Jerry Cantrell
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Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. (born March 18, 1966) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and main songwriter of the rock band
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
. The band rose to international fame in the early 1990s during
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
's grunge movement, and is known for its distinctive vocal style and the harmonized vocals between Cantrell and
Layne Staley Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part ...
(and later Cantrell and
William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead s ...
). Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on Alice in Chains' 1992 EP ''
Sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
''. After Staley's death in 2002, Cantrell took the role of Alice in Chains' lead singer on most of the songs from the band's post-Staley albums, '' Black Gives Way to Blue'' (2009), ''
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on May 28, 2013 through Capitol Records (and the band's final album released by the label). It is the band's second reunion album. Fol ...
'' (2013) and ''
Rainier Fog ''Rainier Fog'' (pronounced: ) is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice in Chains, released on August 24, 2018, through BMG, the band's first release on the label. The title was inspired by Mount Rainier, a volcano that overlooks th ...
'' (2018), with DuVall harmonizing with him in the new songs and singing Staley's vocals in the old songs in live concerts. He also has a solo career and released the albums ''
Boggy Depot ''Boggy Depot'' is the debut solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell. The vinyl edition was released on March 31, 1998, and the CD was released on April 7, 1998 through Columbia Records. The album was named after the ...
'' in 1998 and '' Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2'' in 2002. His third solo album, '' Brighten'', was released in 2021. Cantrell has also collaborated and performed with
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
,
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, Metallica, Pantera,
Circus of Power Circus of Power is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1987. They disbanded in 1995 and reformed in 2014. To date, they have released four studio albums and three EPs. Overview With a sound similar to Alice in Chains, AC/DC ...
,
Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt ...
,
Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule'' ...
,
Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, 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 Diesel ...
, Pearl Jam,
The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...
,
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...
, Danzig, Glenn Hughes,
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
and
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
, among others. Cantrell was named "
Riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
Lord" by British hard rock/metal magazine ''
Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
'' in 2006. ''Guitar World'' Magazine ranked Cantrell as the 38th out of "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time" in 2004, and the 37th "Greatest Guitar Player of All Time" in 2012. ''Guitar World'' also ranked Cantrell's solo in "
Man in the Box "Man in the Box" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released as a single in January 1991 after being featured on the group's debut studio album, ''Facelift'' (1990). It peaked at No. 18 on ''Billboards Mainstream Rock ...
" at No. 77 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" in 2008. Cantrell has earned nine
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nominations as a member of Alice in Chains. He also contributed to the soundtrack of ''
The Cable Guy ''The Cable Guy'' is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film co-stars Leslie Mann, Jack ...
'' (1996), '' John Wick: Chapter 2'' (2017) and '' Dark Nights: Metal'' (2018), and has made cameos in films such as ''
Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe; it stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King. Produced in part by James L. Brooks, it was ins ...
'' (1996), ''
Rock Slyde ''Rock Slyde'' is a 2009 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Dowling on his feature-length directorial debut. and produced by Will Wallace, Josh Young, and Milan Chakraborty. This independent production stars Patrick Warburton, An ...
'' (2009) and '' Deadwood: The Movie''. Cantrell also acted in the Alice in Chains mockumentaries ''
The Nona Tapes ''The Nona Tapes'' is a 1995 mockumentary by the American rock band Alice in Chains directed by Rocky Schenck to promote the band's self-titled album. Released on VHS on December 12, 1995, it features journalist Nona Weisbaum (played by Jerry Ca ...
'' (1995) and '' AIC 23'' (2013).


Biography


Early life

Cantrell was born in
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...
, on March 18, 1966, to Gloria Jean Krumpos and Jerry Fulton Cantrell. He grew up in Spanaway, and is the oldest of three children. His father is an Army veteran, and his mother was an amateur organist and melodica player who worked as an administrative assistant for the Clover Park School District in Pierce County, Washington. His maternal grandmother was from Norway, and his maternal grandfather was from the Czech Republic. After Cantrell learned to write, he documented his goal on
Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' My Book About Me'', filling in the sentence "When I grow up I want to be a..." with the words "rock star". Cantrell's father, Jerry Sr., is a
combat veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...
of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. Cantrell's first childhood memory is meeting his father for the first time after he had returned from war when he was three years old. Due to the strain of war, his parents divorced when he was seven years old, and Cantrell was raised by his mother, Gloria, and his maternal grandmother in Tacoma. The family lived on welfare and food stamps. Jerry Sr. was the main subject of the song "
Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
", which Cantrell wrote as a tribute to his father, and his mother Gloria is also mentioned by name in the song. Father and son also appeared together on the music video for "Rooster", in which Jerry Sr. recalls the war. Cantrell would later name his music publishing company as '' Rooster's Son Publishing''. Cantrell moved back with his mother to Spanaway where he attended junior high. His first job was delivering newspapers. Cantrell attended high school at
Spanaway Lake High School Spanaway Lake High School is a high school in Spanaway, Washington, for grade levels 9 through 12. In 2007, 6 percent of 10th graders meet standard on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) writing test and 7 percent meet standard ...
, and, before owning his first guitar, he was a member of the high school choir which attended many state competitions. In his senior year, Cantrell became choir president, and the quartet sang the
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
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 chants 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 Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
, Cantrell sent both teachers a gold record. He graduated from high school in 1984. Cantrell picked up a guitar for the first time when he was in sixth grade. At that time he played clarinet, and his mother was dating a guitar player who handed his guitar to Cantrell and taught him a couple of chords. Cantrell picked it up very quickly, impressing his mother's boyfriend who suggested that she should buy her son a guitar, so she bought him an acoustic guitar. It would not be until the age of 17 that he began seriously playing an electric guitar. Cantrell learned to play guitar by ear, emulating his heroes. In his mid-teens he bought his first guitar from a swap meet, a Korean-made
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...
. His maternal grandmother, Dorothy Krumpos, died of cancer in October 1986, and his mother Gloria died of pancreatic cancer at age 43 in April 1987, when Cantrell was 21 years old. Friends recalled that Cantrell fell into depression and became a completely different person after losing both his mother and grandmother within a short span of time. The first album that Cantrell owned was Elton John's 1974 ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' compilation, which was a gift he received from his father when he was 10 years old. He noted in an interview that he was "raised on
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
" as a youth and that he admires the emotion conveyed in the genre. He also considers himself "half
Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...
and half
redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ' ...
". However, hard rock music caught Cantrell's interest predominantly. He would later cite guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix,
Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...
,
Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...
,
Angus Young Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is an Australian musician, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and only remaining original member of the hard rock band AC/DC. He is known for his energetic performances, schoolbo ...
, Jimmy Page,
Glenn Tipton Glenn Raymond Tipton (born 25 October 1947) is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and ...
, K.K. Downing, David Gilmour, Nancy Wilson, and Eddie Van Halen as major influences, as well as Elton John and bands Fleetwood Mac,
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
and Rush as his early songwriting idols. Cantrell also cited
Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...
as a big influence on him.


Early career

In 1985, Cantrell was going to winter semester of college, but he decided to quit it and moved to
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, to join a band with a couple of friends. Cantrell worked doing asbestos abatement around the Dallas and Houston area. He also worked at the music store Arnold and Morgan Music Company. While working at the store, Cantrell bought what he described as his first "real guitar", a 1984 G&L Rampage. During that time, he had a band with
Vinnie Chas Vincent Charles Pusateri (May 4, 1963 – April 6, 2010), best known by his stage name Vinnie Chas, was an American musician. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he moved to Washington State as a child and while growing up there, he went to Bethel High Sc ...
(from
Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...
), called Sinister. Later they formed another band called Raze. While living in Dallas, Cantrell met an early incarnation of the band Pantera and started a long friendship with brothers
Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside hi ...
and
Vinnie Paul Vincent Paul Abbott (March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018) was an American musician best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also co-founded Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, 'Dimebag' Darrell ...
. In 1985 or 1986, Cantrell moved back to Tacoma and began a band called Diamond Lie, which included singer Scott Damon, drummer Bobby Nesbitt and bassist Matt Muasau. The band started playing concerts in Tacoma and Seattle with the goal of getting a record deal. They recorded a four-song demo at
London Bridge Studio London Bridge Studio is a recording studio near Seattle that has hosted and recorded many influential artists, producers and engineers since 1985. Founded by brothers Rick and Raj Parashar and now currently owned by producers Geoff Ott, Jonatha ...
. When Cantrell was 20 years old, he was working several part-time jobs to pay his rent, one of which involved throwing boxes of frozen fish in a warehouse. He spent his time outside of work playing guitar and jamming with any band he could find. Three weeks after his mother's death on April 11, 1987, Cantrell went to see the band Alice N' Chains perform at the Tacoma Little Theatre, and was impressed by the voice of the lead singer,
Layne Staley Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part ...
. Diamond Lie played their last concert in July 1987. Cantrell met Layne Staley, then Alice N' Chains' lead singer, at a party in Seattle around August 1987. He was homeless after being kicked out of his family's house, so Staley invited Cantrell to live with him at the 24-hour rehearsal studio "The Music Bank". Shortly after Cantrell moved in with Staley at the Music Bank, Alice 'N Chains broke up. Cantrell wanted to form a new band and Staley gave him the phone number of Melinda Starr, the girlfriend of drummer
Sean Kinney Sean Howard Kinney (born May 27, 1966) is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such ...
, so that Cantrell could talk to him. Cantrell called the number and set up a meeting with Kinney. Kinney and his girlfriend went to the Music Bank and listened to Cantrell's demos. Cantrell mentioned that they needed a bass player to jam with them and he had someone in mind: Mike Starr, with whom Cantrell had played in a band in Burien called Gypsy Rose. Kinney pointed at his girlfriend and said: "that's weird cause that's his sister". Kinney called Starr and a few days later they started jamming with Cantrell at the Music Bank, but they didn't have a singer. Staley was already starting up another band, but Cantrell, Starr and Kinney wanted him to be their lead singer. They started auditioning terrible lead singers in front of Staley to send a hint. The last straw for Staley was when they auditioned a male stripper – he decided to join the band after that. Staley, who was Cantrell's roommate at the time, agreed to join on the condition that Cantrell join his funk project (which ended shortly after), and Staley joined Cantrell's band on a full-time basis. The band had names like "Mothra", "Fuck" and "Diamond Lie", the latter being the name of Cantrell's previous band. Diamond Lie gained attention in the Seattle area and eventually took the name of Staley's previous band, ''Alice N' Chains'', and was quickly renamed as Alice in Chains. Cantrell attended a Guns N' Roses concert at the Seattle Center in 1988, and took an Alice in Chains demo tape to give to the band. He met
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...
after the show and gave him the tape. As he was walking away, Cantrell saw Rose throwing the demo away. Years later, Guns N' Roses chose Alice in Chains to be the opening act of their 2016 reunion tour. Alice in Chains' final demo, ''The Treehouse Tapes'', was completed in 1988 and found its way to the music managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed the Seattle bands
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 lyrics helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/ea ...
and
Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...
, respectively. Curtis and Silver passed the demo on to Columbia Records. After three months of negotiations, Alice in Chains signed to Columbia Records on September 11, 1989.


