Jerry Cantrell
Encyclopedia
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
/metal
band Alice in Chains
, as lead guitarist, backing
and co-lead vocalist
, and co-lyricist
. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing dual-vocal style. He resides in Los Angeles
and spends time on his family ranch in Oklahoma
.
Cantrell recently toured in North America supporting Alice In Chains' first new studio album in 14 years, Black Gives Way to Blue
.
" as a youth and that he admires the emotion conveyed in the genre. He also considers himself "half Yankee
and half redneck
." However, hard rock music caught Cantrell's interest predominantly, and he bought his first guitar in his mid teens. It wouldn't be until the age of 17, however, that he began seriously playing the instrument. Cantrell would later cite groups and musicians like Jimi Hendrix
, Heart
, Black Sabbath
, and Queensrÿche
as major influences.
Cantrell attended junior high and high school in Spanaway, Washington
and, before owning his first guitar, was a member of the high school choir which attended many state competitions. His senior year, Cantrell became choir president, and the quartet sang the national anthem
at basketball games and won competitions with the highest marks achievable. Cantrell has cited his interest in dark musical tones as dating back to this period: "In choir we performed a cappella
Gregorian chant
s from the 14th and 15th centuries. It was scary church music
." 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.
Cantrell's parents divorced when he was 7, and his mother died in 1987 at the age of 43.
In the mid 1980s, Cantrell began a band called Diamond Lie which included drummer Sean Kinney
and bassist Mike Starr
. The singer and roommate of Cantrell, Layne Staley
, also agreed to join while having Cantrell join his funk
project which ended shortly after. Diamond Lie gained attention in the Seattle area and eventually took the name of Alice 'N Chainz, then renamed 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, leading up to April 2002 when lead singer Layne Staley
was found dead. The autopsy report later concluded that Staley had died after injecting a mixture of heroin and cocaine known as a "speedball".
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
, Billy Corgan
, Patrick Lachman
, 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. On September 29, 2009, Alice in Chains, with William DuVall as co-vocalist, released their first record since the death of Layne Staley, Black Gives Way to Blue
, and are touring in support of the album.
soundtrack in 1996, featuring Alice in Chains drummer
Sean Kinney
. It had a music video
and reached #14 on Billboard
s Mainstream Rock Tracks
.
As the activity of Alice in Chains slowed and the band's future came into question, Cantrell reluctantly began work on his first full-length solo record. While video footage from Cantrell's official website claimed that he wanted to work solo for some time, his comments in Guitar World
stated otherwise:
Boggy Depot
was released in April 1998. It contains three singles including the popular "Cut You In
" and "My Song." His touring band for the album included Alice in Chains bandmates Inez and Kinney, and Cantrell expressed hope to have a second album released by the following year.
The same year of Boggy Depot, Cantrell began writing a follow-up album. He also departed from Columbia Records during this time and had trouble finding a new label. Cantrell said of the writing experience:
Finally in June 2002, Cantrell issued his second album, Degradation Trip
, with Ozzy Osbourne
's then live rhythm section, Mike Bordin
(drums) and Robert Trujillo
(bass). Released on Roadrunner Records
, Degradation Trip hit shelves soon after Layne Staley's death and was dedicated to him. The album, which received better critical reception than its predecessor, featured two singles, "Anger Rising
" and "Angel Eyes," and the track "She Was My Girl" was included on the Spider-Man
soundtrack
. Touring with the likes of Nickelback
and Creed
also helped build Cantrell's reputation as a solo artist. Degradation Trip was re-released
in November of that year as a double album
, featuring eleven additional tracks that made for the album as Cantrell originally intended.
Cantrell has been rumored to be working on his third full-length solo album for several years, for a supposedly planned release in 2006. However, as of 2010, this album still has not been released. Subsequent work with the revamped Alice in Chains may have stalled this release. When asked about releasing another solo album, he issued this statement:
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 2002, Cantrell played a series of summer dates with headlining hard rock
/post-grunge
band Nickelback
. Cantrell can be seen playing "It Ain't Like That" with the band on their first DVD release, Live at Home. He 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
.
