Andrew Wood
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| Andrew Wood | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1966 |
| Origin | Washington, United States |
| Died | March 19, 1990 (aged 24) |
| Genre(s) | Grunge/Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Bass guitar Vocals Piano |
| Years active | 1980 - 1990 |
| Label(s) | Stardog Records, Polygram |
| Associated acts | Mother Love Bone Malfunkshun |
Andrew Wood (January 6, 1966 – March 19, 1990), born in Columbus, Mississippi, was the lead singer of the band Mother Love Bone, and earlier of Malfunkshun. He was only 24 when he died of a heroin overdose coupled with a cerebral hemorrhage just before the release of Mother Love Bone's debut album Apple. After moving from Dallas, Texas to Washington State, he lived on Bainbridge Island for the majority of his youth, forming Malfunkshun as a teenager with his brother Kevin Wood. The only released material during Malfunkshun's existence was on the compilation, Deep Six (C/Z Records).
As a musician, his trademarks were his exuberant on-stage personality, glittery, outlandish clothes and whimsical, unabashedly dreamy lyrics which he would sing in a tenor heavily reminiscent of Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. However, his vocal stylings eventually matured and drew heavily upon the similar technique of late guitarist and singer Tommy Bolin. In the 1996 movie Hype!, Seattle engineer Jack Endino called Wood "the only stand-up comedian frontman in Seattle", a reference to Wood's playful style of interacting with Mother Love Bone fans.
Fellow band members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament of Mother Love Bone went on to form Pearl Jam, and Malfunkshun drummer Regan Hagar later appeared in Satchel and Brad with Shawn Smith. Stone Gossard is also a concurrent member of Brad. Shawn Smith has a guest appearance on the album "Your Ice Cream's Dirty" by Devilhead.
In the year following Andrew Wood's death, his former companions Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, together with Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron from Soundgarden formed the tribute band Temple of the Dog. Their name was taken from one of Wood's lyrics and the songs bore the street-rock flavor of Mother Love Bone's music. Also included on Temple of the Dog's self-titled album were the other two members from Gossard and Ament's newly born band, Mookie Blaylock (later to become Pearl Jam). These members were Mike McCready, who played solo guitar for Temple of the Dog, and Eddie Vedder who sang on the song "Hunger Strike" together with Cornell.
Two of the songs on the album, both written by Cornell, are written to Wood according to the liner notes. These are "Reach Down" and the album's lead-in, the immensely popular "Say Hello 2 Heaven".
The Alice in Chains song "Would?," dedicated to Wood, became one of their biggest hits and appeared on their 1992 album Dirt. The song is also contained in the Cameron Crowe's movie Singles. The Singles sound track also includes Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns written by Mother Love Bone.
The song "Mr Lovedog" by Los Angeles band Faster Pussycat (from their 1992 album "Whipped!") is also a tribute to Andrew Wood. Faster Pussycat vocalist Taime Downe is a Seattle native.
In 1991, Kevin Wood formed the Fire Ants with his brother Brian Wood and former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing. The group worked with producer Jack Endino and released an EP, "Stripped", through the Seattle record label Dekema Records. Brian and Kevin later formed the group Devilhead and signed with Stone Gossard's Loosegroove record label.
In 1995, Gossard released Return to Olympus, a compilation of demos recorded by Wood and Malfunkshun.
[edit] Tributes
Besides the Temple of the Dog project, other tributes to Wood have been made.
The 1994 album The Cult by The Cult features a song titled "Sacred Life" that mentions the death of Andrew Wood. The album also expresses his interest in a highschool mate Emily, who died in a car accident. A song entitled "All My Bridges are Burning" by popular 80s hair metal band, Warrant, was also released at approximately the same time and was dedicated to Andy.
In 2005, director Scot Barbour completed production on the documentary, Malfunkshun: The Andrew Wood Story (distributed by Sony), which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival. Later that year, the film won the Judges' Choice for Best Documentary at the FAIF Film Festival in Hollywood, California. [1]
The same year on March 19, to celebrate Andrew, some Italian fans organized the Pearl Jam annual tribute in Milan with special guest Kevin Wood on guitar. To see some videos check [2]
The Song "Would?" was written by Alice in Chains Guitarist/Singer/Lyricist Jerry Cantrell in Andrew Wood's memory. This song is also Featured in the Alice in Chains "Dirt" album. It is also featured in the movie "Singles" soundtrack.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Tinelli, Paul. "Malfunkshun". All Music Guide. Retrieved May 9, 2005.
- Andrew Wood History - Interview with brother Kevin Wood
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