Alice in Chains


Layne Staley era (1987–2002)

Jerry Cantrell served as the lead guitarist, co-lyricist, co-vocalist and main composer of
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
until the group's near-permanent hiatus beginning in the late 1990s and leading through the death of lead singer
Layne Staley Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part ...
in April 2002. Cantrell's guitar contribution gave a heavy metal edge to the band's unique grunge style. Cantrell also played bass on the track "Love Song", from the 1992 ''
Sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
'' EP. Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on the 1992 acoustic EP ''Sap'', and his role continued to grow in the following albums, making Alice in Chains a two-vocal band. Cantrell stated that it was Staley who encouraged him to sing. Although Alice in Chains has been labeled grunge by the mainstream media, Cantrell identifies the band as primarily heavy metal. He told '' Guitar World'' in 1996, "We're a lot of different things ... I don't quite know what the mixture is, but there's definitely metal, blues,
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
, maybe a touch of
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
. The metal part will never leave, and I never want it to". Alice in Chains was one of the most successful bands of the 1990s, selling over 20 million records worldwide, and over 14 million records in the US alone. Their debut album, ''
Facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mul ...
'', was released in 1990 and has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA, selling over two million copies. Cantrell dedicated the album to his late mother Gloria and to his close friend Andrew Wood, lead singer of the band
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 lyrics helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/ea ...
who died in 1990.Liner notes, ''
Facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mul ...
''. Columbia. 1990.
Speaking with '' Spin'' magazine in January 1991, Cantrell confirmed that the song " Sunshine" from ''Facelift'' was written about his mother's death. "When I was a little kid, I'd always tell her, "I'll be famous and buy you a house and you'll never have to work again. I'll take care of you like you took care of me.' When she passed away, it was a really shitty time for me. I didn't know how to deal with it then, and I still don't. But it gave me the impetus to do what I'm doing." In February 1992, the band released the acoustic EP ''
Sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
''. The EP has been certified gold, and it features guest vocals by
Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
from the band
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
, who joined Cantrell for the chorus of "
Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
", and Staley for the chorus of "Am I Inside". The EP also features
Mark Arm Mark Arm (born Mark Thomas McLaughlin; February 21, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. His former group, Green River, was one of the first grunge bands, along with Malfunkshun, ...
of Mudhoney and
Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...
of
Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...
, who appeared together on the song "Right Turn", credited as " Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes. The opening track, "Brother", featured Cantrell on lead vocals. The song was about Cantrell's relationship with his younger brother, David. Cantrell also played bass on the last track, "Love Song". Their second full-length album, ''
Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a gener ...
'', was released in September 1992 to critical acclaim and was certified quadruple platinum. The album's lead single, "
Would? "Would?" is a song by Alice in Chains, written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell as a tribute to his friend Andrew Wood, lead vocalist of Mother Love Bone, who died in 1990. Cantrell sings the verses of the song, while Layne Staley sings ...
", was written by Cantrell as a tribute to his late friend Andrew Wood. The song was also featured on the soundtrack to
Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...
's 1992 film ''
Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
''. The album's fourth single, "Rooster", was a tribute to Cantrell's father. Alice in Chains' second acoustic EP, ''
Jar of Flies ''Jar of Flies'' is the third studio EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on January 25, 1994, through Columbia Records. This is Alice in Chains' second acoustic EP, preceded by 1992's '' Sap'', and it is the first EP in music ...
'', debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 1994, becoming the first ever EP and first Alice in Chains release to top the charts. It has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The album's fifth track was an instrumental song, "Whale & Wasp", described by Cantrell as "a conversation between whales and wasps". Alice in Chains broke up for six months following the cancellation of their opening act at the Metallica tour in July 1994, citing "health problems within the band". The band's self-titled third studio album was released in November 1995, debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and has been certified double platinum. The singles "
Grind A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and the centre contour of the blade's back ( ...
", " Over Now", and "
Heaven Beside You "Heaven Beside You" is a song by American rock band Alice in Chains and the second single from their third studio album, ''Alice in Chains'' (1995). It was written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell about his relationship with his then-gi ...
" feature Cantrell on lead vocals. The band did not tour in support of their self-titled album. On April 10, 1996, Alice in Chains played their first concert in two and a half years for ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...
'', a program featuring all-acoustic set lists. The show featured some of the band's highest charting singles, including "
Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
", "
Down in a Hole "Down in a Hole" is a power ballad by Alice in Chains, and the fifth and last single from their album ''Dirt'' (1992). It is the twelfth song on most pressings of the album and fourth or eleventh on others. The song was written by guitarist and ...
", "
Heaven Beside You "Heaven Beside You" is a song by American rock band Alice in Chains and the second single from their third studio album, ''Alice in Chains'' (1995). It was written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell about his relationship with his then-gi ...
", " No Excuses" and "
Would? "Would?" is a song by Alice in Chains, written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell as a tribute to his friend Andrew Wood, lead vocalist of Mother Love Bone, who died in 1990. Cantrell sings the verses of the song, while Layne Staley sings ...
", and introduced a new song, "Killer Is Me", with Cantrell on lead vocals. Cantrell stated that he was ill during the performance as a result of food poisoning from a hot dog consumed before the gig. Alice in Chains performed four shows supporting
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
on their
Alive/Worldwide Tour The Alive/Worldwide Tour (also known as the Reunion Tour) was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Kiss which began on June 28, 1996 in Detroit, United States and concluded on July 5, 1997 in London, England. It was the first tour wi ...
in 1996, including the final live appearance of Layne Staley on July 3, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri. Shortly after the show, Staley was found unresponsive after he overdosed on heroin and was hospitalized. Staley rarely left his condo in Seattle, but in 1998 the band reunited to record two new songs, " Get Born Again" and "
Died Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
", originally intended for Cantrell's second solo album, the songs were released on the 1999 box set ''
Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
''. Still in 1999, the band released a 15-track compilation titled '' Nothing Safe: Best of the Box''. Their first compilation, titled "'' Live"'', was released on December 5, 2000. In 2001, a second compilation titled ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
'' was released.


