Alice in Chains Pay Tribute to Layne Staley on His 50th Birthday: ‘There Was Nobody Better’
Alice in Chains have released a video paying tribute to late vocalist Layne Staley, who would have turned 50 years old today (Aug. 22). The musicians reminisce about the singer’s incredible voice, with Jerry Cantrell claiming “there was nobody better.”
“Layne, to me, was f—king one of the greatest singers in rock and roll history,” says Cantrell. “I’ve never heard anything like him before and I will never hear anything like him since … Just to be able to get to be in a band with a guy that does that to you, there’s nobody better to me than him and he’s my friend.”
Layne Staley will always be remembered as one of the most distinct and powerful vocalists in rock history. Having lost his life to heroin addiction, Staley lives on through his mother’s words, as she recently spoke out about America’s current opioid epidemic and recalled seeing Layne’s body two weeks after he had fatally overdosed.
“Layne’s voice was so powerful that I could hear his voice coming off his body,” recalls Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, who also played with Staley in Mad Season. “Out of his chest [was] louder than what was coming out of the monitors.”
Heart’s Ann Wilson and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready also shared their memories of Layne and his incredible voice. Jerry Cantrell rarely does interviews about Layne these days, so check out this special tribute to Alice in Chains’ iconic vocalist in the clip above.
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