Song:No Rain
Album:The Best Of Blind Melon
Blind Melon burst onto the music scene in 1992 with No Rain. They looked like they were going to be very successful. But it all came to a screeching halt when lead singer Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose in 1995. The band is still around but of course it's not the same. Blind Melon formed in 1990 when Mississippi natives Rogers Stevens (guitar) and Brad Smith (bass) moved to Los Angeles and met Indiana native Shannon Hoon (lead vocals). They added guitarist Christopher Thorn and brought in drummer Glen Graham from Mississippi. The name Blind Melon is from the Cheech & Chong character Blind Melon Chitlin, a spoof of Mississippi bluesmen like Blind Lemon Jefferson. A demo earned them a record deal with Capitol Records. The group was unhappy with their first recording sessions. So Capitol assigned them to Pearl Jam producer Rick Parashar. Their 1992 CD Blind Melon didn't sell at first. But the video for No Rain caught on at MTV and the song reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. It featured Heather DeLoach as Bee Girl. The song was also a hit internationally. Blind Melon reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified 4XPlatinum. Blind Melon recorded their second CD Soup in New Orleans. It wasn't as successful and Shannon Hoon was addicted to drugs and alcohol and was in and out of rehab. They went on tour against the advice of his drug counselor. Hoon was found dead of a cocaine overdose on the tour bus on Oct. 21, 1995 at age 28. The band attempted to find a lead vocalist but never did and split up in 1999. Thorn and Smith had already started a new band Unified Theory. This comp is a good intro to Blind Melon's music and it is available with a bonus DVD. Blind Melon reformed in 2006 with lead singer Travis Warren. They released a CD in 2008 but Warren left halfway through their tour and Blind Melon split up again. Warren returned in 2010 and though Blind Melon have no plans to record, they still tour. Here's the video for No Rain by Blind Melon.
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