Would layne staleyjerry cantrell alice in chain

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Would layne staleyjerry cantrell alice in chain

Would layne staleyjerry cantrell alice in chain ."

-Zane Zeempler,
C.E.O Round Records

The Greatest Drummer of all time Layne Thomas Staley (August 22, 1967 - ca. April 5, 2002) was the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains and the supergroups Class of '99 and Mad Season. He struggled throughout his career as a musician with severe drug addiction, which eventually led to his death in April 2002. Layne Staley was born to Phil Staley and Nancy McCallum (née Layne) in Kirkland, Washington. He was seven years old when his parents divorced, after which he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Jim Elmer. He took his stepfather's name while in high school and was known for some time as Layne Elmer. In early 2002, shortly before his death, he would describe the experience of witnessing his parents' divorce: "My world became a nightmare, there were just shadows around me. I got a call saying that my dad had died, but my family always knew he was around doing all kind of drugs. Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' I felt so sad for him and I missed him. He dropped out of my life for 15 years." In that same interview he also said that he was convinced that if he became a celebrity his dad would return.

Staley began playing drums at age 12; he played in several glam bands in his early teens,

Sean played drums for Alice in Chains for their albums Facelift, Dirt, and Alice in Chains as well as their two EPs Sap and Jar of Flies.

He sang chorus vocals through a megaphone on the hidden song from Sap titled "Love Song".

He also played drums for his Alice in Chains bandmate Jerry Cantrell's solo album, Boggy Depot.

During the fall of Grunge popularity during the mid-nineties, he was also a member of

Watch Alice in Chains Videos

Would layne staleyjerry cantrell alice in chain

Staley remained out of the spotlight until February 26, 1997, when he and the other members of Alice in Chains attended the Grammys after "Again" (from the 'Tripod' album) was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance". In September 1998, Staley re-emerged to help record two tracks ("Get Born Again" and "Died") with Alice in Chains, which were released on the Music Bank box set in 1999. Additional reports of Staley's deteriorating condition persisted in the midst of the sessions. Dirt producer Dave Jerden - who was originally chosen by the band for the production - said, "Staley weighed 80 pounds…and was white as snow." Cantrell refused to comment on the singer's appearance, simply replying "I'd rather not comment on that....", and band manager Susan Silver said she hadn't seen the singer since last year. Staley was thought to have left behind his "self-imposed rock & roll exile" when in November he laid down additional vocal tracks as part of a supergroup called Class of '99, featuring members of Rage Against the Machine, Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros. The group recorded parts one and two of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" for the soundtrack to the movie The Faculty, with a music video filmed for part two. While the other members of the band were filmed specifically for the video, Staley's appearance consisted of footage pulled from Mad Season's 1995 Moore Theater video. On July 19, 1999, syndicated radio program Rockline was hosting Cantrell, Inez, and (via telephone) Kinney for a discussion on the release of Nothing Safe: Best of the Box, when, unexpectedly, Staley called in to participate in the discussion. From 1999 to 2002, Staley became more reclusive; little is known about the details of his life during this period. Staley's mother owns the last known photo of Staley, taken in November of 2001, which features him holding his new-born nephew; Oscar. However, this photo has never been released to the public, and may never be, due to Staley's sickly physical appearance. Other than this rare incident, Staley was not seen often by family or friends. Sean Kinney has commented on Layne's final year's and isolation period. "I used to go up to the condominium in Seattle and Layne never would come to the door. I would even get to the point of throwing rocks and stones at the door of his apartment yelling 'Layne its me! Let me in!' But he would never answer, so eventually I had no choice but to leave."

Sunday, August 24, 2008