Reunion and new albums (2005–present)

Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to Staley's substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002. The band reformed in 2005 when drummer Sean Kinney had the idea to reunite the surviving members to perform a benefit concert for the victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South Asia in 2004. On February 18, 2005, Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney reunited to perform for the first time in 10 years as Alice in Chains at the ''K-Rock Tsunami Continued Care Relief Concert'' in Seattle. The band featured
Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, 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 Diesel ...
vocalist
Pat Lachman Patrick "Pat" Lachman (born in 1970) is an American heavy metal guitarist and vocalist. Biography Portland, Oregon native Lachman was a short-lived member of Dr. Mastermind, featuring former Wild Dogs vocalist Matt McCourt, before joining his ...
, as well as other special guests including
Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Pusc ...
of
Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
,
Wes Scantlin Wesley Reid Scantlin (born June 9, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and only constant member of rock band Puddle of Mudd. He was named one of the "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocali ...
from
Puddle of Mudd Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. To date, the band has sold over seven million albums and has had a string of No. 1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut '' C ...
and
Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
of
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
. A few months after that concert, the band called their former manager Susan Silver and Cantrell's manager
Bill Siddons Bill Siddons (born 1948) is an American music manager. He is best known for managing The Doors from 1968 to 1972. The Doors Siddons began his career as a teenage roadie with The Doors while attending Cal State Long Beach and six months later was as ...
and said they wanted to tour as Alice in Chains again. On March 10, 2006, Cantrell, Inez and Kinney performed at VH1's
Decades Rock Live ''Decades Rock Live!'' is an American TV series of live concerts. The program premiered on VH1 Classic in the winter of 2006. It featured "performances by celebrated artists from rock to soul who have influenced popular music over the last 50 yea ...
concert, honoring fellow Seattle musicians Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. They played "
Would? "Would?" is a song by Alice in Chains, written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell as a tribute to his friend Andrew Wood, lead vocalist of Mother Love Bone, who died in 1990. Cantrell sings the verses of the song, while Layne Staley sings ...
" with vocalist Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Down and bass player
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
of Guns N' Roses and
Velvet Revolver Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of pun ...
, then they played "
Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
" with Ann Wilson and
Comes with the Fall Comes with the Fall is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia formed in 1999. Since 2001, the lineup has been composed of William DuVall (lead vocals, guitar), Adam Stanger (bass), and Bevan Davies (drums, percussion). Nico Constantine w ...
vocalist
William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead s ...
. The band followed the concert with a short United States club tour, several festival dates in Europe, and a brief tour in Japan. To coincide with the band's reunion,
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
released the long-delayed third Alice in Chains compilation, ''
The Essential Alice in Chains ''The Essential Alice in Chains'' is a two-disc compilation album by the rock band Alice in Chains, and part of Sony BMG's ''The Essential'' series. Originally scheduled to be released on March 30, 2004, it was delayed until September 5, 2006. T ...
'', a double album that includes 28 songs. Between 2006 and 2007, Cantrell played in a number of concerts with Alice in Chains featuring guest lead singers such as
Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
, Mark Lanegan, James Hetfield, Phil Anselmo, Billy Corgan,
Scott Weiland Scott Richard Weiland (; né Kline, October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from ...
Sebastian Bach Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian-American singer who achieved mainstream success as the frontman of the hard rock band Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He has acted on Broadway and ha ...
, and William DuVall. Although Cantrell acknowledges the benefits of working as a solo artist, he expressed his happiness with being back in the band culture. Cantrell explained the band's reunion saying, "We want to celebrate what we did and the memory of our friend. We have played with some ingerswho can actually bring it and add their own thing to it without being a Layne clone. We're not interested in stepping on taley'srich legacy. It's a tough thing to go through. Do you take the
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
approach and never play again, because the guy was that important? That's the approach we've taken for a lot of years. Or, do you give it a shot, try something? We're willing to take a chance on it. It's completely a reunion because the three of us who're left are back together. But it's not about separating and forgetting — it's about remembering and moving on." Cantrell met singer William DuVall in Los Angeles in 2000, through a mutual acquaintance who introduced him to the first album of DuVall's band,
Comes with the Fall Comes with the Fall is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia formed in 1999. Since 2001, the lineup has been composed of William DuVall (lead vocals, guitar), Adam Stanger (bass), and Bevan Davies (drums, percussion). Nico Constantine w ...
. Cantrell started hanging out with the band and occasionally joining them onstage. Comes with the Fall was both the opening act on Cantrell's tour for his second solo album, ''Degradation Trip'', and also the singer's backing band, with DuVall singing Staley's parts at the concerts in 2001 and 2002. DuVall joined Alice in Chains as full-time lead singer during the band's reunion tour in 2006, after making his first public appearance with the band at the VH1 concert. By April 2007, Alice in Chains had been writing and demoing songs for a new album with DuVall, but the band did not show further signs of progress until October 2008, when they announced that they had begun recording with producer
Nick Raskulinecz Nick Raskulinecz () (born February 4, 1970) is an American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Production career Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville ...
in the studio. The band didn't have a record label at the time and the album was funded by Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney. The writing and recording process was completed on March 18, 2009 – Cantrell's 43rd birthday and also the same day that DuVall's son was born. About the pressure being put on DuVall for replacing Staley as lead vocalist, Cantrell said, "To put all that weight on Will's shoulders is unfair. We're just figuring out how we work as a team. Although the band has changed, we've lost Layne, we've added Will, and there was no master plan. Playing again in 2005 felt right, so we did the next thing and toured. We did it step by step. It's more than just making music, and it always has been. We've been friends a long time. We've been more of a family than most, and it had to be okay from here", Cantrell said pointing to his heart. On September 29, 2009, Alice in Chains released their first record since the death of Layne Staley, '' Black Gives Way to Blue'', and toured in support of the album. The album includes songs which Cantrell described as "the heaviest he's ever written", and has Cantrell singing lead vocals on most of the songs and William DuVall as co-lead vocalist. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
is a tribute to Layne Staley written and sung by Cantrell, accompanied by Elton John playing piano. In the months before writing the song, Cantrell had been suffering from an unexplained illness. Cantrell believes the mystery illness was the pain of saying goodbye to Staley. He told ''Guitar World'', "I got deathly ill. I had these mystery migraines, intense physical pain, and I'd even gotten a spinal tap to test for certain things. They never could find anything wrong with me. I felt I was puking up all this undigested grief in losing Layne." Once Cantrell started writing the song and the rest of the album, his mystery illness disappeared. Cantrell, Mike Inez and
Sean Kinney Sean Howard Kinney (born May 27, 1966) is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such ...
also thanked Staley in the album's liner notes. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in May 2010, selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S. The band released their fifth studio album, ''
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on May 28, 2013 through Capitol Records (and the band's final album released by the label). It is the band's second reunion album. Fol ...
'', on May 28, 2013, and Cantrell continued his role of main singer in the album. The album debuted at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 (the band's highest chart position since 1995's ''
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
'', which debuted at No. 1), selling 61,000 copies in its first week of release. In June 2017, Alice in Chains returned to Seattle's
Studio X Studio X (formerly known as Bad Animals Studio and Kaye-Smith Studios.) is a music and media recording studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. Originally part of thKaye-Smith Enterprisesmedia conglomerate founded by ...
to record their sixth studio album. Studio X was the same studio where the band recorded their self-titled album, ''
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
'' (1995), Recording was completed in January 2018. On June 27, 2018, the band announced the title and unveiled the cover art of the new album, ''
Rainier Fog ''Rainier Fog'' (pronounced: ) is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice in Chains, released on August 24, 2018, through BMG, the band's first release on the label. The title was inspired by Mount Rainier, a volcano that overlooks th ...
'', released on August 24, 2018 through BMG, Alice in Chains' first release on the label. Cantrell took the album's title from the Mount Rainier in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, and the title track is a tribute to the Seattle music scene. As part of the promotion of ''Rainier Fog'', the baseball team
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
hosted an "Alice in Chains Night" at the
Safeco Field T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western ...
in Seattle on August 20, 2018, and Cantrell threw out the ceremonial first pitch and delivered a strike before the Mariners vs. Houston Astros game. As of 2018, Alice in Chains has had 18 Top 10 songs on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, 5 No. 1 hits, and eleven
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nominations.


Solo career: ''Boggy Depot'', ''Degradation Trip'' and ''Brighten'' (1996–present)

