PODCAST #038 – LAYNE STALEY 2

Layne Thomas Staley was born on August 22, 1967, in Kirkland, Washington. He is best known as the lead singer of the bands Alice In Chains and Mad Season. On April 19, 2002, Layne’s accountants contacted his former manager, Susan Silver. They informed her that the singer’s bank account had no withdrawals in two weeks, which was unusual. The autopsy concluded that Layne died two weeks before they found the body on April 5, he was thirty-four. That same day, fellow grunge icon Kurt Cobain died eight years prior. He died from a mixture of heroin and cocaine, known as a speedball, an “accidental overdose.”

Beginning as a drummer at age twelve, he eventually switched to singing, leading the band Alice N’ Chains. In 1987, he bumped into guitarist Jerry Cantrell at a party, and subsequent introductions to bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney resulted in a re-constructed Alice in Chains. The band signed with Columbia Records two years later, releasing its debut album Facelift in August. The album was certified gold a little over a year later. They quickly started to dominate the airwaves and MTV as part of Seattle’s “grunge movement.”

Plagued by in-fighting and Layne’s battles with addiction, the band withdrew from touring in 1993. In 1994, while on hiatus from Alice in Chains, Layne joined Mad Season along with Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees members. The band recorded one album, Above, released in March 1995. In November, Alice in Chains released their eponymous fourth album, which also debuted at #1, followed by the 1996 release of their MTV Unplugged album. “Drugs worked for me for years, and now they’re turning against me. And now I’m walking through hell.” He said to Rolling Stone, during that same year.