Editing Fishbone (section)

===Rise to fame (1988–1994)===
Fishbone was primarily considered a [[ska]] and [[funk]] band during their early years, but later became more guitar-driven with a focus on rock and soul music.<ref name="rough">{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|title=The rough guide to rock|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2003|pages=374–75|isbn=978-1-84353-105-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PT382|access-date=February 3, 2010}}</ref> The 1988 album ''[[Truth and Soul]]'' brought Fishbone wide critical acclaim.<ref>"New Album could be the Big One for Fishbone". ''Billboard'' 103.17 (1991): 26-. ABI/INFORM Complete; ProQuest Discovery. Web. February 12, 2013.</ref><ref name=":3" /> With this album, the band also added [[social commentary]] to their lyrics, covering topics such as the breakup of families, contemporary racism, [[fascism]], [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]], and oppression in lower income housing projects. The album was highlighted by a hard rock-inspired version of [[Curtis Mayfield]]'s classic "[[Freddie's Dead]]" from the film ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]''. The music video, directed by Douglas Gayeton, became the band's first hit on MTV. That same year, the group toured with Red Hot Chili Peppers and became nationally known in the burgeoning alternative music scene.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mervis|first1=Scott|title=A look back at some wild nights with the Red Hot Chili Peppers|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2017/05/10/Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers-Pittsburgh-PPG-Paints-Arena-Graffiti-Decade-Flea-Anthony-Kiedis/stories/201705080112|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=March 15, 2018|date=May 10, 2017}}</ref> Also that year, Fishbone and [[Little Richard]] recorded the [[Lead Belly]] song "[[Rock Island Line (song)|Rock Island Line]]" for the tribute album ''[[Folkways: A Vision Shared]]''.<ref>Pareles, Jon, 9-21-1988. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3D8163EF932A1575BC0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&&scp=2&sq=folkways:%20a%20vision%20shared&st=cse RECORDINGS; 80's Pop Stars Pay Tribute to 30's Populists], "The New York Times"</ref>

The band added former [[Miles Davis]] sideman John Bigham<ref name="funk"/> on guitar and keyboards in 1989. The 1991 album ''[[The Reality of My Surroundings]]'' was a critical and commercial success, reaching #49 on the Billboard albums chart.<ref name=":4">{{Cite magazine |title=Fishbone {{!}} Biography, Music & News |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/fishbone/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> One month before the album's release, the group played a performance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' of "[[Sunless Saturday]]," a song which later featured an [[MTV]] video directed by [[Spike Lee]]. The song "[[Everyday Sunshine]]" also became a modest hit on radio and MTV.

While the band retained their roots in funk and ska, the 1993 album ''[[Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe]]'' included songs with free jazz, hard rock, punk, and heavy metal elements.<ref name="funk"/> At the time of the album's release, the band began to tear apart internally. Just before Fishbone joined the 1993 [[Lollapalooza]] tour, guitarist Kendall Jones was accused of mental instability and quit the band, moving to Northern California. Bassist John Norwood Fisher tracked Jones down in the belief that he needed rescue from a religious cult, only to be charged with attempted kidnapping; Fisher was acquitted at trial.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1998/042398/music3.html|title=Crazy to the 'bone: Fishbone's Norwood Fisher comes face to face with madness|last=Bottenberg|first=Rupert|date=April 23, 1998|publisher=[[Montreal Mirror]]|access-date=February 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226023318/http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1998/042398/music3.html|archive-date=February 26, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> A benefit concert to help with Fisher's legal expenses featured [[Porno for Pyros]], [[Primus (band)|Primus]], [[Tool (band)|Tool]], and [[Alice in Chains]].<ref name="funk"/> Keyboardist Christopher Dowd left Fishbone in 1994 and released an album titled ''Puzzle'' in 1997 under the name The Seedy Arkhestra, with various guests including [[Jeff Buckley]] and [[N'Dea Davenport]]. The album included an anti-Fishbone song called "Flog Your Dead Horse."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-08-11 |title=Fishbone Founder Says Band{{!}}Members Cut Him Out of Royalties |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/fishbone-founder-says-bandmembers-cut-him-out-of-royalties/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=Courthouse News Service}}</ref>