Oct 21, 2015 - 20 years ago today, Shannon Hoon passed away

Oct 21, 1995

Damn fine voice and a cool band.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Hoon

http://www.noladefender.com/content/today-nola-102115

On this day in Louisiana history, Blind Melon lead singer Shannon Hoon was found dead on St. Charles Ave. (1995).

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6737381/blind-melon-shannon-hoon-death

Some rock anniversaries are cause for celebration; others are moments to pause and consider how quickly time can pass, and how distant a once-familiar era of music can become.

Others are just plain depressing. Today, we mark the latter, as it's been 20 years since Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon died of a heart attack brought on by a cocaine overdose.

On Oct. 21, 1995, Hoon -- who had just attempted an unsuccessful rehab stint around the time of the birth of his daughter -- was found dead in the band's tour bus in New Orleans. Blind Melon's second album Soup had dropped two months earlier, and Hoon turned 28 just a month before, making him a few weeks shy of joining rock's infamous 27 club.

here's Dallas Morning News' rather judgmental take on the situation from a 1995 article: "As lead singer for the rock group Blind Melon, 28-year-old Shannon Hoon had it all -- the looks, the talent and, it appeared, the smarts to keep it going. A drug overdose proved otherwise."

In a similar vein, the Orlando Sentinel quoted a local teenager who didn't seem particularly perturbed by the news.

"Another musical loss was Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, who died in October at age 28 of a drug overdose one night while on tour," a 1995 article from the Orlando Sentinel reads. "But not everyone is sympathetic for him. 'His death shows us what drugs can do,' said George Beaton, a sophomore at Seminole High."

In the slightly-less-depressing category, a few articles in the wake of Hoon's death reported on various artists who paid him homage in concert.

Per an L.A. Times article from Oct. 30, 1995, reviewing Neil Young's Bridge School benefit concert: "[Chrissie] Hynde… dedicated a stinging version of Young's 'Needle and the Damage Done' to Shannon Hoon, the Blind Melon lead singer who was found dead in New Orleans on Oct. 21. Blind Melon had been scheduled for Saturday's bill."

Similarly, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Boston Globe both note that Candlebox dedicated songs to Hoon on their tour. From the former publication:

"You," a hit from Candlebox's three million-selling debut album, was a big crowd pleaser, as was "Far Behind," another smash hit from that 1993 album, which earned a dedication at Sunday's performance. "This song is for Mr. Shannon Hoon," said lead singer Kevin Martin, referring to the recent death of the Blind Melon lead singer.

Revisit Blind Melon's "Change" below. Lyrics from that song are on Hoon's grave.

#music - #history