Portugal. The Man formed in 2004 in Wasilla, Alaska, and is one of (if not the) biggest music acts ever to come from the state. They are currently based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O’Quin, Jason Sechrist, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville.
The group released two albums on Fearless Records, before signing with Atlantic Records in 2010, where they released six full-length albums. In 2007, guitarist and vocalist Eric Howk sustained a spinal cord injury after he was sitting against a wall in his friend’s front yard when the wall collapsed. Howk fell 12 feet and unfortunately wound up with a T4 spinal cord injury. He now uses a wheelchair for mobility but continues to tour, be a rockstar, and key piece of the band.
Their 2017 single, “Feel It Still”, won “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Fun Fact: The period in the band’s name is significant. It is based on the idea of David Bowie’s “bigger than life” fame. They wanted to have a big name for the band, and not named after a single member. “A country is a group of people,” guitar player and vocalist John Gourley says. “With Portugal, it just ended up being the first country that came to mind. The band’s name is ‘Portugal’. The period is stating that, and ‘The Man’ states that it’s just one person” (any one of the band members).
Fun Fact 2: “Feel It Still” made former President Obama’s 2017 year-end playlist of his favorite songs of the year.
Discography
