Jerry Cantrell

Architect of Alice in Chains' dark riffs and eerie harmonies

Jerry Cantrell was born in Tacoma, Washington, and grew up largely in the Pacific Northwest, where rock radio, heavy metal and his family's country music collection all shaped his taste. His father was a Vietnam veteran, a relationship he would later explore in song. Cantrell played in local bands through his teens and moved to Seattle's music scene in the mid-1980s, determined to make a career of it despite little money and uncertain prospects. His mother's death from cancer in 1987 hit him hard and deepened the dark tone of his writing.

In 1987 Cantrell formed Alice in Chains with singer Layne Staley, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr. Signed to Columbia, they released Facelift in 1990, and Man in the Box became a hit on MTV. The band toured heavily, including stints opening for big metal acts, and their mix of sludgy riffs with haunting two-part vocal harmonies set them apart. Cantrell wrote most of the music and sang the harmony line that became as crucial to the band's identity as Staley's lead.

Dirt, released in 1992, is widely considered a masterpiece of the Seattle era, with Rooster, Would? and Them Bones showing Cantrell's gift for brooding, heavy songcraft. The acoustic EP Jar of Flies followed in 1994 and became the first EP to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. A self-titled album arrived in 1995 and the band's MTV Unplugged set in 1996, but Staley's addiction increasingly kept the group off the road. Cantrell launched a solo career with Boggy Depot in 1998 and Degradation Trip in 2002.

Staley died in 2002, and a few years later Cantrell, Kinney and bassist Mike Inez revived Alice in Chains with singer William DuVall. Black Gives Way to Blue in 2009 was a powerful, emotional return, followed by The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here and Rainier Fog. Cantrell now handles more lead vocals than ever, and he resumed his solo career with Brighten in 2021 and I Want Blood in 2024. He remains one of the most respected riff writers of his generation.

The 10 greatest Jerry Cantrell solos

1. 1
   Man in the Box

   Alice In Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1990
2. 2
   Rooster

   Alice In Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1992
3. 3
   Would?

   Alice In Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1992
4. 4
   Them Bones

   Alice In Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1992
5. 5
   Dam That River

   Alice in Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1992
6. 6
   Nutshell

   Alice In Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1994
7. 7
   Grind

   Alice in Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1995
8. 8
   Sea of Sorrow

   Alice in Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 1990
9. 9
   Check My Brain

   Alice in Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 2009
10. 10
    A Looking in View

    Alice in Chains · solo by Jerry Cantrell · 2009

The sound

Cantrell is above all a riff architect, building songs from heavy, lurching figures in drop and down tunings that owe a debt to Tony Iommi but carry a swampy, unsettling feel of their own. He favors odd bends, dissonant intervals and grinding half-step movement, and his solos tend to be concise and melodic, loaded with wah and wide vibrato rather than flashy speed. His acoustic writing on Jar of Flies shows a warmer, folk and country-tinged side. Equally important is his voice: his harmony lines with Layne Staley, and later William DuVall, define the band's eerie sound.

• G&L Rampage (guitar) His famous main guitar for years, including the well-known one decorated with a pin-up sticker.
• Gibson Les Paul Custom (guitar) A heavier-voiced workhorse he has used for thick rhythm tones; Gibson has also issued Cantrell signature models.
• Bogner amplifiers (amp) A major part of his high-gain tone from the 1990s onward.
• Friedman JJ-100 (amp) His signature amplifier, voiced for his thick, saturated rhythm sound.
• Dunlop Cry Baby JC95 (effect) His signature wah pedal, a key tool for his vocal-like leads.

Covers

• Goodbye, originally by Elton John He closes his solo album with a tender tribute to one of his favorite songwriters.

Timeline

• 1966 Born in Tacoma, Washington
• 1987 Forms Alice in Chains with Layne Staley, Sean Kinney and Mike Starr
• 1990 Debut album Facelift; Man in the Box becomes a hit
• 1992 Releases Dirt, a landmark of the Seattle era
• 1994 Jar of Flies becomes the first EP to debut at number one
• 1996 Alice in Chains perform MTV Unplugged
• 1998 Releases solo debut Boggy Depot
• 2002 Releases Degradation Trip; Layne Staley dies
• 2009 Black Gives Way to Blue marks the band's return with William DuVall
• 2021 Returns to solo work with Brighten

Facts

1. Rooster was written about his father, a Vietnam veteran whose nickname gave the song its title.
2. Jar of Flies was the first EP ever to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
3. He wrote Would? with his late friend Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone in mind.
4. Alice in Chains appeared on screen in Cameron Crowe's 1992 film Singles.
5. He has a small cameo in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire.
6. Dunlop makes a signature Cry Baby wah for him, the JC95.
7. His solo album Brighten ends with a cover of Elton John's Goodbye.
8. Elton John played piano on the title track of Black Gives Way to Blue.
9. Cantrell sang harmony on almost all of the classic Alice in Chains songs and lead vocals on several.
10. Mike Inez replaced original bassist Mike Starr in 1993.