Alice In Chains - Whale & Wasp [Ab tuning]

Alice In Chains
Jar Of Flies
Whale & Wasp
Columbia 1993

Layne's Early life:

Layne Staley was born to Phil Staley and Nancy McCallum (née Layne) in Kirkland, Washington. He was seven years old when his parents divorced, after which he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Jim Elmer. He took his stepfather's name while in high school and was known for some time as Layne Elmer. In early 2002, shortly before his death, he would describe the experience of witnessing his parents' divorce: "My world became a nightmare, there were just shadows around me. I got a call saying that my dad had died, but my family always knew he was around doing all kind of drugs. Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' I felt so sad for him and I missed him. He dropped out of my life for 15 years. In that same interview he hinted that his parents' break-up and his father's drug use were at least partially responsible for his own drug problems, and also said that he was convinced that if he became a celebrity his dad would return.

Staley began playing drums at age 12; he played in several glam bands in his early teens, but by this point, Staley had aspirations of becoming a singer. In 1985, Staley formed a band called Sleze, which also featured future Second Coming members Johnny Bacolas and James Bergstrom. With the addition of guitarist Nick Pollock in 1986, Sleze morphed into Alice N' Chainz, a band which Staley said "dressed in drag and played speed metal. The new band performed around the Seattle area playing Slayer and Armored Saint covers. Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell while working at Music Bank rehearsal studios, where the two struggling musicians became roommates, and lived in a rehearsal space they shared. Alice N' Chains soon disbanded and Staley joined a funk band who at the time also required a guitarist. He asked Cantrell to join as a sideman. Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join Cantrell's band Diamond Lie, which at the time included drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr. Eventually the funk project broke up and in 1987 Staley joined Cantrell on a full time basis. Diamond Lie played in clubs around the Pacific Northwest, often stretching 15 minutes of material into a 45-minute set. The band eventually took the name of Alice in Chains.


R.I.P. Layne Staley 1967-2002

Category:

Music

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• Whale
• Wasp
• AIC
• Alice
• In
• Chains
• Ab
• Tuning
• RIP
• Layne
• Staley
• Jar
• of
• Flies

[AlistinaLayne]

With loving memory of Mike Starr and Layne Staley-