Reportedly, the name “Blind Melon” describes some hippies from Mississippi, as used (or coined) by Brad Smith’s father. Also, “Blind Melon Chitlin” was the name of a fictional bluesman appearing in a routine on the self-titled Cheech and Chong LP. These may be derivative of the name of an actual bluesman, Blind Lemon Jefferson. Blind Melon signed to Capitol Records in 1991 and recorded an unreleased demo. Lead singer Shannon Hoon and Axl Rose (who was a friend of Hoon’s sister) re-met, and Hoon sang back-up on several Guns N’ Roses tracks, including Don’t Cry. The band’s self-titled debut album, produced by Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam), sold poorly until the single and music video for No Rain hit the airwaves and became a smash success, along with the popular video which featured the equally popular Bee Girl (played by Heather DeLoach). Subsequently, Blind Melon went platinum four times. After opening for Neil Young and Lenny Kravitz, Blind Melon’s own tour was cut short due to Hoon’s escalating drug use. Hoon and the rest of the band began recording their sophomore album in New Orleans with producer Andy Wallace. Hoon would later admit that he had no memory of the recording session. While Hoon checked into rehab, the album, Soup, was released in 1995, but sold poorly. In 1995, Blind Melon also contributed the song Out on the Tiles to the Encomium tribute album to Led Zeppelin, as well as a promotional CD with a cover of the School House Rock song Three is a Magic Number. Against the advice of Hoon’s drug counselor, Blind Melon went on tour again. Hoon was found dead of a cocaine overdose on October 21, 1995, in New Orleans. With some unreleased vocals in the vaults, the remaining members released Nico in 1996, with the profits going to a program that helps musicians with addiction. After briefly attempting to continue, Blind Melon soon disbanded, and the various members went on to other projects. In 2002, Capitol Records released a Classic Masters CD showcasing twelve Blind Melon songs. Thanks to stronger than expected sales, the band released The Best of Blind Melon in 2005, a CD+DVD package that features Blind Melon performing live from a September 1995 concert in Chicago. A tribute album to Blind Melon was released by Yakmusic in New Zealand in December 2006, featuring bands from all over the world. The album’s profits will be used for charitable purposes and will be available online from numerous websites. On September 15, 2006, the band announced they were reuniting with a new lead singer, Travis Warren formerly of Rain Fur Rent. Blind Melon played their first show together in over 12 years on October 7, 2007 in Providence, Rhode Island. They released their new album For My Friends on April 22, 2008 through Adrenaline Records. As of November 8, 2008, Travis Warren has left the band. Conflicting stories and a lingering voice problem has convinced Warren and Blind Melon to go their separate ways. The remaining members tried to replace Warren with Chris Shinn, who fronted Unified Theory, but felt Shinn would need more time to get accustomed to all the music. As of now, the remaining dates on the tour have been cancelled and will be rescheduled when Blind Melon feels they are ready to give the fans what they deserve. |
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