Blind Melon

Blind Melon is an alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990 by five transplanted musicians: vocalist Shannon Hoon (Indiana), guitarist Rogers Stevens, bassist Brad Smith, & drummer Glen Graham (Mississippi), and guitarist Christopher Thorn (Pennsylvania). The band recorded a four-song demo in 1991 that they called The Goodfoot Workshop, which attracted the attention of Capitol Records. They recorded an EP with producer David Briggs called The Sippin’ Time Sessions. The end results were deemed too slick and the release was cancelled. The band relocated to Durham, North Carolina to begin work on their debut album. The self-titled album was released in September, 1992 and featured the first two singles “Tones of Home” and “No Rain”. Album sales were slow and the band garnered little attention until the music video for “No Rain” began receiving airplay on MTV. The video, which featured a girl dressed as a bee, became one of the most popular videos of the summer, sending the single to the top of the charts in the U.S. and into the Top 30 in other countries including Australia, Austria, New Zealand, the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Canada. The Blind Melon album also gained new life, entering the Top 40 in charts all over the world. After touring to support the album, the band relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana to record their second album. Released in 1995, the album, Soup, was a musical departure from their first album and did not fare as well, commercially. The band began touring for the album but it came to an end when vocalist Hoon died of a heart attack brought on by a cocaine overdose. The band members attempted to find a new vocalist but gave up and Blind Melon officially called it quits in 1999. The members reunited in 2006 with new vocalist Travis Warren and released the album For My Friends in 2008 before breaking up again. Stevens, Thorn, Graham, and Warren reunited and have toured as Blind Melon since 2010.