In 1989 they independently released their debut album which had a bluegrass feel and soon Arista leapt at the chance to sign them before they re-released the album. Relying on word of mouth the band played mostly to college students in the beginning and soon the word had spread of this promising reggae infused pop/rock band. Getting drummer Jeep MacNichol and keyboardist Al Laughlin on board, The Samples began their mission for success.

To kick-start their music endeavours they moved to Colarado where they met with bassist Andy Shelden a friend of Kelly’s and decided to form another band. Musically in tune with one another it wasn’t long before they began playing in a band together, the creative spark was well and truly alive. In 1985 singer/songwriter Sean Kelly met guitarist Charles Hambleton met at an open mic night in Vermont and hit it off immediately.