# Event Details - **Event Name**: In Conversation with Jim “Soni” Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm – Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 07:30 pm (-04:00) - **Event Description**: The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at USC is pleased to welcome Jim Sonefeld, drummer of Hootie and the Blowfish.About this EventIn Conversation with Jim “Soni” Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend/Neuffer LectureThe McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina is pleased to welcome Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, author, songwriter and drummer of Hootie and Blowfish as the featured speaker for the 2026 Townsend/Neuffer Lecture Series hosted on October 7th in the Karen J. Williams Courtroom at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law.The conversation will be hosted by Dr. Mark Smith, a Carolina Distinguished Professor of History and the Director of the Institute of Southern Studies, from 6 -7:30 p.m.DescriptionWhat was it like to be part of one of the world’s biggest bands? What role did living in Columbia and being a student at the University of South Carolina play in the formation and success of Hootie and the Blowfish? What is it like to write world famous lyrics and songs? How much does place matter to a songwriter and author? What are the challenges that accompany astounding success? In this conversation, Jim Sonefeld tells us the answers to these questions and much more as he details his life with Hootie and the Blowfish.This event is sponsored by the Townsend Lecture Series and the Neuffer Lecture in Southern Literature within the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The Townsend/Neuffer Lecture is dedicated to exploring Southern culture and literature and aims to help explain the importance of place in shaping the meaning of the American South.Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. The program will begin promptly at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is suggested.About Jim SonefeldJim “Soni” Sonefeld has had a prolific career spanning from touring musician in one of the top-selling rock bands of all time, to award-winning songwriter, to solo artist. Sonefeld added the title of author to his list of achievements in 2022 when his memoir, “Swimming with the Blowfish – Hootie, Healing, and One Hell of a Ride,” was published by Diversion Books.The Hootie & the Blowfish drummer grew up dreaming more of sporting victories than becoming a successful musician though, which is what lead him to the University of South Carolina soccer team in the fall of 1983. After numerous academic, musical, and personal interruptions he graduated with a Bachelor of Media Arts in the spring of 1989.Writing songs and working his fulltime job with Instructional Services at the university kept him busy until fate, and an apartment fire led him to audition for Hootie & the Blowfish late in the summer of 1989.Five years later, the first Hootie & the Blowfish single, “Hold My Hand,” a tune Sonefeld brought to the band, helped thrust them into their great success, and likewise showcases his songwriting ability. In the years to follow, the band would record six more studio albums and receive numerous awards, among them, two GRAMMYS®. In 2019, their Group Therapy Tour received the Billboard Live Music Awards ‘Tour of the Summer’ award. Their recent collaboration with Scotty McCreery, “Bottle Rockets”, achieved #1 status on Billboard Country charts the week of September 29th, 2025.In the early 2000s Sonefeld had begun relying heavily on drugs and alcohol and it wasn’t until early 2005 that he finally accepted his powerlessness over them. It was then that he made a turn that would save his life. With a sober mind and new clarity, he began writing about his transformational experience and the journey into healthier, happier living.Sonefeld has been inspiring recovery audiences and corporate groups with his journey that details the entrepreneurial beginnings with the band, finding massive success in the music business, and adapting to change as solo artist, husband, father, and bandmate.Besides the joy of spending time with his wife Laura and the pride in having helped raise five college graduates (none of the Gamecocks, btw) in their uniquely blended family of seven, he enjoys writing, performing, working out, and obsessively supporting his favorite professional sports team Liverpool Football Club.About the Townsend Lecture SeriesDr. J. Ives Townsend was a native of Greenwood, South Carolina. In 1996, as Professor Emeritus of Human Genetics at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, he established an endowment in the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation to fund the Townsend Lectures. The lectures honor his parents (Joel Ives Townsend, 1911, and Emma Chiles Cothran Townsend) and grandparents (Robert Wallace Townsend, who attended the University of South Carolina in 1883-1884, and Amelia Dalton Carter Townsend). Following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and many other relatives, including two great-great-grandfathers who graduated from the institution in the 1820s, Dr. Townsend attended the university and graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Biology in 1941. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.Dr. Townsend strongly believed that the sciences, the arts, and the humanities are not separate branches of knowledge, but should be integrated within an academic setting. In addition to being a scientist, he was a connoisseur of Southern art and architecture. Thus, in making his gift to the university, he stipulated that the lectures alternate between two topics: “The Impact of the Biological Sciences on Society” and “Southern Culture”. He cared deeply for students, and admitted that his true goal was to make a significant difference in their lives. He often stated: “Today's students deserve all that I am able to give them”.Dr. Townsend passed away on July 29, 2005, at the age of 85.About the Neuffer Lecture in Southern LiteratureEvery Fall, the Institute for Southern Studies (ISS) in the McCausland College of Arts & Sciences hosts the Neuffer Lecture in Southern Literature. Through the generosity of the Neuffer family, ISS is able to bring to campus distinguished writers whose work deals with the US South and makes enduring and important contributions to southern literature.The Neuffer Lecture in Southern Literature is designed to engage USC students and faculty as well as the general public. The Series exposes our community to some of the most influential literature about the US South and introduces it to some of the foremost writers working today. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/columbia/in-conversation-with-jim-soni-sonefeld-the-2026-townsend-neuffer-lecture/100001994715740476 - **Event Categories**: fitness, Art, literary-art, Entertainment, Music, Sports, performances - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Columbia - **state**: SC - **country**: United States - **location**: University of South Carolina School of Law - **lat**: 34.0024871 - **long**: -81.0277303 - **full address**: University of South Carolina School of Law, Karen J. Williams Courtroom, Columbia, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: In Conversation with Jim “Soni” Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/b48c8158fef0074770a96b96aad790d2d0c050bdae483076d19343129b73a48c-rimg-w1200-h600-dcf8f8e8-gmir.jpg?v=1788258634 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is In Conversation with Jim Soni Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture being held? - **A:** In Conversation with Jim Soni Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture takes place on Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm to Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 07:30 pm at University of South Carolina School of Law, Karen J. Williams Courtroom, Columbia, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing In Conversation with Jim Soni Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture? - **A:** In Conversation with Jim Soni Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture is organized by USC, College of Arts and Sciences. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** In Conversation with Jim Soni Sonefeld: The 2026 Townsend-Neuffer Lecture is ideal for music lovers, fans of all genres, and anyone who wants to celebrate the power of music - from intimate gigs and live sessions to festivals and cultural performances. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Columbia, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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