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. His first solo material was the song " Leave Me Alone", released exclusively on ''
The Cable Guy ''The Cable Guy'' is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film co-stars Leslie Mann, Jack ...
''
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
in 1996, featuring Alice in Chains drummer
Sean Kinney Sean Howard Kinney (born May 27, 1966) is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such ...
on drums and Cantrell on lead vocals, guitar and bass. It had a music video, which was included as a bonus feature on the 15th anniversary edition Blu-Ray of ''The Cable Guy'' in 2011, and the song reached No. 14 on '' Billboards Mainstream Rock Tracks. In the same year, Cantrell covered
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
's "I've Seen All This World I Care to See" for the album '' Twisted Willie: A Tribute to Willie Nelson''. 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: Cantrell's debut solo album, ''
Boggy Depot ''Boggy Depot'' is the debut solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell. The vinyl edition was released on March 31, 1998, and the CD was released on April 7, 1998 through Columbia Records. The album was named after the ...
'', was released on April 7, 1998, and published by Cantrell's '' Boggy Bottom Publishing'' company. The title comes from the
ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
of the same name in Oklahoma, which is the area that Cantrell's father grew up in. The album cover shows Cantrell covered in mud standing waist-deep in a branch of the Boggy River. Besides singing, Cantrell also played guitar, piano, clavinet, organ, and steel drums on the album. The tracks " Cut You In", " My Song" and "
Dickeye "Dickeye" is a song by American rock musician Jerry Cantrell. It was the third and final single from his 1998 debut album, ''Boggy Depot''. "Dickeye" peaked at No. 36 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Personnel * Jerry Cantrell – v ...
" were released as singles to promote the album. Cantrell's father played the sheriff in the music video for "Cut You In". 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. Cantrell opened for Metallica and Van Halen on their 1998 summer tour. 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 1998, Layne Staley almost performed live again since Alice in Chains' last concert in July 1996, when Cantrell went to Seattle on his solo tour for ''Boggy Depot''. It was Halloween night and Staley was backstage as a guest. Cantrell reportedly asked Staley to join him onstage, but Staley declined. Cantrell started recording a follow-up to ''Boggy Depot'' in 2000. He was also living in San Francisco during that period. He had to sell his Seattle house to fund the album and produced it himself. Finally in June 2002, Cantrell issued his second solo album, ''
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 sin ...
,'' with
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's then live rhythm section,
Mike Bordin Michael Andrew Bordin (born November 27, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Faith No More. He has amicably been known as "Puffy", "Puffster" or "The Puff", in reference to the afro hair style he wore in ...
(drums) and
Robert Trujillo Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash ban ...
(bass). Released on Roadrunner Records, ''Degradation Trip'' hit shelves two months after Layne Staley's death and was dedicated to him. The songs on the album ranged from doom metal to pop-based hard rock. The album, which received better critical reception than its predecessor, featured two singles, "
Anger Rising "Anger Rising" is a song by American rock musician Jerry Cantrell. It was the lead single from his 2002 solo album, ''Degradation Trip''. Cantrell's fourth single overall, the track made its radio debut in early April 2002. The single spent 18 we ...
" and " Angel Eyes", and the track "She Was My Girl" was included on the '' Spider-Man''
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
. ''Degradation Trip'' has sold 100,000 copies in the U.S. as of December 2002. The live show was well received by audiences on a national tour that helped build upon the solo album's success. ''Degradation Trip'' was
re-released In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Re ...
in November 2002 as a double album, featuring eleven additional tracks that were made for the album as Cantrell originally intended. In the Spring of 2004, Cantrell opened a slate of shows on Kid Rock's U.S. tour. 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, 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 in 2010: In November 2014, during an interview on radio 95.5 KLOS, Cantrell was asked if he had any plans on doing more solo work, to which he replied: "I don't know. Maybe somewhere down the road. The only reason I ever did anything by my own was because my band wasn't really doing anything. My band has been doing things lately, so I don't really have time to do anything. I kinda focus my energy there
n the band N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
Of course, you know, possibilities..." Cantrell expressed the same sentiment when asked about a new solo album during an interview with Trunk Nation in August 2017, stating that Alice in Chains has always been his number one concern, but that he would not rule out a new solo album in the future. In February 2017, Cantrell released his first solo song in 15 years, " A Job to Do", featured during the end credits of the movie '' John Wick: Chapter 2''. On February 6, 2019, Cantrell performed a two-song acoustic set for BMG's Pre-Grammy Party at the No Name bar in Los Angeles. On December 6 and 7, 2019, Cantrell performed two sold-out solo concerts at the Pico Union Project in Los Angeles. His first solo concerts since 2004. Cantrell performed his solo material along with Alice in Chains' songs and covers of other artists such as Elton John and Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was joined by
Greg Puciato Gregory John Puciato (born March 27, 1980) is an American musician best known as the former lead vocalist and lyricist of the metalcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan. He is also the lead singer of the Black Queen and Killer Be Killed, in which ...
and Terra Lopez on vocals,
Tyler Bates Tyler Bates (born June 5, 1965) is an American musician, producer, and composer for film, television, and video game scores. Much of his work is in the action and horror film genres, with films like '' Dawn of the Dead, 300, Sucker Punch, H ...
on guitar, Johnny Scaglione on acoustic guitar,
James Lomenzo James LoMenzo (born January 13, 1959) is an American heavy metal bass guitarist. He was a member of the band White Lion, performing with them from 1984 to 1991. He was later the bassist for Black Label Society, Slash's Snakepit, and Megadeth. ...
on bass,
Gil Sharone Gil Sharone is an American drummer and member of the rock bands Stolen Babies, Team Sleep, and formerly The Dillinger Escape Plan and Marilyn Manson. He was also a fill in for the punk rock band +44. His twin brother is Rani Sharone, also o ...
on drums, Jordan Lewis on keyboards and Michael Rozon on pedal steel guitar. On January 24, 2020, Cantrell announced that he was working on a new solo album. He started recording at Dave's Room Recording Studio in North Hollywood, California on March 10, 2020. On March 4, 2021, he announced via his Instagram page that he had completed the album, captioning the photo "Finished my record tonight one year to the day from when we started recording it. What a crazy journey ... always is. Look forward to setting it free upon your ear holes sometime soon." On July 28, 2021, Cantrell posted a teaser trailer in his social media announcing that a new song and video titled "Atone" would be released on July 29. Cantrell's third solo album is titled '' Brighten'' and was released on October 29, 2021.


Collaborations


Recordings

Cantrell has appeared as guest guitarist on several albums and projects, including the Danzig album '' Blackacidevil'' (1996), in which he played on three tracks ("See All You Were", "Come to Silver" and "Hand of Doom"), and the Metallica album ''
Garage Inc. ''Garage Inc.'' is a compilation album of cover songs by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 24, 1998, through Elektra Records. It includes cover songs, B-side covers, and ''The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited'' ...
'' (1998) on the band's rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "
Tuesday's Gone "Tuesday's Gone" is the second track on Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut album, ''(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)''. It also appears on the band's first live LP, '' One More from the Road''. Production Al Kooper adds upfront Mellotron string sou ...
". He also guested on
Circus of Power Circus of Power is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1987. They disbanded in 1995 and reformed in 2014. To date, they have released four studio albums and three EPs. Overview With a sound similar to Alice in Chains, AC/DC ...
's 1993 album ''Magic & Madness'' for the song "Heaven & Hell", played lead guitar on
Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt ...
's "Gods of a Second Chance" from their 1993 album ''
Hanging in the Balance ''Hanging in the Balance'' is the fifth album by American heavy metal band Metal Church, released in 1993. It was Metal Church's last album before their two-year break up from 1996 to 1998, and the last to feature vocalist Mike Howe for more th ...
'', and played on the track "Marry Me" from
Pigeonhed Pigeonhed is an American electronic band from Seattle that combines elements of funk, soul, trip hop, and lo-fi. The band is a collaboration of Shawn Smith and Steve Fisk, that released three albums during the period from 1993 to 1997. They ...
's 1997 album, ''The Full Sentence''. Cantrell provided background vocals for the track "Effigy" on
Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule'' ...
's 2001 album, '' The Deep End, Volume 1''. 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. In a May 2001 interview with Metal-is.com, Cantrell revealed that he had written four songs for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
. Cantrell, Osbourne, guitarist
Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...
, bassist
Robert Trujillo Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash ban ...
and drummer
Mike Bordin Michael Andrew Bordin (born November 27, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Faith No More. He has amicably been known as "Puffy", "Puffster" or "The Puff", in reference to the afro hair style he wore in ...
went to the studio and made some rough demos of those songs. Cantrell played guitar in the song "Fallen Ones" from
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
's 2004 album ''
Jupiters Darling ''Jupiters Darling'' is the thirteenth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Heart (band), Heart, released on June 22, 2004, by Sovereign Artists. Sovereign Artist's marketing director, Paul Angles, simultaneously released their album ...
''. Cantrell was the lead guitarist in all of the tracks from
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's 2005 album of cover songs, ''
Under Cover ''Under Cover'' is the ninth solo studio album by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. The album consists entirely of cover songs, with an emphasis on rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. This is Osbourne's first and only album to fe ...
''. The songs performed by Cantrell were also included on disc four of Osbourne's box set '' Prince of Darkness'' (2005). In 2007, Cantrell played guitar on Glenn Hughes's rendition of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's "
Misty Mountain Hop "Misty Mountain Hop" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1971 by Atlantic Records. The song appears on the band's untitled fourth album, and was released as the B-side to the single " Black Dog" and performed in most of the ...
", featured on Hughes' solo album ''
Music for the Divine ''Music for the Divine'' is a studio album by former Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Trapeze vocalist/ bassist Glenn Hughes. It was his eleventh solo studio album and was released in 2006 on Frontier, Demolition, Sony BMG and Yamaha records. ...
'', and played on the track "Soul Ecstacy" off the
Stevie Salas Stevie Salas (born November 17, 1964) is a Native American guitarist, author, television host, music director, record producer, film composer, and former advisor of contemporary music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. ...
's album ''The Sun and the Earth: The Essential Stevie Salas, Vol. 1''. He also played guitar on
Smith & Pyle Smith & Pyle was an American country music duo from Los Angeles, California, composed of actresses Shawnee Smith and Missi Pyle. History Shawnee Smith and Missi Pyle met in 2007 while filming an ABC comedy pilot titled '' Traveling in Packs''. A ...
's debut album, ''It's OK To Be Happy'', released in 2008. In 2010, Cantrell played guitar on the song "Anything" from
Pearl Aday Pearl Aday (born 1975) is an American singer. She is the adopted daughter of vocalist Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, and was a member of his touring band Neverland Express for nine years starting in the mid-1990s. She has appeared ...
's debut album, ''
Little Immaculate White Fox ''Little 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 ...
''. Aday stated that she thought Cantrell would be a good person to put in some "heartbroken, haunting, crying guitar" on the track. Cantrell sings background vocals and does a lead vocal ad-lib in the final chorus of "Love Is Blind" from
Richie Kotzen Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big ...
's 2011 album, '' 24 Hours''. He played guitar on
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
's 2015 EP ''How to Be a Man'', and has also collaborated with Alternative Metal band
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
, contributing guitar parts to the track "Phantom Bride" off their 2016 album ''
Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...
''.


