Jonathan David Melvoin (December 6, 1961 – July 12, 1996) was an American musician, active in the 1980s and 1990s.

Early life

He was the son of Constance (née Ives) and

Mike Melvoin Mike Melvoin (May 10, 1937February 22, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He served as chairman and president of The Recording Academy and worked as a prolific studio musician, recording with Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, ...

, keyboardist for The Wrecking Crew, and brother of twins

Susannah ''Susannah'' is an opera in two acts by the American composer Carlisle Floyd, who wrote the libretto and music while a member of the piano faculty at Florida State University. Floyd adapted the story from the Apocryphal tale of Susanna (Book of D ...

and

Wendy Melvoin Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy ...

Prince and The Revolution The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with ...

. He first learned to play drums at the age of five.

Career

Melvoin performed with many punk bands in the 1990s, such as The Dickies. He was also a member of

The Family A family is a domestic or social group. Family or The Family may also refer to: Mathematics *Family of curves, a set of curves resulting from a function with variable parameters *Family of sets, a collection of sets *Indexed family, a family wh ...

, a Prince side project band which produced the original recording of " Nothing Compares 2 U", "Screams of Passion" and "Mutiny", and made musical contributions to many Wendy & Lisa projects, as well as to Prince and the Revolution's 1985 album ''

Around the World in a Day ''Around the World in a Day'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the second release where his backing band The Revolution is billed. It was released on April 22, 1985, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Re ...

''. He also played drums on "Do U Lie?" from the 1986 Prince & the Revolution album ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

''. At the time of his death he was the touring keyboardist for

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...

during their worldwide tour for the album '' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness''.

Death

Melvoin died at age 34 as the result of a

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

overdose. Melvoin injected high purity heroin that was intended for snorting, he had previously consumed alcohol, which can lower the body's drug tolerance. The Smashing Pumpkins were not invited to Melvoin's funeral. Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin injected the same heroin that night. Yet despite rumors of injecting together, after acquiring the drugs, both musicians retired to their own rooms to use alone. Several songs were inspired by his death, including the Sarah McLachlan song " Angel", the Wendy & Lisa song "Jonathan" (as Girl Bros.), and Prince's "The Love We Make" from the album '' Emancipation''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melvoin, Jonathan 1961 births 1996 deaths Musicians from Los Angeles Deaths by heroin overdose in New York (state) American rock keyboardists The Smashing Pumpkins members 20th-century American keyboardists Drug-related deaths in New York City