Bradley Nowell (circa 1995)

Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996), from Long Beach, California, was the lead singer and guitar player in the musical group, Sublime (1988 – 1996). At age 28, Nowell was found dead on the floor of his motel room in San Francisco, the victim of a fatal heroin overdose. Image File history File links Bradley Nowell Bradley Nowell This work is copyrighted. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... County Los Angeles County, California Area  - Total  - Water 170. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Sublime (circa 1995) left to right: Bud Gaugh, Brad Nowell and Eric Wilson, front: Louie-Dog (Nowells beloved pet dalmatian) Sublime was a garage punk band from Long Beach, California, playing a mix of reggae and dub, ska, punk, and hip hop. ...

Early Years

Bradley James Nowell was born on February 22, 1968, in Long Beach California. He was born with ADHD. Brad, however, was a very smart and gifted child. As a kid, he got good grades, and was smart enough to get his younger sister, Kellie, to do his homework for him whenever he didn't feel like doing it. Bradley's parents divorced when he was ten years old. Like many children, he blamed himself for their actions. He lived with his mother, Nancy Nowell, in Orange county for four years. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders among children, and may be diagnosed in adults, where it is often referred to as Adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD) if symptoms were not present in childhood. ...

In 1981, Brad moved in with his Dad, Jim Nowell. When Brad was eleven years old he took a trip to the Virgin Islands with his dad and experienced reggae music for the first time. This music would soon change his life, and his taste for music. He loved the style and sound of reggae music.

When Brad returned from the Virgin Islands and at age 12, he started teaching himself to play the guitar. He would practice day after day, trying to perfect his reggae style. On his twelfth birthday he got his first guitar. Living in Long Beach he got a wide variety of many diverse genres of music. He got into other styles of music like punk rock, one of his favorite bands being Circle Jerks. This started a brand new genre of music. From the day that Brad got his first guitar, he started writing his own songs. At age thirteen he started his first band called Hogans Heroes but the band didn't last very long and disbanded soon afterwards. The Circle Jerks are a punk rock band formed circa 1978 in Los Angeles, California. ...

In 1986, Brad, an honor roll student, graduated from Wilson High School. He then went on to college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Brad was one semester away from receiving a degree in business, but dropped out to pursue his music career full time. Around this time, Brad found another musical love, hip hop. His musical mix of rock, jazz, hip hop, punk, reggae, dub, funk, ska and heavy metal seemed to be a product of the Long Beach youth. Brad soon teamed up with bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, who he met in Santa Cruz. Together, the trio formed the band Sublime in 1988. The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC or UC Santa Cruz) is a coeducational public university located in Santa Cruz, California, USA. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California. ... Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Jazz is a musical art form characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. ... Eric Wilson (born February 21, 1969) is the bass player for Long Beach Dub Allstars (1997-present) and former bassist for Sublime (1989-1997). ... Floyd Bud Gaugh (born October 2, 1967) is a rock music drummer who played in the bands Sublime (1989-1997), Long Beach Dub Allstars (1997-2002), and Eyes Adrift. ... Sublime (circa 1995) left to right: Bud Gaugh, Brad Nowell and Eric Wilson, front: Louie-Dog (Nowells beloved pet dalmatian) Sublime was a garage punk band from Long Beach, California, playing a mix of reggae and dub, ska, punk, and hip hop. ...

Sublime's Formation

Sublime quickly became one of the most popular bands in Southern California. They were the most popular band on the campus of California State University, Long Beach, often playing at parties and bars in exchange for alcohol. State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... California State University, Long Beach (also known as Long Beach State, Cal State Long Beach, CSULB, LBSU or The Beach!) is the largest campus of the California State University system and the second largest university in the state of California. ...

Brad Nowell and Michael Happoldt created Skunk Records and distributed the band's demo tapes at shows and local record stores. A few years later, Sublime recorded for the first time in the studio and created the popular cassette tape called Jah Won't Pay the Bills. Jah Wont Pay the Bills is an independent demo album by Sublime released in 1991. ...

