Jerry Cantrell

Jerry Cantrell
Cantrell in 2019
Cantrell in 2019
Background information
Birth nameJerry Fulton Cantrell Jr.[1]
Born (1966-03-18) March 18, 1966 (age 58)[2]
Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1985–present
Labels
Member ofAlice in Chains
Formerly of
Websitejerrycantrell.com

Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. (born March 18, 1966)[1] is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and main songwriter[9] of the rock band Alice in Chains.[10] The band rose to international fame in the early 1990s during Seattle's grunge movement and is known for its distinctive vocal style[11] and the harmonized vocals between Cantrell and Layne Staley (and later Cantrell and William DuVall). Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on Alice in Chains' 1992 EP Sap. After Staley's death in 2002, Cantrell took the role of Alice in Chains' lead singer on most of the songs from the band's post-Staley albums, Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018), with DuVall harmonizing with him in the new songs and singing Staley's vocals in the old songs in live concerts.[12][13]

He also has a solo career and released the albums Boggy Depot in 1998 and Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 in 2002. His third solo album, Brighten, was released in 2021. His most recent release is 2024's I Want Blood. Cantrell has also collaborated and performed with Heart, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Pantera, Circus of Power, Metal Church, Gov't Mule, Damageplan, Pearl Jam, The Cult, Stone Temple Pilots, Danzig, Glenn Hughes, Duff McKagan, and Deftones, among others.

Cantrell was named "Riff Lord" by British hard rock/metal magazine Metal Hammer in 2006.[14] Guitar World Magazine ranked Cantrell as the 38th out of "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time" in 2004,[15] and the 37th "Greatest Guitar Player of All Time" in 2012.[16] Guitar World also ranked Cantrell's solo in "Man in the Box" at No. 77 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" in 2008.[17] Cantrell has earned nine Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.[18]

He also contributed to the soundtracks of The Cable Guy (1996), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), and Dark Nights: Metal (2018), and he has made cameos in films such as Jerry Maguire (1996), Rock Slyde (2009), and Deadwood: The Movie (2019). Cantrell also acted in the Alice in Chains mockumentaries The Nona Tapes (1995) and AIC 23 (2013).

  1. ^ a b Brown, Jake (July 1, 2010). Alice in Chains: In the Studio. SCB Distributors. ISBN 9780983471646. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "March 18, 2009". Billboard. March 18, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  3. ^ Reed, Ryan (May 9, 2016). "Alice in Chains Plot Headlining North American Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  4. ^ McGovern, Kyle (May 28, 2013). "Alice in Chains' Advice to Young Bands: 'Quit Now'". Spin. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  5. ^ Prato, Greg. "Jerry Cantrell - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". Allmusic. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  6. ^ "The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists #16: Jerry Cantrell". MetalSucks. May 13, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Zaleski, Annie (May 28, 2013). "Alice in Chains. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  8. ^ Begrand, Adrien (March 16, 2006). "Godsmack – The Other Side". Popmatters.com. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
  9. ^ O'Malley Greenburg, Zack (February 7, 2022). "Alice In Chains Members Sell Catalog to Round Hill for $50 Million". Variety. [...] Alice in Chains compositions by Cantrell — the group's main songwriter over the course of its entire career
  10. ^ Parales, Jon. "Dancing Around Death, With Elephant in Room". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "How Alice in Chains Found the Most Memorable Voice in Grunge". The Atlantic. April 5, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "New ALICE IN CHAINS Singer: 'I Don't Think I Could Sound Like LAYNE STALEY If I Tried'". Blabbermouth. November 22, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Alice In Chains' William DuVall: 'I Am Not Layne Staley'". WAAF. August 15, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference riff lord was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference heavy metal guitarists was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference all time guitarists was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference guitar solo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "GRAMMY Award Results for Jerry Cantrell". Grammy.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.