A Biography
of Shannon Hoon 1967 - 1995
October 1995
Shannon Hoon -- a Lafayette native and lead singer of the
multi-million album selling band Blind Melon -- died Saturday
afternoon in New Orleans. He was 28.
Here is a
chronology of his rise to national fame:
Spring 1986
-- A standout athlete in football, wrestling and track, Hoon
graduates from McCutcheon High School.
February
1988 -- Hoon fronts Styff Kytten, a Lafayette cover band that
includes Lafayette guitarist Mike Kelsey. In a Journal and Courier
feature story about Styff Kytten, the band's manager says:
"Shannon's got that desire. You look at him and automatically know
he's a band member. He's got the persona of a front man. You never
want to take your eye off him because you never know what he's
going to do."
Spring 1990
-- After several scrapes with Lafayette police and hoping to follow
in the footsteps of fellow Lafayette native, Axl Rose of Guns n'
Roses, Hoon leaves Lafayette for Los Angeles.
March 1991
-- Hoon and his new band, Blind Melon, sign a $500,000 recording
contract with Capitol Records. He tells the Journal and Courier, "I
wanted to make a CD they would sell at Musicland in Tippecanoe
Mall. I wanted to show them I could do something with my life, and
I have." Blind Melon moves from Los Angeles to Chapel Hill, N.C.,
to work on new material and to live together in a home they dub
"Sleepy House."
Fall 1991 --
At the invitation of Axl Rose, Hoon sings backup vocals and appears
in the Guns n' Roses video, "Don't Cry," a major MTV hit. Dubbed
the mysterious man in flannel, Hoon's appearance gives Blind Melon
a national buzz.
April 1992
-- Blind Melon goes on the MTV 120 Minutes Tour with Big Audio
Dynamite II,Public Image Ltd. and Live. Blind Melon releases "Dear
Ole Dad," a video that receives airtime on MTV's 120
Minutes.
September
1992 -- Blind Melon releases its self-titled debut on Capitol
Records. RollingStone says Hoon "at times sounds eerily like Janis
Joplin." The record's homey,folk-meets-alternative sound gets good
marks, but sales are quiet.
Oct. 26,
1992 -- Hoon brings Blind Melon to West Lafayette for a sold-out
show at Nick's.
June 1993 --
Capitol releases the Blind Melon single, "No Rain." The arresting
video --featuring a misfit girl in a bee suit and Hoon's engaging
vocals -- becomes a huge hit and wins heavy rotation on MTV and pop
radio. Blind Melon reaches No. 3 on the Billboard charts that
summer. The record sells more than 2 million copies. The band tours
constantly, opening shows for Soundgarden and Neil Young, among
others.
October 1993
-- Hoon faces nudity and indecent exposure charges after he strips
onstageduring a concert in Vancouver, B.C.
Nov. 11,
1993 -- Blind Melon appears on the cover of Rolling Stone. The band
poses nude.Hoon gets more attention, though, for wearing braided
pigtails.
February
1994 -- Hoon is charged for attacking a security guard during the
taping of theAmerican Music Awards.
March 1994
-- Blind Melon is nominated for Grammy Awards in Best New Artist
and BestRock Performance categories. The band doesn't
win.
August 1994
-- Blind Melon performs at Woodstock II.
July 11,
1995 -- Hoon becomes a father, when girlfriend Lisa Crouse gives
birth to a girl.
August 1995
-- After months of recording in New Orleans, Blind Melon releases
Soup. Thefirst single, "Galaxie," peaks at No. 8 on Billboard's
modern rock tracks chart.
Sept. 25,
1995 -- Blind Melon plays the Egyptian Room at the Murat Temple in
Indianapolis.Hoon introduces his daughter, Blue, to the crowd:
"Tonight's my daughter's first rock 'n' roll event." The tour is
one of the first dates on a three-month, U.S. and Canadian
tour.
Oct. 21,
1995 -- Band members find Hoon dead on the tour bus before a date
in New Orleans. Officials are investigating the cause of
death.
I know
we can't all stay here forever so I want to write my words on the
face of today and they'll paint it.