As Brad prepared plans to tour with the new material, he found that drummer Bud Gaugh was battling a drug problem. Gaugh soon decided to check himself into a drug rehabilitation center. Instead of touring without Gaugh, Sublime decided to stay and create their first recording album. Floyd Bud Gaugh (born October 2, 1967) is a rock music drummer who played in the bands Sublime (1989-1997), Long Beach Dub Allstars (1997-2002), and Eyes Adrift. ...

Sublime's Rise

In 1992, 40 Oz. to Freedom was released. Kelly Vargas temporarily covered for Bud. Sixty-thousand copies were distributed and sold from the trunk of Nowell’s car. Despite growing popularity in Southern California, Sublime still had not landed a record deal with a major label. 40 Oz. ...

Frustrated by rejection of the major record companies, Nowell descended into a two-year heroin "experiment." This entailed shooting up heroin to supposedly boost his creativity and thereby increase the likelihood of attracting a record label. The record industry (or recording industry) is the industry that manufactures and distributes mechanical recordings of music. ... Heroin or diacetylmorphine (INN) (colloquially referred to as brown sugar, junk, babania, horse, golden brown, smack (for the sound made when a user slaps an arm to find a vein), black tar, montega, H, big H, lady H, dope, skag, juice, jude, diesel, boy, etc. ...

About a year later, a man named Tazy Phillipz took a copy of 40 Oz. To Freedom to Los Angeles radio station KROQ and requested to have the single Date Rape be added to the playlist. Soon after, MCA records picked up 40 Oz. To Freedom for nationwide distribution. The album would soon enter the Billboard charts. KROQ is a commercial rock and roll music radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting on 106. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... A radio station is a sound broadcasting service. ... KROQ is a commercial rock and roll music radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting on 106. ...

Attention from a major label did not curb Nowell's drug use. Not only did he increase his intake of marijuana, he also increased his usage of heroin. Brad wrote about his drug addiction in the song Pool Shark: "Take it away but I want more and more/One day I’m going to lose the war." Cannabis is a plant also known as Cannabis sativa, hemp, or marijuana. ...

While on tour, Nowell met Troy Dendekker. The two soon began a relationship. In September of 1994, Troy became pregnant. In prepartion for fatherhood, Brad tried to overcome his drug dependency.

In June of 1995, Jakob James Nowell was born.

In 1996, Sublime went back into the studio to record their self-titled major label debut album. Nowell soon succumbed to the pressure of recording the album, and he increased his use of heroin.

In yet another attempt to get sober, Nowell checked himself into rehab. Nowell was clean after six months. Nowell resumed recording the major label debut album.

Bradley's Battle with Heroin

With his life back on track, Brad asked Troy to marry him.

Brad married Troy Dendekker on May 18, 1996. Two days later, Sublime embarked on a tour. May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Bradley Nowell played his last show at The Phoenix theater in Petaluma, California. Petaluma is a city located in Sonoma County, California. ...

On May 25, 1996, around 8 AM, Sublime was ready to leave the hotel. Bud Gaugh knocked on Bradley’s door. After not receiving an answer, the door was opened. His dog, "Louie Dog," ran over and licked his face to no response. Bradley Nowell had died on a heroin overdose. He was 28 years old. He left behind legions of grief stricken fans, his wife Troy and his 11 month old son, Jakob. May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

The self-entitled album was released shortly after Brad’s death. It sold over 3.5 million copies.

Brad's father, Jim Nowell, eulogized his son on May 27, 1996 by saying: May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

"Brad will always live for me in his son, Jake, and we can all seek relief from our grief by loving and nurturing the son he gave to us. Brad touched many people with his caring personality and musical genius and we are all lucky to have had him in our lives. Men who have lived longer have achieved less and I am content that he is now at peace."