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As the story goes, when Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo first met at a Black Flag gig in California, they got into a conversation about their girlfriends. After realising that they were both dating the same woman they decided to not let it come between them but to instead form a band and they went on to sell more than 40 million records worldwide. Quickly rising through the growing alternative music scene, the band's polished stadium rock sound made them an accessible taster of grunge angst with their debut album 'Core' shooting to number three in the US chart. Although many purists and critics sneered the band won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance and followed it with it the number one album 'Purple' in 1994 as Weiland's gravelly voice and heart-felt lyrics made them one of the biggest acts of the era. The band split briefly in 1995 when Weiland was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine, but returned with the platinum albums 'Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop' (1996) and 'No 4' (1999), before splitting again in 2002. Weiland went on to join the supergroup Velvet Revolver with Slash from Guns N' Roses but, after settling their differences, Stone Temple Pilots reunited in 2008.A series of performances and headlining appearances marked their comeback in 2008 which they followed with a self-titled album in 2010. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. After a series of disagreements between Weiland and the band with rumours that he was fishing for an invitation back into his former band Velvet Revolver, it was announced that Weiland had been fired from the band. Weiland sued over the rights to perform with the Stone Temple Pilots name, but an out of court settlement ruled in the band's favour. In 2013 the band recruited former Linkin' Park front man Chester Bennington who performed with them as a special guest. He later became an official member of the band with the release of his first single with Stone Temple Pilots, 'Out of Time'. The new line-up gave several performances including the KRQQ Weenie Roast and the MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Conert in Los Angeles. They released the EP 'High Rise' under the name Stone Temple Pilots With Chester Bennington. Bennington left the group in 2015. Two years later he committed suicide. News broke in 2015 that Weiland had died of an accidental overdose while on his tour bus. In 2016 the band held auditions to find a new lead singer. The announced the following year that they had recruited former Dry Cell frontman Jeff Gutt and that they were working on new material. This came in the shape of 'Meadow', the lead single of their second self-titled album in 2018.Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