In early 2004, Cantrell collaborated with The Cult
guitarist Billy Duffy
to form the rock supergroup Cardboard Vampyres. Under the moniker of the Jerry Cantrell-Billy Duffy Band, they debuted during the three-concert series for Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
at The Troubadour in April 2004. "This band is really just about having fun and playing tunes that we were fans of growing up," Cantrell stated. Performing mostly cover songs from bands like Led Zeppelin
, AC/DC
, The Stooges
, Black Sabbath
, and Aerosmith
, the group was rounded out by vocalist John Corabi
, bassist Chris Wyse
, and drummer Eddie Livingston
. The band played at various venues in the United States; although, they predominately played along the West Coast
. No formal albums were released by the band.
". 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. Recently he was featured in the independent comedy Rock Slyde.
Cantrell is known to prefer G&L
and Gibson Guitars. 2009 saw the release of his G&L Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature Model Electric Guitar. His current guitar rig consists of a Custom Shop "Jerry Cantrell" Gibson SG, two of his signature G&L Rampages, his two 1980's G&L Rampages, several G&L ASATs, two Gibson Les Paul Custom
s, and a Fender 1972 Telecaster Deluxe Reissue
. He recently added a Gibson ES-175
to his rig as of 2010.
He currently uses Bogner
amplifiers, whose amps he has used since the beginning of Alice in Chains, his first being a Marshall JCM800
modded by Bogner which was used for the first two Alice in Chains albums
. He began using "actual" Bogner amplifiers in the mid-1990s, his main one being the Bogner Ecstasy. His current amp rig consists of a Bogner Fish Preamp running into a Mesa/Boogie 2:Ninety Power amp, and a Bogner Uberschall or Shiva ran with a custom "Marsha" head built by Dave Friedman. All of these run into a Bogner 4x12 cabinet isolated from the stage.
Cantrell also owns a Peavey 5150 amp head
given to him by Eddie Van Halen
and a Les Paul Junior
he bought from Nancy Wilson of Heart
. Both of these were used to record Boggy Depot. 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.
Cantrell worked with Dunlop in 2009 to release the Crybaby Jerry Cantrell Signature JC95 at winter NAMM 2010. This wah includes a fine tune knob to adjust the dynamic frequencies of the wah and modified circuitry to create Talk Box like sounds.
His pedalboard includes the following -
From the 'Vulgar Display of Power' section of Guitar World's July 2010 issue, Cantrell's rig consisted of
Amps
Rack
Effects
Offstage in RJM Unit
Onstage
Guitars
Motor City Pickups are pickups custom wound for Jerry Cantrell
. However, his musical range also extends into elements of blues
and country
as heard on his solo debut album. Cantrell's guitar playing is known for its unique use of wah pedal as well as odd time signature
s. In a 1998 interview with Guitar World
, he was asked about the latter quality:
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
.
of the Vietnam War
. He was the main subject in the song "Rooster
" which Cantrell wrote as a tribute to his father. Jerry's first childhood memory is meeting his father for the first time after he had returned from war. Due to the strain of war, his parents divorced and Jerry lived with his mother, Gloria.
Cantrell's mother, Gloria Jean Cantrell, died in 1987. His close friend Andrew Wood (of Mother Love Bone
) died in 1990, 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.
After residing in Seattle for many years, Cantrell moved to Los Angeles, California
in mid 2003 by which time he had stopped his heavy drug use. The peculiarity of this transition would be expressed in the song "Check My Brain
". Cantrell also spends time on his family's Oklahoma ranch which was once featured on an episode of MTV Cribs
.
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Washington) is an American guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer, and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
best known for his work with the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
/metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, as lead guitarist, backing
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
and co-lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, and co-lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing dual-vocal style. He resides in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and spends time on his family ranch in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Cantrell recently toured in North America supporting Alice In Chains' first new studio album in 14 years, Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released in September 2009. The first Alice in Chains album in nearly fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is their first release with new vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, who took over from the late...
.
