DeViCom Biography: Blind Melon

Blind Melon f. 1989, db. 1999

A US pop-rock band comprising Glen Graham (b. Columbus, Mississippi, USA; drums), Shannon Hoon (b. Lafeyette, Indiana, USA, d. Oct 21, 1995, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; vocals), Roger Stevens (b. West Point, Mississippi, USA; guitar), Christopher Thorn (b. Dover, Pennsylvania; guitar) and Brad Smith (b. West Point, Mississippi, USA; bass), Blind Melon entered the US mainstream in 1993. One of their major claims to fame was introducing the phenomenon of the 'bee girl'. Back in their home base of Columbus, Mississippi, Graham was passing round a snap of his sister, Georgia, appearing in a school play. The band elected to use the shot, which presented young Georgia as an awkward, publicity-shy ypungster adorned in a bee-suit, on their debut album. The image would also reappear in the video for their second single, "No Rain", in June 1992. Directed by Sam Bayer (responsible for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), the Bee Girl was portrayed by 10-year-old Heather DeLoach. MTV played the clip relentlessly, helping to boost the fortunes of their album.The young girl became a huge cult icon, beloved of various rock stars including Madonna, while Blind Melon profited greatly from the association with her. Their album had been shipped for several months and was languishing outside the US charts, but it soon re-entered and went on to reach number 3. However, succes had not been as instantaneous as many assumed. Smith had long been a dedicated musician, playing drums, baritone saxophone and guitar, the last of which he taught to Stevens. The two had left Columbus in 1989 for Los Angeles, where they met first Hoon, a small-town mischief-maker who had left his sporting ambitions behind when he got involved in the drug scene, and Thorn, who had formerly played in a local heavy metal band, R.O.T. Together they scoured Hollywood for a drummer and found fellow Mississippi refugge Graham. A demo tape was recorded, and, without their consent, circulated to the major record companies, who began queing up for their services. This despite the fact that had an armoury of just five songs. It was Atlantic Records who eventually requested their signatures. They were put to work in a Los Angeles studio, but were distracted by the presence of Hoon's old Indiana friend, Axl Rose, who was recording Use Your Illusion with Guns N'Roses. Hoon was invited to add backing vocals, and appeared in the video to "Don't Cry". After a support tour to Soundgarden the group relocated to Durham, North Carolina, to find space and time to finish writing their debut set, before teaming with producer Rick Parasher in Seattle. Afterwards, events overtook them, and by November 1993 Rolling Stone magazine was following, including dates at Woodstock II in America and the Glastonbury Festival in England. The pressure to repeat the success of the debut with Soup was obvious, but when it finally emerged it was far less accessible than many expected although it was a great album. Recorded in New Orleans during bouts of drug-related non-activity, Hoon confessed in interviews that he could not actually remember making the record. In truth he had passed some of the time between albums in a rehabilitation clinic. The new songs included "St. Andrew Fall", which concerned suicide, and "Skinned", about serial killer Ed Gein, who would dress in the skins of his female victims. Some of the effect of this track's lurid subject matter was alleviated by the presence of a kazoo solo. It was generally known that Hoon had unsuccessfully fought heroin addcition for some time, but neither the band nor the family could prise him away for long enough periods for him to complete his rehabilitation programme. He died from a heroin overdose, his body was found in the band's bus. The final album, Nico (named after Hoon's stepdaughter), was released in 1997. It was a sad and patched-together affair that the remaining members felt morally obliged to release.