Richard Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995) was an American musician and lyricist, and the lead singer of the band Blind Melon. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Lafayette (IPA: ) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... See also: other events of 1985 Musical groups established in 1985 Record labels established in 1985 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 28 - Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny... See also: 1995 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1995 Record labels established in 1995 // January 18 - Jerry Garcia wrecks his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... Blind Melon is an alternative rock band, whose most notable work dates from 1992 to 1995, and ceased with the death of lead vocalist Shannon Hoon. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Blind Melon is an alternative rock band, whose most notable work dates from 1992 to 1995, and ceased with the death of lead vocalist Shannon Hoon. ...

Biography

Early life

Born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, Hoon reportedly began using his middle name to avoid confusion with his father, who was also named Richard. In high school, Hoon was a stand-out athlete in football, wrestling and pole vaulting. In addition to his reputation as an athlete, Hoon gained some local notoriety following several arrests by the Lafayette police. Hoon graduated from McCutcheon High School in 1985. After graduation, Hoon joined a local band named Styff Kytten, which also featured guitarist Michael Kelsey. Hoon took on the role of frontman and lead singer for the band. It was around this time that Hoon wrote his first song, Change. Lafayette (IPA: ) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. ...

Blind Melon

Hoon left Indiana for Los Angeles in hopes of making it in the music industry. After arriving in LA, Hoon met musicians Brad Smith, and Rogers Stevens at a party. Smith and Stevens saw Hoon perform his song Change acoustically and invited Hoon to play with them. Christopher Thorn and Glen Graham were then brought into the fold and soon the five musicians decided to form Blind Melon. In 1991, Blind Melon produced a four song demo and subsequently signed a $500,000 recording contract with Capitol Records. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ...

In L.A., Hoon befriended his sister Anna's high school friend, Axl Rose. Rose invited Hoon to join him in the studio, where his band Guns N' Roses were recording their albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Hoon sang back-up vocals on many of the album's tracks, including The Garden & Don't Cry. Rose also invited Hoon to appear in the video for Don't Cry, giving Hoon his first real taste of stardom. W. Axl Rose[1][2] (born William Bruce Rose, Jr. ... Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... For other uses, see Use Your Illusion (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Use Your Illusion (disambiguation). ... The Garden (1991) is a song by the rock group Guns N Roses. ... This article is about the Guns N Roses song. ...

In 1992, Blind Melon released their self-titled debut album. The album, produced by Pearl Jam producer Rick Parashar, garnered some positive reviews, but initially failed to make much of an impact. Blind Melon began touring to promote the album, supporting acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Neil Young, Guns N' Roses and Soundgarden over the course of 1992-1993. As their success increased, the members of Blind Melon became increasingly involved in drug use during the tour, with Hoon being the primary offender. In late 1992, when the album track "No Rain" was released as a single, Blind Melon suddenly became huge stars. The quirky video for "No Rain" featured a young, overweight girl in a bee costume (often referred to as the 'Bee Girl'). The video was wildly popular and was the driving force behind Blind Melon going multi-platinum. This article is about the rock group. ... Ozzy redirects here. ... This article is about the musician. ... Soundgarden was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. ... Heather DeLoach (born February 1, 1983 in California) is an American actress. ...

Hoon and Blind Melon spent the next two years touring. The tours were frequently interrupted as Hoon spent time in rehab or jail as his already serious drug use increased and his behavior became more bizarre. In 1993, Hoon was arrested for indecent exposure after he stripped naked onstage and urinated on a fan at a show in Vancouver. In 1994, Blind Melon appeared at Woodstock '94. Hoon went onstage wearing his girlfriend's dress and was clearly intoxicated. Throughout the performance, Hoon baited the audience and ended the set by tossing a set of conga drums into the crowd. Also in 1994, Hoon went on a drug-induced rampage at the Billboard Music Awards when he attacked a security guard. This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ...

After taking a hiatus from touring, Blind Melon returned to the studio to record the album Soup in New Orleans. Although producer Andy Wallace claimed that drugs were not a problem during the recording of Soup, Hoon reportedly had no recollection of the album sessions. Soup was released in 1995, a darker album considerably different from their eponymous debut. Critics gave it harsh reviews and the album received a lukewarm reception. Singles from Soup Released: 1995 Released: 1995 Soup is the second album by the American rock band Blind Melon, released shortly before vocalist Shannon Hoons fatal drug overdose. ... NOLA redirects here. ...

Final year and death

In 1995, Hoon and his longtime girlfriend Lisa Crouse had a daughter they named Nico Blue, named partly after Nico and because it was his favorite flower. After the birth of his daughter, Hoon entered rehab again. Blind Melon needed to tour to support their album Soup with heavy pressure from the record company, so Hoon negotiated an early release from his drug rehab program with the stipulation that his drug counselor would accompany him on the road. The counselor, however, was unable to keep Hoon from falling back into his pattern of drug use and was dismissed from the tour less than a month into it. Without the counselor to rein him in, Hoon's use of drugs escalated tremendously. For the prequel to Ico, see Shadow of the Colossus. ...

After a particularly disastrous performance in Houston, Hoon launched into an all-night cocaine binge. The next day, on October 21, 1995, Blind Melon was scheduled to play a show in New Orleans at Tipitina's. When one of the band's roadies went to the tour bus to wake Hoon up for a sound check, he was unable to rouse him. An ambulance was summoned and Hoon was pronounced dead on the scene at the age of 28. The cause of death was attributed to an accidental cocaine overdose.^[1] is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The Tipitinas Foundation is a not-for-profit charity organization in the United States in place to encourage the city of New Orleans to continue its musical heritage, in particular in the wake of the citys tragedy, Hurricane Katrina. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ...

Gravesite of Shannon Hoon

Hoon was buried in Dayton, Indiana; his grave is inscribed with the words to the first song he wrote, Change: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Dayton is a town in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. ...

On November 12, 1996, Blind Melon released their final album featuring Hoon, Nico, as a tribute to him with all proceeds going to his daughter and to programs helping musicians deal with drug problems. The band also released a video called Letters From A Porcupine that was nominated for 'Best Long Form Music Video' at the Grammy Awards on February 25, 1998. is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

References

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society wrote a song about Shannon Hoon called "Throwin' It All Away" on his album Book Of Shadows. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wiedlandt on January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is a lead guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter, best known for his role as founder of Black Label Society and guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. ... Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine albums released to date. ...

The Canadian band Econoline Crush wrote a song about Shannon called "Sparkle and Shine".

Shannon gave Chris Cornell a necklace he made as a gift (a fork bent into an interesting shape) in 1991 or 1992. Mr. Cornell wore this necklace for a few years afterwards. Cornell stopped wearing the necklace after Shannon died. You can see Cornell wearing the fork necklace in the "Black Hole Sun" video. Chris Cornell (born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964) is an American musician best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock bands Soundgarden (1984-1997) and Audioslave (2001-2007). ...

External links

• Shannon Hoon at the Internet Movie Database
• Shannon Hoon biography
• Shannon Hoon bio at Sleaze Roxx.com
• Shannon Hoon's Gravesite
• Shannon Hoon at All Music Guide
• Blind Melon Forum