Early life
Cantrell noted in an interview that he was "raised on country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
" as a youth and that he admires the emotion conveyed in the genre. He also considers himself "half Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
and half redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
." However, hard rock music caught Cantrell's interest predominantly, and he bought his first guitar in his mid teens. It wouldn't be until the age of 17, however, that he began seriously playing the instrument. Cantrell would later cite groups and musicians like Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, and Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
as major influences.
Cantrell attended junior high and high school in Spanaway, Washington
Spanaway, Washington
Spanaway is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 27,227 at the 2010 census. Spanaway is an unincorporated area near Tacoma, and is often identified together with the more urban, less wealthy Parkland....
and, before owning his first guitar, was a member of the high school choir which attended many state competitions. His senior year, Cantrell became choir president, and the quartet sang the national anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
at basketball games and won competitions with the highest marks achievable. Cantrell has cited his interest in dark musical tones as dating back to this period: "In choir we performed a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
s from the 14th and 15th centuries. It was scary church music
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
." His choir teacher and drama teacher were, early on, his two greatest motivators toward a career in music. When Alice in Chains' first album
Facelift (album)
Facelift is the debut studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. The album was released on August 21, 1990. The album is the band's second highest selling album and has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA for shipments of two million copies in the United States.-Background and...
went gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, Cantrell sent both teachers a gold record.
Cantrell's parents divorced when he was 7, and his mother died in 1987 at the age of 43.
In the mid 1980s, Cantrell began a band called Diamond Lie which included drummer Sean Kinney
Sean Kinney
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
and bassist Mike Starr
Mike Starr (musician)
Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr was an American musician, best known as the original bassist in Alice in Chains, with whom he played from the band's formation in 1987 until 1993.- Career :...
. The singer and roommate of Cantrell, Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
, also agreed to join while having Cantrell join his funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
project which ended shortly after. Diamond Lie gained attention in the Seattle area and eventually took the name of Alice 'N Chainz, then renamed Alice in Chains.
Alice in Chains
Jerry Cantrell would serve in Alice in ChainsAlice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
as the lead guitarist, co-lyricist, co-vocalist and main composer, until the group's near-permanent hiatus in the late 1990s, leading up to April 2002 when lead singer Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
was found dead. The autopsy report later concluded that Staley had died after injecting a mixture of heroin and cocaine known as a "speedball".
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
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
, Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
, Phil Anselmo
Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Pantera. He is currently the frontman for the Louisiana-based metal act Down. He is also the owner of Housecore Records....
, Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
, Patrick Lachman
Patrick Lachman
-Biography:Patrick Lachman is an American heavy metal guitarist and vocalist. The Portland, Oregon native was a short-lived member of Dr. Mastermind, featuring former Wild Dogs vocalist Matt McCourt, before joining his brother, vocalist Tim Lachman, in another local band, Gargoyle, in 1988...
, Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
, and William DuVall
William DuVall
thumb|200px|right|William DuVall performing with [[Alice In Chains]] at Roskilde Festival 2010William DuVall is an American musician, best known as current lead singer for Alice In Chains, following the death of the band's original lead singer Layne Staley.DuVall is also co-founder, lead singer,...
. Although he acknowledges the benefits of working as a solo artist, Cantrell has expressed his happiness with being back in the band culture. On September 29, 2009, Alice in Chains, with William DuVall as co-vocalist, released their first record since the death of Layne Staley, Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released in September 2009. The first Alice in Chains album in nearly fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is their first release with new vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, who took over from the late...
, and are touring in support of the album.
Solo career
Cantrell's career outside Alice in Chains has consisted of two solo albums, as well as many appearances with other musicians and on film soundtracks. His first solo material came in a song entitled "Leave Me Alone." This was released exclusively on The Cable GuyThe Cable Guy
The Cable Guy is a 1996 black comedy film, directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. The film also features Leslie Mann, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson...
soundtrack in 1996, featuring Alice in Chains drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Sean Kinney
Sean Kinney
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
. It had a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and reached #14 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
.
As the activity of Alice in Chains slowed and the band's future came into question, Cantrell reluctantly began work on his first full-length solo record. While video footage from Cantrell's official website claimed that he wanted to work solo for some time, his comments in Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
stated otherwise:
- "It's something I never really wanted to do, but the way things have played out, it's like, why not? To be honest, I'd just be happy being the lead guitarist and singer for Alice In Chains. It's always been my first love, and always will be, but the situation being what it is... we've been together for a long time, and right now it's kinda played out. It's time to let it be. Now I've got to step up to the plate and take a few swings."