Live performances

Cantrell performed a snippet of "Man in the Box" followed by a cover of
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
's "
Ace of Spades The Ace of Spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries. The actual value of the card varies from game to game. Design The orn ...
" alongside Pantera during their concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum on March 1, 1992. Cantrell joined the band again for their performance of "
Walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
" during a concert in San Jose, California on February 6, 2001. On October 9, 1994, Cantrell joined Metallica for a performance of "
For Whom the Bell Tolls ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned ...
" during their concert in Oklahoma City. In 2002, Cantrell played a series of summer dates with headlining rock band
Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...
. Cantrell can be seen playing Alice in Chains' "It Ain't Like That" with the band on their first DVD release, '' Live at Home'' (2002). He was also asked by Nickelback's frontman,
Chad Kroeger Chad Robert Kroeger ( Turton; born November 15, 1974) is a Canadian musician who is the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Nickelback. In addition to his work with Nickelback, Kroeger has been involved with a variety of collaboratio ...
, to contribute to the song "
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
" for the 2002 film '' Spider-Man''. Cantrell was unable to attend the recording session and was replaced by Saliva's
Josey Scott Joseph Scott Sappington (born May 3, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the former lead vocalist of the rock band Saliva. In addition to Saliva, Scott co-wrote and performed "Hero" (which was used as one of the theme songs to the 20 ...
. Cantrell made several guest appearances with the supergroup Camp Freddy, (a covers band featuring
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
guitarist Dave Navarro, former Guns N' Roses drummer
Matt Sorum Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. ...
,
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
drummer
Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the ...
and
Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...
guitarist
Billy Morrison Billy Morrison is a British guitarist and singer who plays guitar with Billy Idol and performs with the Los Angeles-based cover band Royal Machines. Morrison previously played with Camp Freddy and fronted the hard rock act Circus Diablo. He ...
), performing with them for the first time at
The Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,660 ...
on January 19, 2004. The experience with Camp Freddy inspired Cantrell and
The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...
guitarist
Billy Duffy William Henry Duffy (born 12 May 1961) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of the band The Cult. Early life Duffy was born and grew up in Manchester. He has Irish and Jewish heritage and ancestry. He began playing the g ...
to form their own covers band, the rock supergroup Cardboard Vampyres (named after Cantrell's cats). 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 Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, AC/DC,
The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...
,
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
, and Aerosmith, the group was rounded out by vocalist
John Corabi John Corabi (born April 26, 1959) is an American hard rock singer and guitarist. He was the frontman of The Scream during 1989 and the frontman of Mötley Crüe between 1992 and 1996 during original frontman Vince Neil's hiatus from the band. C ...
, bassist
Chris Wyse Chris Wyse (born 15 July 1969) is an American bassist and vocalist. He is best known for his performances with Hollywood Vampires, Ace Frehley, The Cult and Ozzy Osbourne. He is the vocalist and bassist for Owl, a band he founded in 2007. Early ...
, and drummer Josh Howser. 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. Cantrell joined Metallica on backing vocals during their performance of "
Nothing Else Matters "Nothing Else Matters" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, '' Metallica''. The song peaked at number 11 on the '' Billboard'' Mainstream Rock ...
" at the Download Festival in Dublin on June 11, 2006. On October 6, 2009, Cantrell joined Pearl Jam during their concert at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles. Cantrell hopped on stage to close out the night with the guitar solo on "
Alive Alive may refer to: *Life Books, comics and periodicals * ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler * '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka * '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...
". The following night, Cantrell joined the band to perform " Kick Out the Jams". Cantrell made a special appearance at a
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...
concert in Camden, New Jersey, on May 23, 2010, playing guitar during the band's performance of "
Sex Type Thing "Sex Type Thing" is the debut single of American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released from their debut studio album, ''Core'', in 1993. "Sex Type Thing" also appears on the greatest hits compilation album ''Thank You''. The song spawned a musi ...
". On December 9, 2011, Cantrell joined Metallica for their 30th anniversary concert at
The Fillmore The Fillmore is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California. Built in 1912 and originally named the Majestic Hall, it became the Fillmore Auditorium in 1954. It is in Western Addition, on the edge of the Fillmore District and Upper Fillm ...
in San Francisco and performed the songs "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Nothing Else Matters", "Seek and Destroy" and a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone". On May 12, 2012, Cantrell made a duet with Somar Macek accompanied by the Synergia Northwest Orchestra for a performance of Elton John's "Levon" at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, during a benefit concert for music education in Northwest public schools. Cantrell performed with Duff McKagan's band The Walking Papers during the band's concert at
The Crocodile The Crocodile (formerly the Crocodile Cafe, and sometimes called The Croc) is a music club at 2505 1st Avenue at Wall Street in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Opened by Stephanie Dorgan as the "Crocodile Cafe" ...
in Seattle on December 15, 2012. On April 18, 2013, the Seattle band
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Cantrell joined the band onstage for a performance of "
Crazy On You "Crazy on You" is a song by American rock band Heart from their debut studio album, ''Dreamboat Annie'' (1975). It was released in March 1976 as the album's third single in Canada and the album's debut single in the United States. It reached the ...
". Cantrell alongside Pearl Jam's
Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. McCready ...
and
Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...
's
Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...
, also played guitar for Heart's hit song "
Barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...
" with
Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
and Nancy Wilson at the ceremony. On November 20, 2015, Cantrell joined
The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...
on stage at the
Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...
in Los Angeles to perform the song "The Phoenix". On December 16, 2015, Cantrell joined the supergroup Royal Machines at
The Roxy Theatre The Roxy Theatre (often just the Roxy) is a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, owned by Lou Adler and his son, Nic. History The Roxy was opened on September 23, 1973, by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along wi ...
in West Hollywood and performed
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...
's " Jailbreak" and Alice in Chains' "Would?" and "Man in the Box". On March 13, 2017, Cantrell made a guest appearance at Steel Panther's concert at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood and performed "Man In The Box" with the band joined by
Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its form ...
singer Sully Erna on lead vocals. On March 25, 2017, Cantrell performed with Nancy Wilson and Mike Inez at the 5th annual Rock Against MS benefit concert. Cantrell was one of the musicians who participated on the Founders Award Celebration honoring
The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
at Seattle's
Museum of Pop Culture The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organized ...
on December 7, 2017. Cantrell sang " Love Her Madly" accompanied by The Doors' original guitarist
Robby Krieger Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits " Light My Fire", " Love Me Two Times", " Touch Me", and ...
, keyboardist George Laks, bassist
Zander Schloss Zander Schloss (born August 7, 1961) is an American musician, actor and composer. He is known as bass player for the Circle Jerks, the Weirdos, his many collaborations with Joe Strummer musically and in film and for his contributions to inde ...
, and drummer Brian Young. He came back at the end of the concert to sing "
Roadhouse Blues "Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors from their 1970 album '' Morrison Hotel''. It was released as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", which peaked at No. 50 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Roadhouse Blues" charted ...
" together with all the artists who performed at the tribute. On December 8, 2017, Cantrell joined The Hellcat Saints (a supergroup featuring members of
The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...
,
Velvet Revolver Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of pun ...
,
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
and
Apocalyptica Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical- ...
), to open for
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
at the third annual Rhonda's Kiss benefit concert at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Proceeds from the concert benefited the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and further the mission of Rhonda's Kiss, an organization that helps cancer patients in need. Cantrell performed Alice in Chains' hits "Would?" and "Man in the Box", and sang Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak". On January 16, 2019, Cantrell along with William DuVall, Pearl Jam's guitarist
Stone Gossard Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20, 1966) is an American musician who serves as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. ...
and bassist
Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...
, and drummer Josh Freese performed Soundgarden's "
Hunted Down "Hunted Down" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by guitarist Kim Thayil, "Hunted Down" was released in June 1987 as the band's first single. It is the first tr ...
" at the Chris Cornell tribute concert "I Am the Highway".


Soundtrack contributions

Cantrell's song "Leave Me Alone" was featured in the 1996 dark comedy ''
The Cable Guy ''The Cable Guy'' is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film co-stars Leslie Mann, Jack ...
'' and can be found on that movie's soundtrack. "She Was My Girl" from ''Degradation Trip'' was included on the '' Spider-Man'' (2002)
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
. Cantrell returned to the movie scene in 2004 to write, with the newly formed metal band
Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, 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 Diesel ...
, the song "Ashes to Ashes" for the movie ''
The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
''. The song features Cantrell sharing lead vocals with Damageplan singer
Patrick Lachman Patrick "Pat" Lachman (born in 1970) is an American heavy metal guitarist and vocalist. Biography Portland, Oregon native Lachman was a short-lived member of Dr. Mastermind, featuring former Wild Dogs vocalist Matt McCourt, before joining his ...
, and it can be found on that movie's soundtrack, and as a bonus track on the Japanese version of Damageplan's debut album, ''
New Found Power ''New Found Power'' is the only studio album released by heavy metal supergroup Damageplan. The group was formed by brothers "Dimebag Darrell" Abbott (guitar) and "Vinnie Paul" Abbott (drums) after the breakup of their previous band, Pantera. ...
''. In February 2017, Cantrell released the song "A Job to Do", the end-title song to '' John Wick: Chapter 2''. Cantrell wrote the lyrics from the perspective of Keanu Reeves' title character. Cantrell said in a statement: "I really dug ''
John Wick ''John Wick'' is an American action thriller media franchise created by Derek Kolstad and centering around John Wick, a former hitman who is forced back into the criminal underworld he had abandoned. The franchise began with the release of '' ...
'' and have always admired Keanu's work. When the opportunity arose to create a song for the second film,
Tyler Bates Tyler Bates (born June 5, 1965) is an American musician, producer, and composer for film, television, and video game scores. Much of his work is in the action and horror film genres, with films like '' Dawn of the Dead, 300, Sucker Punch, H ...
and I wrote and recorded 'A Job To Do', a theme song for the character. Can't wait to see it!". On July 19, 2018, Cantrell released the song " Setting Sun" for the soundtrack of
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
' graphic novel '' Dark Nights: Metal''. The song was released as a single in digital platforms.


