When it comes to the formation and early chapters of the Seattle-born grunge band Alice in Chains, it’s all about Layne Staley’s voice. Born on August 22, 1967, when Staley sang, he sounded like a monster under your bed crossed with a blazing bonfire. In a city during a time with some of the best singers—including Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Cornell—Staley may have been the vocal best.
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Sadly, like a fire burning too bright, Staley died young. Like many of the grunge era, he passed away from an overdose on April 5, 2002. He was just 34 years old. Since his passing, though, Alice in Chains has continued to release music, tour, and wow fans.
Staley’s former musical wingman, Jerry Cantrell, is keeping the memory alive and then some. Singer William DuVall is continuing the legacy of the band and adding his own vocal prowess and Alice in Chains continues to live and thrive.
In the early years, with the band gestating and getting off the ground thanks to Staley’s voice and partnership with Cantrell, an all-time songwriter and guitar player in his own right, the fire burned hot and tall.
This is the story of the Emerald City-born group’s beginnings.
Layne Staley: Drummer
Seattle, perhaps like many musical cities, is known for its experimental sensibilities—sing in a band here, play guitar there. Coming up in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Staley played on several projects, and even played drums.
His first singing gig came with the glam metal group Sleze. He was encouraged by his stepbrother, Ken Elmer, to try out. Somewhere along the line, the group talked about changing its name. Alice in Chains was a possibility. The concept was spurred on by a past conversation between Seattle musicians about a backstage pass with the words “Welcome to Wonderland” written on it. Obvious Alice in Wonderland images came next.
Russ Klatt, the lead singer of local band Slaughter Haus 5, said to Sleze member Johnny Bacolas, “What about Alice in Chains? Put her in bondage and stuff like that.”
Sleze later changed its name to Alice in Chains, choosing to spell it Alice N’ Chains, backing off a bit from the girl in bondage imagery. Staley’s mom Nancy McCallum still didn’t like the name, which took its N’ from the L.A. band Guns N’ Roses, a group that included Seattle native Duff McKagan on bass.
Read our full story behind the Alice in Chains band name HERE.
1987 Roommates
Staley met his future bandmate, Jerry Cantrell, at a party in Seattle in the summer of 1987. Cantrell had seen an Alice N’ Chains show in his hometown of Tacoma, about 45 minutes south of Seattle. He loved Staley’s voice and wanted to work with him. The two later became roommates and started to collaborate on songs.
When Sleze, aka Alice N’ Chains, broke up, Staley joined a funk group. And at the time, Cantrell’s band, Diamond Lie, was also breaking up. Looking for a new project, Staley helped Cantrell track down local drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr to begin a new project. But the trio needed a singer. Who should it be? The obvious choice was Staley.
Since Staley’s funk band was in need of a guitar, Staley and Cantrell agreed to join each other’s bands. In fact, the trio in need of a singer would audition intentionally bad singers in front of Staley to help nudge him to join them. They even auditioned a male stripper.
Diamond Lie and Beyond
A four-piece finally, the group began playing gigs around town. At first, they used the Diamond Lie moniker. They also went by the name Fuck. But finally, they landed on the more memorable Alice in Chains—replacing the N’ with “in” and that was that.
The members of Sleze (aka Alice N’ Chains) weren’t too happy with Staley and Cantrell’s decision but they ultimately gave their okay for the group to take the name. Today, the group is known for records like Dirt (1992) as well as songs like “Rooster” and “Would?”
Since its formation in earnest, Alice in Chains has sold more than 30 million albums and garnered 11 Grammy nominations.
Photo by Steve Jennings/WireImage