Boggy Depot
Boggy Depot
Boggy Depot is the debut solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell. It was released on April 7, 1998 through Columbia Records.-Background:...
was released in April 1998. It contains three singles including the popular "Cut You In
Cut You In
"Cut You In" is a song by American rock musician Jerry Cantrell. It was the lead single from his 1998 debut album Boggy Depot. The song reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts and remained arguably the album's best known track...
" and "My Song." His touring band for the album included Alice in Chains bandmates Inez and Kinney, and Cantrell expressed hope to have a second album released by the following year.
The same year of Boggy Depot, Cantrell began writing a follow-up album. He also departed from Columbia Records during this time and had trouble finding a new label. Cantrell said of the writing experience:
- "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."
Finally in June 2002, Cantrell issued his second album, Degradation Trip
Degradation Trip
Degradation Trip is the second solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, released on June 18, 2002. It marks his difficult transition from Columbia Records to Roadrunner and was dedicated to Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, who died two months before the album's...
, with Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
's then live rhythm section, Mike Bordin
Mike Bordin
Mike Bordin is the co-founder and drummer of rock band Faith No More. He is also known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne. As a left-handed drummer, he notably plays with a right-handed kit with his ride cymbal on the left...
(drums) and Robert Trujillo
Robert Trujillo
Robert Trujillo is an American bassist who currently plays bass in Metallica. He has also played in Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Black Label Society, and with Jerry Cantrell and Ozzy Osbourne.-Career:...
(bass). Released on Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, Degradation Trip hit shelves soon after Layne Staley's death and was dedicated to him. The album, which received better critical reception than its predecessor, featured two singles, "Anger Rising
Anger Rising
"Anger Rising" is a song by American hard rock musician Jerry Cantrell. It served as the lead single from his 2002 second album, Degradation Trip. Cantrell's fourth single overall, the track made its radio debut in April 2002 and reached #10 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts."Anger Rising"...
" and "Angel Eyes," and the track "She Was My Girl" was included on the Spider-Man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
soundtrack
Music from and Inspired by Spider-Man
Asian Edition Bonus Track- Use in other works :As a tribute to the film, "Weird Al" Yankovic's album Poodle Hat contains the song "Ode to a Superhero"; in which he takes the plot of this film but recites it to the tune of Billy Joel's "Piano Man"....
. Touring with the likes of Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
and Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
also helped build Cantrell's reputation as a solo artist. Degradation Trip was re-released
Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2
Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 is a double album by Jerry Cantrell, released on 26 November, 2002 on Roadrunner Records. It is an expanded limited edition of Cantrell's Degradation Trip album, which was released approximately five months earlier...
in November of that year as a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, featuring eleven additional tracks that made for the album as Cantrell originally intended.
Cantrell has been rumored to be working on his third full-length solo album for several years, for a supposedly planned release in 2006. However, as of 2010, this album still has not been released. Subsequent work with the revamped Alice in Chains may have stalled this release. When asked about releasing another solo album, he issued this statement:
- "Not for a while. My first and foremost love has been this band and always has been. The only reason I did those two records is because we weren’t working as a band. But being a part of this band is a full time job. Some guys can do multiple things and maybe when I was younger I could do that, but not now."
Collaborations
Cantrell has appeared as guest guitarist on several albums and projects, including the DanzigDanzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
album Blackacidevil
Blackacidevil
Danzig 5: Blackacidevil is the fifth full-length album from Danzig. It was released in 1996 on Hollywood Records, and was reissued on E-Magine Records in 2000 with three extra tracks.-Background:...
and the Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
album Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
He also guested on Circus of Power
Circus of Power
-Overview:The band formed in 1986 in New York City. A no-frills band heavy on tattoos, biker-band lyrics and leather, the band consisted of vocalist Alex Mitchell, guitar players Ricky Mahler and Gary Sunshine, bassist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Ryan Maher. The group played in New York for...