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 scene. However, his musical range also extends into elements of blues and
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
as heard on his solo debut album. Cantrell's guitar playing is known for its unique use of
wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...
as well as
odd time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
s. In a 1998 interview with '' Guitar World'', he was asked about the latter quality:


Equipment

Cantrell has been most famously seen playing a G&L Guitars' Rampage model. The two models most closely identified with Cantrell are instruments manufactured in the 1980s. They feature a maple body, maple neck and ebony fingerboard. The bridge is a
Kahler Tremolo The Kahler Tremolo System is an electric guitar bridge with a cam operated vibrato arm system. The original flat mount and stud mount models were invented and patented by Dave Storey and licensed to Gary Kahler. Gary Kahler shifted his busines ...
as opposed to a Floyd Rose tremolo which was commonly seen on instruments made throughout the 1980s and 90s. The guitars feature a single-bridge humbucker wired to a volume control. G&L Guitars makes two Jerry Cantrell Signature guitars available to the general public for purchase. The first is a Rampage model which is very similar to the instrument most closely identified with Cantrell, known as the "Blue Dress Rampage" for having an image of a vintage pin-up girl wearing a blue dress, which Cantrell taped to the top of his first guitar. The second is a guitar called the 'Superhawk'. This guitar features a fixed bridge and the addition of a neck pickup. Cantrell used the original "Blue Dress" guitar on the music videos for "
Man in the Box "Man in the Box" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released as a single in January 1991 after being featured on the group's debut studio album, ''Facelift'' (1990). It peaked at No. 18 on ''Billboards Mainstream Rock ...
", " We Die Young", "
Sea of Sorrow "Sea of Sorrow" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains, featured on their debut full-length album '' Facelift'' (1990). The song was included on the compilation album ''The Essential Alice in Chains'' (2006). A demo version of the s ...
", "
Grind A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and the centre contour of the blade's back ( ...
", and "
Again Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * '' Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...
". The guitar can also be seen in the movie ''
Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
''. In 2011, Cantrell revealed that he had to retire the guitar due to a hairline crack from the neck all the way through the back of the body. Before that, he had never gone on tour without it. Apart from his signature G&L Guitars, Cantrell has also been seen playing a
Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes Paul had built a prototype solid body ...
, a Fender Standard Stratocaster Brown Sunburst, a Gibson Les Paul most notably an Ivory White Les Paul with torch burn marks that Cantrell made all over the guitar, which is the guitar that Cantrell has used on all of the Alice in Chains albums along with the original Blue Dress G&L. Also a Gibson Custom Shop Jerry Cantrell SG, a 1952 Goldtop Les Paul, an Ernie Ball Music Man EVH that was a gift from Eddie Van Halen in the 1990s, but has been stolen from Cantrell, a dark blue Mosrite Ventures model, a Dean Michael Schenker USA V, and
Dean Soltero The Dean Soltero is a guitar manufactured by Dean Guitars and was first introduced in 2006. It was designed by Dean Zelinsky, resembles the Gibson Les Paul, and has the classic Dean V profile neck. Soltero means "single" in Spanish and refers to ...
guitars. The Ernie Ball Music Man EVH Guitar that was stolen in 2001 was returned to him and made an appearance at a gig in 2018. Cantrell used a variety of amplifiers such as those made by Bogner,
Mesa Boogie Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969. Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a ...
and
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...
throughout his career. He has most recently been using a signature amp called the, 'JJ100' made for him by Friedman Amplification. In 2010,
Jim Dunlop Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. is a manufacturer of musical accessories, especially effects units, based in Benicia, California, United States. Founded in 1965 by Jim Dunlop Sr., the company grew from a small home operation to a large manufacturer o ...
introduced the " JC95 Cantrell Signature Cry Baby", Cantrell's signature Cry Baby
wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...
, based on the original Jimi Hendrix Wah pedal that Cantrell used since his early days. The lyrics to " Black Gives Way to Blue" are printed on the base plate of the pedal. In 2013, a limited edition of the pedal was released in black and red featuring the cover artwork for the album ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'', and the lyrics to "
Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
" on the bottom. In January 2019, Dunlop released a new version of the pedal, with a design based on Cantrell's tribal orca tattoo created by Coast Salish artist Joe Wilson, and lyrics for the Alice in Chains song "Rainier Fog" on the bottom plate.


Guitars

* 1984 G&L "No War" Rampage * 1985 G&L "Blue Dress" Rampage * Gibson Les Paul Custom * Gibson Custom Shop Jerry Cantrell SG * G&L Jerry Cantrell signature Rampage prototype * Gibson Flying V 2018 Aged Cherry * Ernie Ball Music Man EVH Model - Given to Jerry by Eddie


Amps

* Bogner Shiva * Bogner Fish preamp * 2 Friedman Amplification BE100 Brown Eye heads * Friedman JJ-100 Jerry Cantrell Signature 100W Hand Wired Tube Guitar Head


Effects

* Dunlop Jerry Cantrell signature Cry Baby wah * MXR EVH117 Flanger * MXR Bass Octave Deluxe * MXR Smart Gate * Xotic Effects AC Plus * Eventide TimeFactor * Boss CH-1 Super Chorus * Boss CE-3 Chorus * Ibanez TS808HW Tube Screamer


Legacy

Cantrell is widely considered to be one of the greatest rock guitarists of his generation. Pantera and
Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, 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 Diesel ...
guitarist
Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside hi ...
expressed his admiration for Cantrell's guitar work in an interview for ''Guitar International'' in 1995, saying that "the layering and the honest feel that Jerry Cantrell gets on
lice in Chains' ''Dirt'' Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result of ...
record is worth a lot more than someone who plays five million notes". In July 2006, British hard rock/metal magazine ''
Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
'' awarded Cantrell the title of "Riff Lord" at its annual
Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards The following is a list of the ''Metal Hammer'' Golden Gods Awards winners. Introduction The awards were conceived by Chris Ingham, John O'Sullivan & Dave Bianchi, and first held at the Kentish Town Forum in London 2003. The show was owned by Fut ...
show, held at the
London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further develop ...
. He was apparently thrilled at winning the title over several famous artists such as
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...
, James Hetfield, and Jimmy Page. He was ranked 38th out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by '' Guitar World'' in 2004, and ranked at No. 37 out of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" also by ''Guitar World'' in 2012. In October 2008, ''Guitar World'' ranked Cantrell's solo in "Man in the Box" at No. 77 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitar Solos". Cantrell was ranked at No. 98 on the list of the "Top 100 Most Complete Guitar Players of All Time" by Envision Radio Networks' "Chop Shop" guitar show in December 2008. Elton John stated in a 2009 interview with ''Rolling Stone'' that he's been an admirer of Cantrell for quite some time, and couldn't resist the offer to play on Alice in Chains' song " Black Gives Way to Blue" at Cantrell's request. Guns N' Roses guitarist
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...
stated in a 2010 interview with Epiphone.com that Cantrell is one of the most inspiring lead guitar players that have come out in the last 20 years. In a 2015 interview with Loudwire discussing five of his essential guitar albums, Slayer guitarist
Kerry King Kerry Ray King (born June 3, 1964) is an American musician, best known for being the co-lead guitarist and songwriter of thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and remained a member for nearly four decades. ...
said about Cantrell: In 2016, Blend Guitar ranked Cantrell at No. 7 on its list of "Top 10 Underrated Guitarists", and Loudwire ranked him at No. 38 on its list of "The 66 Best Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time". In 2018, Cantrell was named "Guitarist of the Year" by
Ultimate Guitar Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. U ...
's readers poll. Cantrell and William DuVall were also tied at No. 10 on
Total Guitar ''Total Guitar'' is a monthly music magazine based in Bath, the United Kingdom, that has been in circulation since 1994. The magazine is owned by Future plc, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to technology mag ...
/ MusicRadar's "15 best rock guitarists in the world right now" poll.


Other ventures

Between 2009 and 2010, Cantrell co-owned a hard rock bar called Dead Man's Hand in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
with Anthrax guitarist
Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ian is the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroo ...
. In 2011, Cantrell appeared on a spot for NADCP, the
National Association of Drug Court Professionals The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to furthering the treatment court model and criminal justice reform worldwide. About NADCP is the premier training, membership a ...
. In 2012, Cantrell's voice was featured on a smoking policy ad at the Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle. On May 18, 2019, it was announced that Cantrell will compose the score for Shane Dax Taylor's upcoming sci-fi film, ''Salvage''. On January 17, 2020, Cantrell officially joined
Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...
as a brand ambassador.


