<p><strong>Live</strong> (/ˈlaɪv/, often typeset as <strong>LĪVE</strong>) is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), Chad Gracey (drums), and Chris Shinn (vocals). Live's original lead singer Ed Kowalczyk left the band in November 2009.</p>
<p>Live achieved worldwide success with their 1994 album, <em>Throwing Copper</em>, which has sold eight million copies in the US. The band had a string of hit singles in the mid-1990s including "Lightning Crashes", which stayed at the top of the <em>Billboard</em> Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 10 consecutive weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks (now Alternative Songs) chart for nine weeks from February 25 to April 22, 1995. The band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Their last three studio albums fared only moderately well in the US, but they continued to enjoy success in The Netherlands, South Africa, Australasia and Brazil.</p>
<p>When touring, Live have used additional musicians, most notably Ed's younger brother Adam Kowalczyk on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. British keyboard player Michael "Railo" Railton and guitarist Christopher Thorn of the band Blind Melon have also toured with Live.</p>
<p>On November 30, 2009, Taylor revealed that what had initially been termed a "two-year hiatus" was more likely the end of the band, due to what he felt were inappropriate actions by Ed Kowalczyk, which have resulted in a lawsuit being filed against him by the other three band members. Kowalczyk alleged that he wrote most of the music for Live and a new publishing arrangement had been accepted by all members of the group in 2006. In June 2011, Taylor revealed that he, Gracey and Dahlheimer were to reform Live without Kowalczyk, who confirmed that he would not work with the other three again. In March 2012, Shinn, formerly of the band Unified Theory, replaced Kowalczyk as lead singer. The band's first album featuring Shinn, <em>The Turn</em>, was released on October 28, 2014.</p>
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