's album Magic & Madness in 1993 for the song "Heaven 'N Hell." He provided guest vocals for the track "Effigy" on Gov't Mule
Gov't Mule
Gov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
's 2001 album, The Deep End, Volume 1
The Deep End, Volume 1
After the death of founding member and bassist Allen Woody, Gov't Mule considered breaking up. Instead, remaining members Warren Haynes and Matt Abts recorded several songs with bass players admired by Woody. The Deep End, Volume 1, issued in 2001, was the first CD of material released from these...
.
In 2002, Cantrell played a series of summer dates with headlining hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
. Cantrell can be seen playing "It Ain't Like That" with the band on their first DVD release, Live at Home. He was also asked by Nickelback's frontman, Chad Kroeger
Chad Kroeger
Chad Robert Kroeger is aCanadian songwriter, singer, and guitarist best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Canadian rock band Nickelback...
, to contribute to the song "Hero
Hero (Chad Kroeger song)
"Hero" is a single by Chad Kroeger, the lead singer of Nickelback, recorded in 2002 for the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man. The recording features Kroeger; Josey Scott, the lead singer of Saliva; Tyler Connolly, guitarist and lead singer of Theory of a Deadman; Mike Kroeger, bassist of...
" for the 2002 film, Spider-Man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
. Cantrell was unable to attend the recording session and was replaced by Saliva
Saliva (band)
Saliva is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 1996 and currently under Island Records. Saliva released their self-titled debut album on August 26, 1997, under Rocking Chair Records....
's Josey Scott
Josey Scott
Josey Scott is the former lead vocalist of Post-grunge/hard rock band Saliva. In addition to Saliva, Scott co-wrote and performed "Hero" with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback.- Career :Prior to Saliva, Scott fronted a Memphis-area heavy metal band called BlackBone in...
.
In early 2004, Cantrell collaborated with The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
guitarist Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy is an English guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist in The Cult.-Early days:He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen...
to form the rock supergroup Cardboard Vampyres. Under the moniker of the Jerry Cantrell-Billy Duffy Band, they debuted during the three-concert series for Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
Sweet Relief Fund
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a non-profit charity that maintains a financial fund from which professional musicians can draw from when in need of medical care or financial needs...
at The Troubadour in April 2004. "This band is really just about having fun and playing tunes that we were fans of growing up," Cantrell stated. Performing mostly cover songs from bands like Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, the group was rounded out by vocalist John Corabi
John Corabi
John Corabi is a heavy metal singer and guitarist who has worked with such bands as Angora, The Scream, Mötley Crüe, Union and ESP , Ratt , Twenty 4 Seven , Zen Lunatic, Brides of Destruction, and Angel City Outlaws John Corabi (born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a heavy...
, bassist Chris Wyse
Chris Wyse
Chris Wyse is the current bass guitarist for the influential hard rock band The Cult. He is also the vocalist and bassist of his own band, Owl.Wyse tried out for Metallica to replace Jason Newsted in 2003, and can be seen on the DVD Some Kind of Monster...
, and drummer Eddie Livingston
Eddie Livingston
Eddie Livingston:Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a rock/metal drummer primarily known for His fast and aggressive double kick playing, and syncopated southern approach to Heavy metal, or Thrash metal. Eddie is usually seen playing with the 'butt'end of his drumsticks...
. The band played at various venues in the United States; although, they predominately played along the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. No formal albums were released by the band.
In film
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?Would?
"Would?" is a single by grunge band Alice in Chains. The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 movie Singles, in which the members of Alice in Chains make a cameo appearance and later appeared on the band's album Dirt, also released in 1992...
". He is also featured as an actor in the movie Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
. He also wrote the song "Leave Me Alone" for the 1996 dark comedy The Cable Guy
The Cable Guy
The Cable Guy is a 1996 black comedy film, directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. The film also features Leslie Mann, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson...
, 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
Damageplan
Damageplan was an American heavy metal supergroup from Dallas, Texas that formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and later...
, the song "Ashes to Ashes" for the movie The Punisher
The Punisher (2004 film)
The Punisher is a 2004 American comic book action film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family...
