Ortiz ('Sunny') joined the band later that year. On February 6, 1986, Houser called childhood friend and drummer Todd Nance to sit in with Houser, Bell, and Schools for a charity event in Athens it was their first show as 'Widespread Panic.' The band was named for Houser's once-frequent panic attacks. Bassist Dave Schools met Bell and Houser in 1984 and first played with them on February 24, 1985, at the A-Frame house on Weymanda Court in Athens. They began living together and collaborating on music in that year, writing still-popular songs such as 'Driving Song' and 'Chilly Water' together.

Bell had been playing guitar as a solo act, and invited his new friend Houser, also a guitarist, to join him.

John Bell and Michael Houser met in 1981 in their dorm at the University of Georgia. Band history 1981–1995: Early years and rise to national attention Widely renowned for their live performances, as of 2015, they hold the record for number of sold-out performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre ( Morrison, Colorado) at 51 and Philips Arena ( Atlanta, Georgia) at 20. They are frequently compared to other jam band 'road warriors' such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. Following in the steps of other Southern rock jam bands such as The Allman Brothers Band, they draw influences from the Southern rock, blues-rock, progressive rock, funk and hard rock genres. Since their inception in Athens, Georgia, in 1986, Widespread Panic has risen to elite status among American jam bands. Michael Houser and George McConnell have also played lead guitar for the band, Todd Nance recently retired as their original drummer. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo 'Sunny' Ortiz, keyboardist John 'JoJo' Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring. Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia.

Mixlr widespread panic