Spotlight Grunge Part Two : ALICE IN CHAINS

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We continue our series today, with the spotlight on Alice In Chains, particularly original vocalist Layne Staley and original bassist Mike Starr, who both have moved on to that big recording studio in the sky. The origins of the band can be traced back to 1984 when, Staley then a drummer , landed a gig as vocalist in a glam metal band called Sleze. During this time Layne met guitarist Jerry Cantrell The two quickly became friends and roommates. Sleze changed their name to Alice N' Chains and shortly thereafter they disbanded. Next in line for Staley would be the formation of a funk band called The Black Holes.

 



That group needed a guitarist and Layne wooed Jerry into performing with them in exchange Layne would perform with Jerry's band called Diamond Lie, which included bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney. 

 


Eventually The Black Holes broke up and Staley joined Cantrell's band full time and again the name was changed to Alice In Chains. The band was soon signed to Columbia Records and set about to to record their first EP We Die Young.

 

Following that the group would reenter the studio to record their debut album Facelift, which saw great success partly due to the first single, Man In The Box. After that the band showcased their softer side and released an accoustic EP SAP.

 

The band's next album would be Dirt. It was a much darker album than the first and a lot of the songs focused on drug addiction and death. During the tour for Dirt, bassist Mike Starr, a member of one of the biggest bands on earth at the time left the group and was replaced by Mike Inez. Starr would succumb to his drug addiction on March 8, 2011. He was 44.

After the Dirt tour ended the guys went back into the studio and recorded another acoustic EP called Jar Of Flies. It was at this time that Layne Staley entered rehab for heroin addiction. During AIC's hiatus Staley would form a grunge supergroup called Mad Season along with Mike McCready from Pearl Jam.

 

1995 would see the release of their 3rd album called Alice In Chains. Following that the group would perform on MTV's popular series Unplugged. As Layne spiraled further into his addiction Jerry set out to record his second solo album called Degradation Trip. On April 20, 2002 Staley's body was found in his apartment. His death was ruled a drug overdose due to herion and cocaine. ( The ME report concluded that Staley had died 2 weeks earlier on April 5th, coincidentally the same day that Kurt Cobain committed suicide just 8 years before ) Next, Jerry released Degradation Trip in two volumes and a lot of the albums themes dealt with the demise of AIC and the death of his former band mate.

 

In recent years AIC has reformed, adding vocalist William Duvall and releasing two more albums Black Gives Way To Blue and The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. 

 

Although Alice In Chains were lumped into the grunge movement's BIG4 (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, AIC) they drew their influences from a wide array of bands including Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Heart, The Ramones and Led Zeppelin. 

RIP Layne and Mike.