. That song can be found on that movie's soundtrack, and as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the Damageplan
Damageplan
Damageplan was an American heavy metal supergroup from Dallas, Texas that formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and later...
album New Found Power
New Found Power
- Personnel :Damageplan* Patrick Lachman − vocals* Dimebag Darrell − guitars, bass * Vinnie Paul − drumsGuest musicians* Corey Taylor - 2nd verse, breakdown, and last chorus on "Fuck You"...
. 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. Recently he was featured in the independent comedy Rock Slyde.
Equipment
G&L
G&L is a guitar design and production company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s. Fender sold his company named Fender in 1965. He designed and produced instruments for Music Man in the 1970s through his company CLF Research. When relations with Music Man...
and Gibson Guitars. 2009 saw the release of his G&L Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature Model Electric Guitar. His current guitar rig consists of a Custom Shop "Jerry Cantrell" Gibson SG, two of his signature G&L Rampages, his two 1980's G&L Rampages, several G&L ASATs, two Gibson Les Paul Custom
Gibson Les Paul Custom
The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a higher end variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was developed in 1954 after Gibson had introduced the Les Paul model in 1952.-Notable Les Paul Custom players:...
s, and a Fender 1972 Telecaster Deluxe Reissue
Fender Telecaster Deluxe
The Fender Telecaster Deluxe is a solid-body electric guitar originally produced from 1972 to 1981, and since re-issued by Fender in 2004 as the '72 Telecaster Deluxe.-History:...
. He recently added a Gibson ES-175
Gibson ES-175
The Gibson ES-175 is an electric guitar manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, currently still in production. It is a 24 3/4" scale full hollow body guitar with a trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge...
to his rig as of 2010.
He currently uses Bogner
Bogner
Bogner is an American guitar amplifier manufacturing company founded by Reinhold Bogner in 1989 in Los Angeles, California, best known for the Shiva, Ecstasy, and Überschall guitar amplifiers.-Models:*Ecstasy 100A and 100B:...
amplifiers, whose amps he has used since the beginning of Alice in Chains, his first being a Marshall JCM800
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
modded by Bogner which was used for the first two Alice in Chains albums
Alice in Chains discography
The discography of Alice in Chains, a Seattle, Washington-USA-based rock band, consists of four studio albums, three extended plays , two live albums, four compilations, eighteen music videos and twenty-three singles....
. He began using "actual" Bogner amplifiers in the mid-1990s, his main one being the Bogner Ecstasy. His current amp rig consists of a Bogner Fish Preamp running into a Mesa/Boogie 2:Ninety Power amp, and a Bogner Uberschall or Shiva ran with a custom "Marsha" head built by Dave Friedman. All of these run into a Bogner 4x12 cabinet isolated from the stage.
Cantrell also owns a Peavey 5150 amp head
Peavey 5150 Amplifier
The Peavey 5150 is an all-tube guitar amplifier made by Peavey Electronics from 1991–present as a signature model for Edward Van Halen. Since Van Halen and Peavey parted ways in 2004, the name of the model was changed to 6505, with Van Halen taking the 5150 name for his company, EVH, to name his...
given to him by Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
and a Les Paul Junior
Gibson Les Paul Junior
The Gibson Les Paul Jr. is a solid body electric guitar introduced in 1954 as an affordable, entry level Les Paul. It was first released with a single cut body style however models with a double cut body style were later introduced in 1958.-History:...
he bought from Nancy Wilson of Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
. Both of these were used to record Boggy Depot. 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.
Cantrell worked with Dunlop in 2009 to release the Crybaby Jerry Cantrell Signature JC95 at winter NAMM 2010. This wah includes a fine tune knob to adjust the dynamic frequencies of the wah and modified circuitry to create Talk Box like sounds.
His pedalboard includes the following -
- MXR EVH Flanger
- Xotic AC plus
- EventideEventide, IncEventide is an audio & broadcast, communications, and avionics company in the United States whose audio division manufactures digital audio processors and DSP software, and guitar effects...