Acting

In his teens, Cantrell was acting in lead roles in high school plays. In a 1998 Q&A, Cantrell revealed that acting has always been an interest to him. Cantrell is featured in the 1992 movie ''
Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
'', along with the rest of Alice in Chains performing the songs "It Ain't Like That" and "
Would? "Would?" is a song by Alice in Chains, written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell as a tribute to his friend Andrew Wood, lead vocalist of Mother Love Bone, who died in 1990. Cantrell sings the verses of the song, while Layne Staley sings ...
". In the early 1990s, Cantrell and his Alice in Chains bandmates Layne Staley and Mike Starr were featured on the music video "Never a Know, But the No", from the Seattle thrash metal band Forced Entry. In 1995, Cantrell played journalist Nona Weisbaum on the Alice in Chains mockumentary ''
The Nona Tapes ''The Nona Tapes'' is a 1995 mockumentary by the American rock band Alice in Chains directed by Rocky Schenck to promote the band's self-titled album. Released on VHS on December 12, 1995, it features journalist Nona Weisbaum (played by Jerry Ca ...
''. In 1996, he had a cameo in
Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...
's ''
Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe; it stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King. Produced in part by James L. Brooks, it was ins ...
'' playing "Jesus of CopyMat", the CopyMat worker who helped
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...
's character make copies of his manifesto. Cantrell said about the film; "I get more people coming up to me telling me my line. It was such a big movie and it was really fun to do." Cantrell was also Crowe's first choice for the role of Stillwater bass player Larry Fellows in ''
Almost Famous ''Almost Famous'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the story of a teenage journalist writing for ''Rolling Stone ...
'' (2000), but he was busy writing the songs for his solo album ''Degradation Trip'' and had to turn the role down.
Mark Kozelek Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of ...
was cast instead. He also had a cameo as himself in the 2009 film noir comedy ''
Rock Slyde ''Rock Slyde'' is a 2009 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Dowling on his feature-length directorial debut. and produced by Will Wallace, Josh Young, and Milan Chakraborty. This independent production stars Patrick Warburton, An ...
'', appeared on the background of two scenes from the first episode of season three of the HBO TV series '' Deadwood'' in 2006, and made a cameo in '' Deadwood: The Movie'' in 2019. In 2013, Cantrell played country singer Donnie "Skeeter" Dollarhide Jr. on the Alice in Chains mockumentary '' AIC 23''. In 2018, Cantrell played Terry, a plumber who plays bass in a garage band in the short film ''Dad Band'', co-starring
W. Earl Brown William Earl Brown (born September 7, 1963) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, musician, and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kenneth "Kenny" Brown in the film ''Scream (1996 film), Scream'' (1996), Warren in the ...
. Cantrell also composed the film score along with
Carl Restivo Carl Restivo is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and audio engineer. He has toured with Rihanna, Tom Morello's Freedom Fighter Orchestra supporting The Nightwatchman, Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, and Street S ...
.


Personal life

Cantrell lived in Monroe,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
from the mid 1990s until the early 2000s. He has lived in
Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
since 2003, and he has maintained a residence in Burien, Washington since 2012. Cantrell was homeless in the early '90s and lived for some time at the house of Pearl Jam's manager Kelly Curtis. While living in the basement of Curtis' house, Cantrell was roommates with Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder. At the start of 1991, Cantrell moved in with Soundgarden lead singer
Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...
and his then-wife Susan Silver at their house in Seattle. Silver was also Alice in Chains' manager. Cantrell wrote the song "Rooster" at the Cornells' house and stayed there for a few weeks. Cantrell would later pay tribute to Cornell during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on April 14, 2018, joining singer
Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
for a rendition of Soundgarden's "
Black Hole Sun "Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, '' Superunknown'' (1994). Considered to be the band's signatu ...
". Alice in Chains also paid tribute to Cornell on the one year anniversary of his death on May 18, 2018. The band covered two Soundgarden songs, "
Hunted Down "Hunted Down" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by guitarist Kim Thayil, "Hunted Down" was released in June 1987 as the band's first single. It is the first tr ...
" and " Boot Camp", closing their headlining set at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio. Towards the end of "Boot Camp", the lights on stage spelled out "CC" for Chris Cornell and "SG" for Soundgarden as feedback rang out.


Friendship with Layne Staley

Cantrell was a close friend of late Alice in Chains' lead singer
Layne Staley Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part ...
, who was described by Cantrell as his best friend. Staley died on April 5, 2002 at the same time of Cantrell's ''
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 sin ...
'' tour, but Cantrell opted not to cancel any shows, stating, "It's difficult to do interviews - it's hard to talk about it taley's death I'm just thankful to have a tour and work - something I can focus on." "The shows I played between the time I got the word about Layne and Layne's funeral were very important to me in terms of being able to continue on. It's one of those things where if you take a break and allow things to settle in, it might be harder to get up again." Cantrell's manager at the time, Bill Siddons, said that Jerry really loved Layne and they had a bond he hadn't seen before. Asked about Staley's death in an interview with MTV in July 2002, Cantrell said: "It's something I'm still dealing with, and I still think like he's here. I miss him tremendously. I love him and have to move on. I'll remember him and respect the memories of what we did together and just enjoy life... and that's all I'll say about it."
William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead s ...
, who performed Staley's vocals during Cantrell's solo concerts, elaborated on this emotional period saying: "I lost my grandfather in the same week, so Cantrell and I both hit the road with immense personal losses dogging us. There were times on stage—there was one show in
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
where it was just so heavy. I'm holding back tears onstage, and Jerry would start crying onstage too a lot at that point, and a lot of times we would just look at each other when we were singing the stuff because it was the only way... it was heavy. I can't quantify it really in words." Cantrell canceled the show that he was scheduled to perform at 98 Rock's Livestock Festival in
Zephyrhills Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was counted at 17,194 in the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Zephyrhills is also known as the headquarters of the Zephyrhil ...
on April 28 in order to attend Staley's funeral in Seattle in the same day. Cantrell dedicated his solo album, ''Degradation Trip'', released two months after Staley's death, to his memory. He also adopted Staley's cat, a female siamese named Sadie, after his death. The cat appeared on Cantrell's episode of '' MTV Cribs'', which was shot at his ranch in Oklahoma in September 2002. Sadie died on the same night of Alice in Chains' concert in Seattle on October 8, 2010, aged 18.


Religious views

Cantrell is critical of religion and
Young Earth creationism Young Earth creationism (YEC) is a form of creationism which holds as a central tenet that the Earth and its lifeforms were created by supernatural acts of the Abrahamic God between approximately 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. In its most widespre ...
, satirizing them both in Alice in Chains' 2013 album, ''
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on May 28, 2013 through Capitol Records (and the band's final album released by the label). It is the band's second reunion album. Fol ...
''. Cantrell stated, "There are two things you never want to get into a conversation or argument about: politics and religion. But fuck, I guess we're going to be talking about this for awhile". "No one in the band claims to be an expert on religion, but the title of the song 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here''comes from something that a lot of people actually believe in". Cantrell also stated that he's sick of the hypocrisy that's taken over many facets of organized religion. "I think there's overwhelming evidence that things aren't working right now. We need to start growing up as a people. When you're teaching people that being gay is a mortal sin, yet a good portion of the people teaching this are fucking kids, there's a huge problem".


Surgeries

During his independent tour for ''
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 sin ...
'' before the album was released, Cantrell broke his left hand while playing football after a concert at the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2001. While Cantrell was running full speed, his guitar player at the time, Bryan Kehoe, was also running full speed towards him and Cantrell got his pinky finger caught in Kehoe's T-shirt sleeve. Cantrell went to the emergency room but they could not do anything for him there, since the bone had slipped back in his hand and he would need a reconstructive surgery, but he had to wait for a couple of weeks for that to happen. Cantrell wanted to continue the tour, and although he was in a lot of pain, he played his first concert as a frontman without a guitar opening for
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...
in Atlanta. Cantrell needed a titanium plate and four screws to put the bones back together. Cantrell reported that breaking his hand was the worst physical pain he ever had. The injury caused the remainder of Cantrell's solo tour to be postponed. His first concert after the surgery was at the Key Club in West Hollywood on July 1, 2001. Cantrell underwent shoulder surgery twice. In December 2005, a surgery in his left shoulder removed bone fragments and repaired cartilage. During a chat at
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
on November 29, 2011, Cantrell revealed that he had gone through another surgery earlier that year, this time in his right shoulder and that he was in the tail end of the rehabilitation process. The surgery postponed the recording sessions of ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'' as Cantrell could not play guitar for eight months while he was recovering. Cantrell explained the surgery saying, "The thing that set me back is I had some bone spurs ndcartilage issues in my shoulders. I had the same issue in the other shoulder about six years ago so I've had them both done now. It's a repetitive motion injury from playing." While recuperating at home in a sling, Cantrell heard a riff in his head and sang it into his phone. The riff later became the song "
Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
", the first single from ''The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here''.


