| Jerry Cantrell |
Jerry Cantrell playing in December 2006
|
| Background information |
| Born |
March 18, 1966 (1966-03-18) (age 43)
Tacoma, Washington, USA |
| Genre(s) |
Heavy metal, grunge, alternative metal |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician, songwriter, actor |
| Instrument(s) |
Vocals, guitar |
| Years active |
1987 - present |
| Label(s) |
Columbia, Roadrunner |
| Associated acts |
Alice in Chains, Ozzy Osbourne, Cardboard Vampyres, Zilch |
| Website |
JerryCantrell.com |
| Notable instrument(s) |
| Jerry Cantrell Signature G&L Rampage
Gibson Les Paul
|
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. (born March 18, 1966 in Tacoma, Washington) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge band Alice in Chains, as guitarist and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and was part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing dual-vocal style. He currently resides in Los Angeles and spends time on his family ranch in Oklahoma.
Cantrell noted in an interview that he was "raised on country music" as a youth and that he admires the emotion conveyed in the genre. However, hard rock music caught his interest predominately.
Cantrell attended junior high and high school in Spanaway, Washington and was a member of the high school choir which attended many state competitions. Cantrell was president of the choir in his senior year. The quartet would sing the national anthem at basketball games and win competitions with the highest marks achievable. According to Cantrell, his choir teacher and drama teacher were, early on, his two greatest motivators toward a career in music. When Alice in Chains' first album went gold, Cantrell sent both teachers a gold record.[1]
Jerry Cantrell would serve in Alice in Chains as the lead guitarist, co-lyricist, co-vocalist and main composer, until the group's near-permanent hiatus in the late 1990s after lead singer Layne Staley, died from a drug overdose.[2] Although he and Staley each wrote about half of the lyrics in their catalog, Cantrell wrote or co-wrote most of the music.
Since Staley's death in 2002, the band has reformed with its surviving members. Beginning in 2005, Cantrell has joined Alice in Chains in a number of performances featuring singers such as Maynard James Keenan, Mark Lanegan, James Hetfield, Phil Anselmo, Scott Weiland, and William DuVall. Although he acknowledges the benefits of working as a solo artist, Cantrell has expressed his happiness with being back in the band culture.[2]
Cantrell's career outside Alice in Chains has consisted of three solo albums, as well as many appearances with other musicians and on film soundtracks.
Following his tenure with Alice in Chains, Cantrell's song "Leave Me Alone" was included on the Cable Guy soundtrack in 1996, featuring Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Les Claypool of Primus.
His first album, released April 1998, Boggy Depot, contains Cantrell's trademark odd time signatures.[3]
In June 2002, Cantrell issued his second album, Degradation Trip, with Ozzy Osbourne's then live rhythm section, Faith No More's Mike Bordin (drums) and Robert Trujillo (bass); it was re-released in November of that year as a double album on the same label, featuring eleven additional tracks. Degradation Trip was released soon after Layne Staley's death, and the album is dedicated to him. The song "She Was My Girl" was also included on the soundtrack for the 2002 film Spider-Man.
Cantrell said of the experience of writing Degradation Trip:
- "In '98, I locked myself in my house, went out of my mind and wrote 25 songs. I rarely bathed during that period of writing; I sent out for food, I didn't really venture out of my house in three or four months. It was a hell of an experience. The album is an overview of birth to now."[4]
He has been rumoured to be working on his third full-length solo album for several years, for a supposedly planned release in 2006. Subsequent work with the revamped Alice in Chains may have stalled this release.[5]
Cantrell has appeared as guest guitarist on several albums and projects, including the Danzig album Blackacidevil and the Metallica album Garage Inc. He also guested on Circus of Power's album Magic & Madness in 1993 for the song "Heaven 'N Hell." He provided guest vocals for the track "Effigy" on Gov't Mule's 2001 album, The Deep End, Volume 1. In early 2004, Jerry Cantrell collaborated with The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy to form the rock supergroup, Cardboard Vampyres. The group performed mostly cover songs at several venues across the nation (but mostly the west coast), and continues to exist, though no formal albums have been released.
In 2002, Cantrell played a series of summer dates with alternative rock band Nickelback. The tour kicked off May 13, 2002. Cantrell can be seen playing "It Ain't Like That" with the band on their first DVD release, Live at Home. Cantrell was also asked by Nickelback's frontman, Chad Kroeger, to contribute to the song "Hero" for the 2002 film, Spider-Man. Cantrell was unable to attend the recording session and was replaced by Saliva's Josey Scott.
Cantrell is featured in the movie Singles along with the rest of Alice in Chains performing the songs "It Ain't Like That" and "Would?". He is also featured as an actor in the movie Jerry Maguire. He also wrote the song "Leave Me Alone" for the 1996 dark comedy The Cable Guy, which can be found on that movie's soundtrack. Cantrell returned to the movie scene in 2004 to write, with the newly-formed metal band Damageplan, the song "Ashes to Ashes" for the movie The Punisher. That song can be found on that movie's soundtrack, and as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the Damageplan album New Found Power. He also appears briefly with Warren Haynes in the documentary "Rising Low" which documents the work of the band Gov't Mule following the death of bassist Allen Woody.
Cantrell is known to prefer G&L and Dean Guitars, as well as Gibson Les Pauls. He is currently working with Dean to design a signature model that will be based on his Les Pauls. Recently, he has been using two prototype Deans on tour (now dubbed as the Dean Soltero).
He is also said to be working on a signature amp with Bogner,[6] whose amps he has used for a long time. His collection includes the extremely rare Fish Pre-amp responsible for many of the famous Alice in Chains sounds, as well as the Shiva and Ecstasy models. He also has a Peavey 5150 head that was given to him by Eddie Van Halen.
Cantrell recorded all of the demo tracks for his album Degradation Trip at his Seattle home using a four-track recorder and his white Les Paul.[4]
In July 2006, British hard rock magazine Metal Hammer awarded Cantrell the title of Riff Lord, at its annual Golden Gods Awards show, held at the London Astoria. He was apparently thrilled at winning the title, over several famous artists such as Slash, James Hetfield, and Jimmy Page.[7]
Cantrell's father, Jerry Sr., is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War. He was the main subject in the song "Rooster" which Cantrell wrote as a tribute to his father. His mother Gloria died in 1990, the very same year that his close friend Andrew Wood (of Mother Love Bone) died, leading Jerry to pen the song "Would?" for AIC's second album Dirt in Wood's memory. He also dedicated AIC's debut album Facelift to Wood, as well as his late mother. An ex-girlfriend of Cantrell's has been the main subject of many Alice in Chains songs written by Cantrell.
He also resides in the small city of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