Timefactor - BOSS CH-1 Super Chorus
- BOSS CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
- BOSS TR-2 Tremolo
- BOSS TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
- Digitech Whammy Pedal
- MXR Smart Gate (x2)
- Electrio Hermonix Big Muff Pi
- Ibanez TS808HW Tube Screamer
- Tone Freak effects Buff Puff
- Dunlop Rotovibe
- Digital Music Corp. Ground Control Pro
- Dunlop JC95 Signature Crybaby
From the 'Vulgar Display of Power' section of Guitar World's July 2010 issue, Cantrell's rig consisted of
Amps
- Two Custom Dave Friedman Marsha Heads - One named 'Mad' and another named 'Pissed' (which is more metallic sounding than 'Mad')
- Two Bogner straight front 4x12 cabs in ISO boxes ('Mad' cab running Celestion Greenbacks and 'Pissed' cab running Vintage 30's)
Rack
- Palmer PGA-05 ADIG-ST Advanced D.I. x2
- Shure UR40 Wireless Unit x2
- Tour Supply Multi-Selector
- Dunlop Custom Shop Rack Wah
- RJM Music Technology Effects Gizmo (this holds his effects pedals, which are controlled by a Voodoo Labs Ground control offstage by his Tech, Dave Lapham)
- Rack Systems ISO Transformer x2
Effects
Offstage in RJM Unit
- MXR Smart Gate x2
- Ibanez TS808HW Tube Screamer
- MXR Flanger
- Boss GE-7 Equalizer
- Boss Ce-5 Chorus Ensemble
- BBE Soul Vibe
- MXR Bass Octaver
- Eventide Time Factor
- Dunlop Rotovibe
Onstage
- Dunlop Crybaby Controller x2 (One on stage right, one center stage)
- Tone Freak Effects Buff Puff
- Dunlop Rotovibe
- Dunlop Jerry Cantrell Wah (The JC Wah, Rotovibe and Buff Puff are located stage left)
Guitars
- G&L Rampage ("Blue Dress") w/ Motor City Pickup, tuned to Eb Standard
- G&L Rampage ("No War") w/ Motor City Pickup, tuned to Drop Db
- Gibson Les Paul Custom w/ Motor City Pickup in Bridge, tuned to Eb Standard
- Lush Custom Tele Shape, tuned to Eb Standard
Motor City Pickups are pickups custom wound for Jerry Cantrell
Style
Cantrell's early influences made Alice in Chains' heavy metal tones stand out among their fellow grunge/alternative rock-oriented bands of the Seattle music sceneGrunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
. However, his musical range also extends into elements of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
as heard on his solo debut album. Cantrell's guitar playing is known for its unique use of wah pedal as well as odd time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s. In a 1998 interview with Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
, he was asked about the latter quality:
- "I really don't know where that comes from; it just comes naturally to me. I could sit down and figure it out, but what's the use? Off-time stuff is just more exciting - it takes people by surprise when you shift gears like that before they even know what the hell hit 'em. It's also effective when you slow something down and then slam 'em into the dash. A lot of AliceAlice in ChainsAlice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
stuff is written that way - 'Them BonesThem Bones"Them Bones" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. The song was released as the second single from their second album, Dirt . The song was also included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , The Essential Alice in Chains...
' is a great off-time song."
Recognition
In July 2006, British hard rock magazine Metal HammerMetal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
awarded Cantrell the title of Riff Lord, at its annual Golden Gods Awards show, held at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
. He was apparently thrilled at winning the title, over several famous artists such as Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
, and Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
.
Personal life
Cantrell's father, Jerry Sr., is a combat veteranVietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or...
of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He was the main subject in the song "Rooster
Rooster (song)
"Rooster" is a grunge song by the band Alice in Chains. The song was released as a single in 1993 and is featured on the band's second studio album, Dirt . The song was included on the compilation albums Unplugged , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains...
" which Cantrell wrote as a tribute to his father. Jerry's first childhood memory is meeting his father for the first time after he had returned from war. Due to the strain of war, his parents divorced and Jerry lived with his mother, Gloria.
Cantrell's mother, Gloria Jean Cantrell, died in 1987. His close friend Andrew Wood (of Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and compositions helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/early 1990s Seattle music scene...
