascimento. Mraz also recently met and worked with Willie Nelson, whose 'style' is fondly referenced in one of Mraz's early hits "Curbside Prophet."

In November 2009, Mraz posted on his MySpace page plans for a new album to be recorded starting in December, stating "In 2 weeks time I will enter the studio and begin recording the next album. Only a handful of songs are written and slated but the momentum of love is with me. Every day new verses get added on. The songs are coming together piece by piece. The process is unlike any of the other records before this. It's like I'm being gifted the album without having to do the work. I'm creating that in 6 months the project will be complete and then we'll hit the road again with new sounds and new musicians."^[22]

In 2010 Mraz spent time in London, England, where he worked on songs for his new album with producer Martin Terefe and wrote with British singer-songwriter Dido.^[23]

Mraz contributed vocals for The Grooveline Horns' eponymous EP on the track "Fun", a cover of the Con Funk Shun song, released March 2, 2010.^[24]

In August 2010, Mraz had a Q&A interview with Spin magazine. In the interview, he stated the current possible titles for his fourth album are Peace Canoe or The Love Album.^[25]

On September 13, 2010, Mraz was featured on the single "Love, Love, Love" by Hope.^[26]

On September 28, 2010, Mraz announced the upcoming release of the new "Life Is Good" EP consisting of recordings from his concerts from Maine to the Life is Good Festival in Canton, Massachusetts which will include live recordings of "Coyotes" and multiple new songs, "San Disco Reggaefornia", "Up", "What Mama Say", and "The Freedom Song". The EP was released on October 5, 2010.^[27] On the same tour, Mraz also showcased other new songs, such as "Thinking About You", "Love Looks Like" and "In Your Hands".

From December 26, 2010, the official website was updated with a series of images, the first seemingly a sequence of blocks separated by points to indicate a date, and the second image containing a rectangle, circle, triangle and a square, which appear to spell out the word "love." This image was also trademarked. Popular belief was that the "love" image was the beginning of a marketing campaign for a new record.

Appearing on VH1 Top 20 Countdown on March 5, 2011, Jason Mraz noted that he had 12 songs ready to go for the album but then decided they weren't good enough. In July 2011, his team's Twitter feed (@theRKOP) confirmed that his album will be released in early 2012.^[28]

JasonMraz.com relaunched in July 2011 with a new design and a message informing fans that a special announcement was imminent. A few days later, it was announced that Mraz would embark on a mini-global tour in September to November 2011, with occasional full band shows, but mostly as an acoustic duo with long time performing partner and friend, Noel "Toca" Rivera. The special shows marked the ten-year anniversary of the independently released Live at Java Joe's album. Mraz played in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Berlin and Prague, and was due to make a festival appearance in Hossegor, France before the festival was cancelled.

On September 19, 2011, Jason Mraz announced via his Facebook page the release of a new single titled "The World as I See It", which is intended to be the theme of the "In Search of Incredible" campaign, accompanied by the song being embedded via YouTube.^[29] On September 20, 2011, the single was released on the iTunes music store.^[30]

During the fall/winter tour, many songs old and new were showcased. Towards the end of the tour, Mraz announced that 'I Never Knew You' would not be featuring on the new album, suggesting that the final tracklist has been decided on and that the album is on course for release around February 2012.

On December 8, 2011, Mraz told Jeff Benjamin of Billboard that the "album is finished" except for one track he was attempting to re-work as an acoustic version. He described the album as, "It's not a departure in the sound of the genre in any way, it's just different tones, different textures. Musically, I think people are going to like it. It's personal. It's melodic. And it's mellow. There's a couple of up-tempo tunes, but mostly the rhythm of the heartbeat kind of takes precedence on this record. Medium-tempo tunes; which I love. It feels more like the pace of life. At least, based on my life and what I've been doing."^[31]

On January 20, 2012, during a performance streamed live from the Bing Bar at the Sundance Film Festival, Mraz told the audience that the album's title is Love Is a Four Letter Word. Mraz released a new single from the album, called "I Won't Give Up", and the single has peaked at No. 1 on iTunes.^[when?]

During January 2012, the Dutch online retailer bol.com accidentally released a tracklisting for the forthcoming album, which has been dismissed as being incorrect. On February 28, 2012, Jason released an EP entitled Live Is A Four Letter World. The EP was recorded live in San Diego and contains four tracks (one of which had already been released).^[32]

The new album was set to be released on May 8, 2012,^[33] however on February 14 it was stated that the new album is set to be released in stores and at all digital retailers on April 17, 2012.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Mraz was engaged to singer/songwriter and long-time close friend Tristan Prettyman.^[35] On June 7, 2011, Mraz said in an interview with the Daily Beast that he and Prettyman were no longer engaged.^[36]

Mraz lives a health-conscious lifestyle and enjoys eating mostly raw vegan foods.^[37] He owns an avocado farm in Bonsall in Northern San Diego County. Recently, he acquired the Garden Patch Farms&Orchard in Homer Glen, for its organic strawberries.^[38] Mraz is an active supporter of several charities including VH1's Save The Music Foundation, MusiCares, Free the Children, Life Rolls On, SPARC and the Human Rights Campaign.^[39] He has been named the 2010 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year. He also received the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation.^[40] The same year, he also teamed up with The Nature Conservancy^[41] and created a PSA using his song I'm Yours to raise awareness about the non-profit organization's efforts to protect the earth.^[42] Jason performed at Farm Aid 2011 on August 13 in Kansas City. He has also advocated LGBT rights.^[43]

In 2011, Mraz appeared in the Visit California promotional film^[44] aimed at boosting tourism from the UK.

Discography[link]

• Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002)
• Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004) + accompanying DVD
• Mr. A-Z (2005)
• We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008)
• Love is a Four Letter Word (2012)

Awards[link]

Notes[link]