With the grunge movement of the early parts of the 1990s, a number of Seattle bands were born, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. Alice in Chains is an example of success and popularity in the years and decades to come. The group which started in 1987 incorporates various genres such as rock metal, hard rock and alternative rock, although it is more associated with grunge. Before we look at the members of Alice in Chains, it’s important to point out that the band as it is today grew out of another band, Sleze, originally formed in 1984 with Layne Staley and Johnny Bacolas. among its first members. However, the band broke up in 1987 and it was this time that their name changed to Alice N’ Chains along with a few members.
Currently, members of Alice in Chains are Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Inez, and William DuVall, while former members are Layne Staley and Mike Starr. Alice in Chains, one of rock’s most successful bands, has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, while in the United States, the Grammy-nominated group has sold over 14 million.
Who are the members of Alice in Chains?
1. Jerry Cantrell
Lead vocals and rhythm guitar (1987-2002, 2005-present)
Born Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. in 1966, he is the guitarist and co-vocalist of the band he co-founded. Ever since he was a kid, what Jerry wanted to be was a rockstar. However, it wasn’t until the sixth grade of elementary school that he handled a guitar thanks to a guitarist his mother was dating. Impressed with how quickly he picked up the chords he was taught, the boyfriend advised Catrell’s mother to get a guitar, earning him his first guitar.
In 1985, Jerry Cantrell quit school and was on vacation in Texas with his friends to join a band. However, he returned to Tacoma where he started a band called Diamond Lie. It was during his stay that he met Layne Staley, who was the lead singer of Alice N’ Chains.
It was around this time that the Alice N’ Chains broke and Staley joined Diamond Lie, who were already making a name for themselves in the Seattle area. Shortly after, the name changed to Alice in Chains.
From then on he remained a member of the band although he also had a solo career which saw him with two albums. Boggy Depot in 1998 and Journey of Degradation in 2002.
2. Sean Kinney
Drums (1987–2002, 2005–present)
Kinney is one of the members of Alice in Chain who have been there since the beginning. Born in 1966, Sean Kinney has had a lifelong interest in music since childhood. He got his first drum when he was 5 years old. The first band he played for was his grandfather’s. The cats crossed when he was only 7 years old.
His journey to founding and becoming part of Alice in Chains began when he met Layne Staley in 1985. At the time, Staley was with his band, Sleze. When Kinney met him, he told him that even though he was cool he should change drummers because it sucked, suggesting that he be his replacement. In 1987, when Alice in Chains was to start, he was called upon to become their drummer.
Over the years, Kinney has made guest appearances for stars such as Jerry Cantrell, Johnny Cash, Metallica and Mad Season.
3. Mike Inez
Bass (1993–2002, 2005–present)
In 1993, Inez became the first person to join the band since its formation in 1987. He joined other members of Alice in Chain, replacing the band’s bassist, Mike Starr, who left after the band’s debut album.
Born in 1966, Mike Inez began his career playing guitar and saxophone. He rose to fame for working with Ozzy Osbourne from 1989 to 1993. In the years that followed he also collaborated with various bands including Slash’s Snakepit in 1995, Jerry Cantrell and Spys4Darwin in 1998 and Black Label Society from 2001 to 2004 He also collaborated with Heart from 2002 to 2006.
4. William DuVall
Vocals, rhythm and lead guitar (2006–present)
DuVall, the newest member of Alice in Chains, joined the band in 2006 to replace the band’s lead singer, Layne Staley, making him the band’s co-vocalist with Jerry Cantrell.
Born September 6, 1967, William DuVall began his 1980s career Awareness Void of Chaos before co-founding hardcore punk band Neon Christ. After the end of the group, he joined Bl’ast as a second guitarist.
Also a songwriter, his next project was founding Final Offering in 1987, which coincided with the formation of Alice in Chains. In the years that followed, he collaborated with other groups, including No Walls and the Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, founded in 2012. He is also the lead singer of the group.
He worked Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Demon Put the Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018) with Alice in Chains.
Former members of Alice in Chains
1. Layne Staley
Vocal guide and rhythm guitar (1987-2002)
Probably the most important member of the groupAt its inception, Layne Staley was one of the main founders of the group along with Jerry Cantrell. He was with his band, Alice N’ Chains, when he first met Cantrell, whom he would later return home after Cantrell was thrown home and homeless.
After his band fell apart and they went through many makeovers, Staley formed what would later be known as Alice in Chain with Cantrell, Sean Kinney and Mike Starr. Although he was gifted with his music, he struggled with drug addiction that kept him in and out of rehab. After the death of Demri Lara Parrott, his former fiancée, the singer had fallen into a depression and he continued his battle with drugs and depression, which would have led to his death in 2002.
2. Mike Starr
Bass (1987-1993)
Completing Alice in Chains is one of its founding members, Mike Starr, who became the first person to leave the group since its formation. Born in 1966, he first formed Sato, a heavy metal band, before joining another band, Gypsy Rose, where he met Jerry Cantrell. He then joined Cantrell and Staley, who were working on a new band called Alice in Chains.
Right after the release of the band’s debut album Dirt in 1993 and the commercial success that followed, Starr found himself out of the band. As Staley revealed that Starr’s exit followed his choice to return home as the band wanted to continue touring, he revealed that he was fired following the drug problems he had at the time. era.
He would continue to work with Sun Red Sun and reportedly worked on a new band, Days of the New, before his death in 2011.
7 Facts You Didn’t Know About Them
1. Prior to becoming known as Alice in Chains, the band had gone through many changes before taking their name from former Alice N’ Chains, of which Layne Staley was a former member. He also tried names like F**k and Diamond Lie.
2 In 1993, Mike Starr was reportedly expelled from the group, because of his drug addiction. Ironically, Staley, one of the core members of the band, will also have substance abuse issues, including addiction, due to which he has often been in rehab.
3. In 2002, Alice in Chains broke up before reuniting in 2005. All of the members who were part of it when she returned returned except for Staley, who died in 2002.
4 Years before his death, Layne Staley had revealed in an interview that he knew he would be getting closer to his death and it was already too late for him, saying he had no chance of doing so. More so, he revealed that the drug had always worked for him when he started but now it was working against him, so he wasn’t sure he had much time left.
5 According to Toby Wright, who has previously produced for the band, Alice in Chains has over 20-30 undubbed instrumental tracks. According to him, the instrumentals were made a long time ago and were not used in any of the band’s works. This means they can’t even be used anymore.
6. Apart from their music, the members of Alice in Chains have appeared in several films, including the mockumentary “Alice in Chains: AIC” 23, in 2013.
7. In numbers, the group has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, they have 6 albums, 3 live albums, 5 compilation albums, 3 EPs and 6 soundtrack albums. The main albums are Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992), Alice in Chains (1995), Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Demon Put the Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018). None of the 10 Grammy nominations were accepted. Ahead of the 2019 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rock Album for Rainier Fog