Substance abuse

Cantrell is a recovering addict and alcoholic and has been sober since 2003. He was awarded the 2012 Stevie Ray Vaughan Award from
MusiCares MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, ...
, for his work helping other addicts with the recovery process. Cantrell said in his acceptance speech, "I crash landed here almost 9 years ago, in Los Angeles. Sean inneywas at the door with my brother, so my choices were open the door and go to rehab or jump out the back window down a cliff into some blackberry bushes. That's the choice I took. Luckily they caught me because I couldn't go anywhere, I was kind of stuck in a bush at the bottom of a cliff bleeding, and I ended up here. I didn't intend to get here but I'm very grateful I am here, and it took a lot of people to help me get here. It's been an amazing day. It's overwhelming. I'm as imperfect as they come. I just don't get high today and wake up the next morning and try and do the same thing. A lot of people stand and get the fuck back up after falling. Some people don't get that chance. My band's been a harsh example of that – what happens when you don't deal with it." Cantrell and his Alice in Chains bandmates played a five-song set at the awards event and Cantrell stated, "We really miss Layne taleyand Mike
tarr ''Tarr'' is a modernist novel by Wyndham Lewis, written in 1909–11, revised and expanded in 1914–15 and first serialized in the magazine ''The Egoist'' from April 1916 until November 1917. The American version was published in 1918, with an ...
and we carry them with us in our hearts".


Charity contributions

Cantrell is a longtime supporter of MusiCares MAP Fund, which helps musicians who are struggling with addiction, financial and health issues. He also supports Road Recovery, an organization dedicated to helping young people battling addiction. In 1996, Cantrell became involved with anti-racism organisation Artists for a Hate Free America, alongside other musicians including
Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...
, Beck and
Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...
, to film public service announcements, and pose for a national ad campaign. On April 12, 2004, Cantrell and his then-band Cardboard Vampyres performed at a benefit concert for Sweet Relief, a nonprofit organization that helps needy musicians cover medical expenses. On November 10, 2004, Cantrell was among the musicians who performed a short acoustic set to benefit ''Help The Homeless'' in Hollywood, California. In 2007, Cantrell auctioned off some of his favorite clothes from key moments in his career to benefit MusiCares and the Layne Staley Fund, which provides support and treatment for heroin recovery in the Seattle music community. Since 2009, Cantrell has hosted the ''Alice in Chains & Friends Charity Fantasy Football League''. Each participant puts up an item for an online auction and all of the proceeds goes to the charity chosen by the champion of the league. Cantrell founded the league to combine his love of fantasy football with the goal of helping a worthy cause. Cantrell won the league for the first time in 2016, and in 2017 he decided to donate the proceeds to MusiCares in
Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...
's memory, and to
Music for Relief Music for Relief is a 501(c)(3) charitable trust founded by the rock band Linkin Park in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Throughout its first twelve years, the organization responded to over 30 natural disasters across four continen ...
in memory of
Chester Bennington Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter who was best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of the bands Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, ...
. Both musicians died in 2017. In 2018, Cantrell named the league's trophy after his friend
Vinnie Paul Vincent Paul Abbott (March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018) was an American musician best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also co-founded Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, 'Dimebag' Darrell ...
, who had died recently. On May 15, 2015, Cantrell performed at the second annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure concert in benefit of the Pediatric Cancer Program at the University of California, San Francisco. Cantrell is a supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and has performed at benefit concerts and charity golf tournaments to raise funds for the hospital that treats children with cancer. Cantrell and his Alice in Chains bandmates offer special seating at their concerts for veterans from Operation Ward 57, a fund for wounded soldiers. In 2015, Alice in Chains donated two dollars from every pre-sold ticket of their summer tour to help the family of a fan named Stefan Dayne-Ankle, who died after a battle with leukemia. Cantrell also supports
Music for Relief Music for Relief is a 501(c)(3) charitable trust founded by the rock band Linkin Park in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Throughout its first twelve years, the organization responded to over 30 natural disasters across four continen ...
,
Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...
, Rock Against MS Foundation, and the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation.


Filmography


Awards and nominations


Discography


With Alice in Chains


Solo


Singles


Official videos

* 1996: ''Leave Me Alone'' * 1998: ''Cut You In'' * 1998: ''My Song'' * 2002: ''Anger Rising'' * 2017: ''A Job to Do'' * 2021: ''Atone'' * 2021: ''Brighten'' * 2022: ''Siren Song'' * 2022: ''Had to Know'' * 2022: ''Prism of Doubt''


With Ozzy Osbourne

*'' Prince of Darkness'' (2005) (disc four) *''
Under Cover ''Under Cover'' is the ninth solo studio album by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. The album consists entirely of cover songs, with an emphasis on rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. This is Osbourne's first and only album to fe ...
'' (2005)


Other appearances

*''Magic & Madness'' – "Heaven & Hell" w/
Circus of Power Circus of Power is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1987. They disbanded in 1995 and reformed in 2014. To date, they have released four studio albums and three EPs. Overview With a sound similar to Alice in Chains, AC/DC ...
(February 1993) *'' Last Action Hero: Music from the Original Motion Picture'' – "various guitar ques" (June 1993) *''
Hanging in the Balance ''Hanging in the Balance'' is the fifth album by American heavy metal band Metal Church, released in 1993. It was Metal Church's last album before their two-year break up from 1996 to 1998, and the last to feature vocalist Mike Howe for more th ...
'' – "Gods of a Second Chance" w/
Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt ...
(October 1993) *'' Twisted Willie: A Tribute to Willie Nelson'' – "I've Seen All This World I Care to See" (January 1996) *'' The Cable Guy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' – "Leave Me Alone" (May 1996) *'' Blackacidevil'' – "See All You Were", "Come to Silver" and "Hand of Doom" w/ Danzig (October 1996) *''The Full Sentence'' – "Marry Me" w/
Pigeonhed Pigeonhed is an American electronic band from Seattle that combines elements of funk, soul, trip hop, and lo-fi. The band is a collaboration of Shawn Smith and Steve Fisk, that released three albums during the period from 1993 to 1997. They ...
(January 1997) *''
Garage Inc. ''Garage Inc.'' is a compilation album of cover songs by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 24, 1998, through Elektra Records. It includes cover songs, B-side covers, and ''The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited'' ...
'' – "
Tuesday's Gone "Tuesday's Gone" is the second track on Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut album, ''(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)''. It also appears on the band's first live LP, '' One More from the Road''. Production Al Kooper adds upfront Mellotron string sou ...
" w/ Metallica (November 1998) *'' The Deep End, Volume 1'' – "Effigy" w/
Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule'' ...
(October 2001) *'' Live at Home'' – appeared on stage with
Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...
in January 2002, performing "It Ain't Like That" *'' The Punisher: The Album'' – "Ashes to Ashes" w/
Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, 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 Diesel ...
(also featured on the Japan version of ''
New Found Power ''New Found Power'' is the only studio album released by heavy metal supergroup Damageplan. The group was formed by brothers "Dimebag Darrell" Abbott (guitar) and "Vinnie Paul" Abbott (drums) after the breakup of their previous band, Pantera. ...
''; March 2004) *''
Jupiters Darling ''Jupiters Darling'' is the thirteenth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Heart (band), Heart, released on June 22, 2004, by Sovereign Artists. Sovereign Artist's marketing director, Paul Angles, simultaneously released their album ...
'' – "Fallen Ones" w/
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
(June 2004) *''
Music for the Divine ''Music for the Divine'' is a studio album by former Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Trapeze vocalist/ bassist Glenn Hughes. It was his eleventh solo studio album and was released in 2006 on Frontier, Demolition, Sony BMG and Yamaha records. ...
'' – "Misty Mountain Hop" w/ Glenn Hughes (January 2007) * ''The Sun and the Earth - The Essential Stevie Salas Vol. 1'' – "Soul Ecstacy" w/
Stevie Salas Stevie Salas (born November 17, 1964) is a Native American guitarist, author, television host, music director, record producer, film composer, and former advisor of contemporary music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. ...
(April 2007) * ''It's OK to Be Happy'' w/
Smith & Pyle Smith & Pyle was an American country music duo from Los Angeles, California, composed of actresses Shawnee Smith and Missi Pyle. History Shawnee Smith and Missi Pyle met in 2007 while filming an ABC comedy pilot titled '' Traveling in Packs''. A ...
(July 2008) * ''
Little Immaculate White Fox ''Little 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 ...
'' – "Anything" w/
Pearl Aday Pearl Aday (born 1975) is an American singer. She is the adopted daughter of vocalist Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, and was a member of his touring band Neverland Express for nine years starting in the mid-1990s. She has appeared ...
(January 2010) * '' 24 Hours'' – "Love Is Blind" w/
Richie Kotzen Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big ...
(November 2011) * ''How to Be a Man'' w/
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
(May 2015) * ''
Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...
'' – " Phantom Bride" w/
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
(April 2016) * ''John Wick: Chapter 2 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' – "A Job to Do" (February 2017) * '' Dark Nights: Metal Soundtrack'' – ''Setting Sun'' (July 2018)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cantrell, Jerry 1966 births Living people Alice in Chains members American male guitarists Lead guitarists Alternative metal guitarists Alternative rock guitarists Singers from Washington (state) Songwriters from Washington (state) Singers from Tacoma, Washington Musicians from Tacoma, Washington Guitarists from Washington (state) Grunge musicians American alternative rock musicians American hard rock musicians American heavy metal guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters American baritones American people of Norwegian descent American people of Czech descent Critics of creationism Critics of religions The Ozzy Osbourne Band members 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Alternative metal singers