Shannon Hoon

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Richard Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995) was the lead singer of the band Blind Melon.

Early Life

Born Richard Shannon Hoon in Lafayette, Indiana, USA, Hoon reportedly began using his middle name to avoid confusion with his father, who was also named Richard. In high school, Hoon was a stand-out athlete in football, wrestling, and pole vaulting. In addition to his reputation as an athlete, Hoon gained some local notoriety following several arrests by the Lafayette police. Hoon graduated from McCutcheon High School in 1986. After graduation, Hoon joined a local band named Styff Kytten, which also featured guitarist Michael Kelsey. Hoon took on the role of frontman and lead singer for the band. It was around this time that Hoon wrote his first song, Change.

Blind Melon

Inspired by the success of fellow Lafayette native Axl Rose (who was an acquaintance of Hoon's sister), Hoon left Indiana for Los Angeles in hopes of making it in the music industry. After arriving in LA, Hoon met musicians Glen Graham, Brad Smith, and Roger Stevens at a party. Graham, Smith, and Stevens saw Hoon perform his song Change acoustically and invited Hoon to play with them. Christopher Thorn was invited to play with the foursome at one of these sessions and soon the five musicians decided to form Blind Melon. In 1991, Blind Melon produced a four song demo and subsequently signed a $500,000 recording contract with Capitol Records.

In LA, Hoon encountered his inspiration, Axl Rose. Rose invited Hoon to join him in the studio, where his band Guns N' Roses were recording their albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Hoon sang back-up vocals on several tracks, including Don't Cry. Rose also invited Hoon to appear in the video for Don't Cry, giving Hoon his first real taste of publicity.

In 1992, Blind Melon released their self-titled debut album. The album, produced by Pearl Jam's Rick Parashar, garnered some positive reviews but initially failed to make much of an impact. Blind Melon began touring to promote the album, supporting acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Neil Young, Guns N' Roses, and Soundgarden over the course of 1992-1993. The members of Blind Melon became increasingly involved in drug use during the tour, with Hoon being the primary offender. In 1993, when the album track No Rain was released as a single, Blind Melon suddenly became huge stars. The quirky video for No Rain featured a young, overweight girl in a bee costume (often referred to as the 'Bee Girl'). The video was wildly popular and was the driving force behind Blind Melon going multi-platinum.

Hoon and Blind Melon spent the next two years touring. The tours were frequently interrupted as Hoon spent time in rehab or jail as his already serious drug use increased and his behavior became more bizarre. In 1993, Hoon was arrested for indecent exposure after he stripped naked onstage and allegedly urinated on a fan at a show in Vancouver. In 1994 Blind Melon appeared at Woodstock 2. Hoon went onstage wearing his girlfriend's dress and clearly intoxicated. Throughout the performance, Hoon baited the audience and ended the set by tossing a set of conga drums into the crowd. Also in 1994, Hoon went on a rampage at the Billboard Music Awards when he attacked a security guard.

After taking a hiatus from touring, Blind Melon returned to the studio to record the album Soup in New Orleans. Although producer Andy Wallace claimed that drugs were not a problem during the recording of Soup, Hoon reportedly had no recollection of the album sessions. Soup was released in 1995, a darker album considerably different from their eponymous debut. Critics gave it harsh reviews and the album received a lukewarm reception.

Final Year and Death

In 1995, Hoon and his long time girlfriend Lisa Crouse had a daughter they named Nico Blue. After the birth of his daughter, Hoon entered rehab again. Blind Melon needed to tour to support their album Soup, so Hoon negotiated an early release from his drug rehab program with the stipulation that his drug counselor would accompany him on the road. The counselor however was unable to keep Hoon from falling back into his pattern of drug use and was dismissed from the tour less than a month into it. Without the counselor to rein him in, Hoon's usage of drugs escalated. After a disasterous performance in Houston, Hoon launched into an all-night long coke binge, hurling blame all over the place. The next day, on October 21st, 1995, Blind Melon was scheduled to play a show in New Orleans at the famed venue, Tipitina's. When one of the band's roadies went to the tour bus to wake Hoon up for a sound check, he was unable to rouse him. An ambulance was summoned and Hoon was pronounced dead on the scene. The cause of death was attributed to an accidental cocaine overdose. Hoon was buried in Dayton, Indiana; his grave is inscribed with the words to the first song he wrote, Change:

"I know we all can't stay here forever So I want to write my words on the face of today And then they'll paint it."

In 1996, Blind Melon released their final album Nico as a tribute to Hoon with all proceeds going to his daughter and to programs helping musicians deal with drug problems.