Joel Rundell (September 26, 1965 – August 8, 1990) was an American musician best known as one of the four original members and lead guitarist of the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
-based
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
band
Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and signed with The End Records. The band formed in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and consists of Kevin Griffin (vocals and guitar), Tom Drummond (bass ...
.
He and the other original members formed the group while attending
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
.
[
Rundell died by suicide on August 8, 1990,][ nearly a year after the release of the band's first album, '' Surprise''. After his death, the band went on ]hiatus
Hiatus may refer to:
*Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure
* Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy
*''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes''
* Gl ...
before reuniting as a trio by the end of 1990.[
In 2016, Rundell's family and former drummer Cary Bonnecaze sued the band. Citing the 25th anniversary edition of ''Surprise,'' a remastered version, the contention was that Better Than Ezra did not have the right to re-release the album.]
Discography
with Better Than Ezra
* Surprise (1990)
References
1965 births
1990 suicides
1990 deaths
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
Better Than Ezra members
Louisiana State University alumni
20th-century American musicians
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
Suicides in the United States
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