Jerry Cantrell

Lead guitarist/co-lead vocalist/main songwriter for Seattle metal band Alice in Chains.

Lives in Los Angeles since 2003. Also owns a house in Seattle and a ranch in Oklahoma.

Writing and jamming for Alice in Chains first post-reunion album.

Released solo debut, Boggy Depot.

Working on follow-up to Degradation Trip Volumes 1 and 2. Working with Richard Patrick on new Filter cd due out 2004. Plays on a new track with Damageplan on the upcoming PUNISHER soundtrack.

Reunited with Alice in Chains for the first time since 1996 (and after the death of lead singer Layne Staley in 2002), for a benefit concert in Seattle for victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South Asia in 2004. The band performed with a number of guest vocalists. They toured in 2006, with William DuVall taking over as lead vocalist full-time.

Working on his third solo album, which is the follow-up to 2002s "Degradation Trip".

Released 2nd solo album, "Degradation Trip". Cantrell dedicated the album to friend and former Alice in Chains bandmate, Layne Staley.

Released a new album with Alice in Chains, "Black Gives Way to Blue", on September 29, 2009. It was the bands first album in 14 years and also the first without Layne Staley. The title song is a tribute to Staley written and sung by Cantrell accompanied by Elton John on piano. Cantrell is a fan of Elton John and told that his first album was Elton Johns Greatest Hits. The first concert that Staley attended was Eltons when he was a kid.

When Layne Staley passed away, Cantrell adopted Staleys cat, a female Siamese named Sadie. The cat appeared on Cantrells episode of MTV Cribs, which was shot at Cantrells ranch in Oklahoma in September 2002. Sadie died on the same night of Alice in Chains concert in Seattle on October 8, 2010, aged 18. She lived with Cantrells family in Oklahoma until her death.

Released a fifth studio album with Alice in Chains on May 28, 2013. During the writing and recording sessions, Cantrell underwent shoulder surgery, which resulted in the delay of the album. He couldnt play guitar for 8 months, so he spent his time playing video games like GTA and Call of Duty. Alice in Chains bassist, Mike Inez , took care of him in the first days after the surgery while he was wearing a sling and helped Cantrell with his meds and food. During that period, Cantrell wrote the riff of "Stone" humming the melody into the phone. He showed the voice message during an interview with Team Rock Radio in 2013.

Cantrells long blonde hair is one of his trademarks. He cut his hair for the first time in 2011, and got an even shorter haircut in 2013, which shocked some fans. In 2017, Cantrell grew his hair back out.

Cantrell and Layne Staley were best friends and got matching tattoos. In 1988, they decided to get the "brothers tattoo", so Cantrell got a screaming skull on his right shoulder, and Staley got a smiling skull with an Elvis hairdo and sunglasses on his left shoulder. Cantrell told Inked Magazine in 2009: "The cool thing about doing it was doing it with Layne; he had one on one shoulder and I had one on the other. They were kind of connected and obviously we were too.". Staleys skull tattoo is mentioned on the song "Sea of Sorrow", in the lines "Aim my smilin skull at you" - the lyrics were written by Cantrell.

Wrote several songs about his ex-girlfriend Courtney Clarke, with whom he was in an on and off relationship between 1989-1995. They met at a Guns N Roses concert in Seattle. Most of Alice in Chains records and his two solo albums, "Boggy Depot" and "Degradation Trip", have songs about her, such as "Down in a Hole", "Dont Follow", "Heaven Beside You", "Over Now", "My Song", "Settling Down", "She Was My Girl", "Breaks My Back", "Angel Eyes" and "Private Hell". Cantrell described Clarke as "the most beautiful girl Ive ever seen in my life" in a 1996 Rolling Stone interview, and on the liner notes of Alice in Chains 1999 box set, "Music Bank", Cantrell referred to her as his true love. Clarke can be seen in the Alice in Chains mockumentary "The Nona Tapes" - she is sitting in a chair in the hotel room at minute 22:35, before Sean Kinney comes in dressed up as a clown.

Is the oldest of three children. Has a brother named David and a sister named Cheri.

When asked about his heroes in a 2002 interview, he cited his dad, his siblings David and Cheri, Alice in Chains bandmates Layne Staley and Sean Kinney, and the bands manager Susan Silver.

His mom used to call him "JerBear" when he was a child. His dad used to call him "Ralph". Layne Staley used to call him "Satan Hoof", and this nickname is mentioned on Cantrells song "Pig Charmer" from his 2002 solo album "Degradation Trip".

Is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers Football teams.

Shortly after he learned how to write, he documented his goal in a Dr. Seuss book called My Book About Me, filling in the sentence When I grow up, I want to be a with the words "Rock Star" in sprawling cursive letters.

In the Layne Staley-era of Alice in Chains, Cantrell sang lead vocals in the songs "Brother", "Right Turn", "Dont Follow", "No Excuses", "Grind", "Heaven Beside You", "Over Now" and "Killer Is Me", besides singing the verses on "Would?" and "Got Me Wrong". William DuVall joined the band in 2006 to sing Staleys parts at concerts, while Cantrell assumed full-time lead vocals in the first album without Staley, Black Gives Way to Blue , and continued this role in the follow up, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here , with DuVall doing backing vocals and harmonizing with him. The only song that Cantrell sings Staleys parts at concerts is "Got Me Wrong". Many fans have expressed their desire to see Cantrell singing the song "Nutshell", which he always dedicates to Staley and Mike Starr.

Broke his left hand while playing football in 2001, in the middle of a tour. He went to the E.R but they couldnt do anything for him cause the bone had slipped back in his hand and hed need a reconstructive surgery. Cantrell had a titanium plate and four screws to put the bones back together. The first concert after the surgery was in Atlanta and according to him, he was in a lot of pain but continued the tour anyway. T-shirts and VIP passes were made with the X-ray of his broken hand, and Cantrell even wore one of the shirts.

Cantrell went through surgery on both shoulders. First on his left shoulder in 2005, removing bone fragments and repairing cartilage, then the right shoulder in 2011, for a repetitive motion injury from playing. The last surgery delayed the writing and recording of Alice in Chains 2013 album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.

Was a big fan of "Deadwood" and even appeared in the background of one scene from the shows season one next to Pantera s bassist Rex Brown. Cantrell is also good friends with the shows actor W. Earl Brown , who made an appearance on the Alice in Chains mockumentary Alice in Chains Twenty-Three .

Cantrell was director Cameron Crowe s first choice for the role of Stillwater bass player Larry Fellows in Almost Famous . He turned the role down because he was busy writing the songs for his 2002 solo album "Degradation Trip". Mark Kozelek was cast instead. Cantrell told in a 2002 interview that he was sorry for turning the role down, but he hoped Crowe would consider him for another movie. Cantrell had previously appeared in two films directed by Crowe, Singles and Jerry Maguire .

[The Quietus - June 28, 2013] Both my parents were country music fans.

Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.