Virgos Merlot was an American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

formed in 1998. Prior to the formation of Virgos Merlot, many of the band members were in the group The Devine, which later disbanded. After formation, their first album, '' Signs of a Vacant Soul'', was released in 1999. The original lineup disbanded after the release of ''Signs of a Vacant Soul'', with the band later reforming without guitarist Jason Marchant. During this period, they were known simply as Virgos and self-released an album, ''The Path of Least Resistance''. Virgos disbanded in 2002. After touring with

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

as replacement live bassist for

Brian Marshall Brian Aubrey Marshall (born April 24, 1973) is an American musician and songwriter best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. Early life Brian Aubrey Marshall was born April 24, 1973, in Jackson, Missi ...

, Brett Hestla joined

Dark New Day Dark New Day was an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2004 featuring Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot, Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Troy McLawhorn of DoubleDrive, Corey Lowery of Stereomud and Stuck Mojo, and Will Hunt of Skrape. Their debut ...

in 2004. Marchant, Charlton and Ledbetter went on to form the ban
Red Halo
Chris Dickerson later played bass for Downstem ith Charlton on drumsand

Course of Nature Course of Nature was an American alternative rock band formed in Enterprise, Alabama in 2001, later based in Los Angeles. The band was co-founded by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Wilkerson, with a final lineup of Sean Kipe (lead guitar) ...

. In October 2008, it was stated by four of the original five band members, that they would reunite for a tenth anniversary, and a show was performed on January 9, 2009 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. The concert featured Marchant on lead guitar, Deacon on guitar, Dickerson on bass, Charlton on drums, making Hestla the only former member not returning for the reunion. An EP was also being recorded with three new songs. However, in November 2009, Ledbetter died from complications related to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, leaving the future of the band unknown.

Members

* Jason Marchant - Guitar * Chris Dickerson - Bass, Vocals * JD Charlton - Drums * Chase Davidson - Lead Vocals

Former members

* Brett Hestla - Original Vocalist, Guitarist * Ted "Deacon" Ledbetter - Guitar (deceased)

Discography

Albums

* '' Signs of a Vacant Soul'' (1999, Atlantic) * (As Virgos) ''Collapse EP'' (2002, Devine) * (As Virgos) ''The Path of Least Resistance'' (2002, Devine)

Singles

References

External links

Official websiteVirgos Merlot
at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1998 American hard rock musical groups Atlantic Records artists Rock music groups from Alabama Musical groups from Birmingham, Alabama