) died in 1990, leading Jerry to pen the song "Would?
Would?
"Would?" is a single by grunge band Alice in Chains. The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 movie Singles, in which the members of Alice in Chains make a cameo appearance and later appeared on the band's album Dirt, also released in 1992...
" 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.
After residing in Seattle for many years, Cantrell moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in mid 2003 by which time he had stopped his heavy drug use. The peculiarity of this transition would be expressed in the song "Check My Brain
Check My Brain
"Check My Brain" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the second single from the album on August 17, 2009. The single topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Billboard Rock Songs charts in September 2009...
". Cantrell also spends time on his family's Oklahoma ranch which was once featured on an episode of MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
.
Solo
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1998 1998 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia... |
Boggy Depot Boggy Depot Boggy Depot is the debut solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell. It was released on April 7, 1998 through Columbia Records.-Background:...
|
| 2002 2002 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI... |
Degradation Trip Degradation Trip Degradation Trip is the second solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, released on June 18, 2002. It marks his difficult transition from Columbia Records to Roadrunner and was dedicated to Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, who died two months before the album's... Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
| Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 is a double album by Jerry Cantrell, released on 26 November, 2002 on Roadrunner Records. It is an expanded limited edition of Cantrell's Degradation Trip album, which was released approximately five months earlier... Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main Rock | US Modern Rock | ||
| 1996 | "Leave Me Alone" | - | 14 | - |
| 1998 | "Cut You In" | - | 5 | 15 |
| "Dickeye" | - | 36 | - | |
| "My Song" | - | 6 | - | |
| 2002 | "Anger Rising" | - | 10 | - |
Other appearances
- Magic & Madness — "Heaven and Hell" w/ Circus of PowerCircus of Power-Overview:The band formed in 1986 in New York City. A no-frills band heavy on tattoos, biker-band lyrics and leather, the band consisted of vocalist Alex Mitchell, guitar players Ricky Mahler and Gary Sunshine, bassist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Ryan Maher. The group played in New York for...
(February 1993) - Twisted Willie: A Tribute to Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
— "I've Seen All This World I Care to See" (January 1996) - The Cable Guy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — "Leave Me Alone" (May 1996)
- BlackacidevilBlackacidevilDanzig 5: Blackacidevil is the fifth full-length album from Danzig. It was released in 1996 on Hollywood Records, and was reissued on E-Magine Records in 2000 with three extra tracks.-Background:...
w/ DanzigDanzig (band)Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
(October 1996) - The Full Sentence w/ PigeonhedPigeonhedPigeonhed was a Seattle-area band that combined elements of funk, soul, trip hop, and lo-fi. The band was a collaboration of Shawn Smith and Steve Fisk that lasted from 1993 to 1997 and produced three albums. Soundgarden's Kim Thayil provided significant instrumental contributions to each album...
(January 1997) - Live at Home — appeared on stage with NickelbackNickelbackNickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
in January 2002, performing "It Ain't Like That" - The Punisher Soundtrack — "Ashes to Ashes" w/ DamageplanDamageplanDamageplan was an American heavy metal supergroup from Dallas, Texas that formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and later...
(also featured on JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
version New Found PowerNew Found Power- Personnel :Damageplan* Patrick Lachman − vocals* Dimebag Darrell − guitars, bass * Vinnie Paul − drumsGuest musicians* Corey Taylor - 2nd verse, breakdown, and last chorus on "Fuck You"...
(March 2004) - Little Immaculate White FoxLittle Immaculate White FoxLittle Immaculate White Fox is the debut album of American rock singer Pearl Aday, released in January 2010 on Megaforce Records. The album deviates from the style of Pearl's father Meat Loaf's operatic rock, and leans more towards classic rock sound with a strong resemblance to the music of Janis...
— "Anything" w/ PearlPearl AdayPearl Aday is an American female singer and adopted daughter of Meat Loaf and his wife Leslie Aday. Pearl, whose biological father was the drummer for Janis Joplin’s band, Full Tilt Boogie, was adopted by Meat Loaf after he married her mother....
(January 2010)