Layne Staley

Background

Layne Thomas Staley was born on August 22, 1967, in Kirkland, Washington, to Phillip Blair Staley and Nancy Elizabeth Staley. Staley was reared as a Christian Scientist but became skeptical of religion as an adult. Staley began playing the drums at the age of 12 and was influenced by bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. In 1984, he formed Sleze with a group of Shorewood High School students. Staley and his band Sleze appeared in the low-budget film “Father Rock” in 1985. Sleze evolved into Alice N’ Chains, a speed metal band, in 1986.

While working at Music Bank rehearsal studios, Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell at a party in Seattle. Cantrell had heard Staley’s voice while seeing him play with his former band, Alice N’ Chains. For nearly a year, the two fast friends shared a decaying rehearsal space as housemates. In 1987, Staley joined Cantrell’s band on a full-time basis. The final demo, completed in 1988, was named The Treehouse Tapes and found its way to the music managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver. Curtis and Silver passed the demo on to Columbia Records’ A.&.R. representative Nick Terzo who arranged a meeting with label president Don Ienner. Terzo signed Alice in Chains to Columbia Records in 1989 based on The Treehouse Tapes. ‘Man in the Box,’ with lyrics written by Staley, became a huge hit, and Alice in Chains made a cameo in Cameron Crowe’s 1992 film “Singles.”

Many people believe that Staley’s lyrics address his personal problems, such as his drug addiction and despair. For Alice in Chains, Cantrell was largely responsible for writing the music and lyrics, and Staley later added more vocals. Before the 2009 release of “Black Gives Way to Blue,” Staley would eventually be given credit for over half of the lyrics from the whole discography. He also contributed guitar to the songs ‘Angry Chair’ and ‘Hate to Feel.’ In November 1995, the group released “Alice in Chains,” which is also known as “Tripod.” After debuting at the top of the American charts, it was given double platinum status. Staley wrote all of the lyrics except ‘Grind,’ ‘Heaven Beside You,’ and ‘Over Now.’ One of Staley’s final performances with Alice in Chains was at the M.T.V. Unplugged concert in New York.