ON THIS DATE IN 1967 A BABY WAS BORN IN WASHINGTON STATE NAMED LAYNE RUTHERFORD STALEY…HE LEGALLY CHANGED HIS MIDDLE NAME TO THOMAS IN HIS TEENS BECAUSE HE WAS A FAN OF MOTLEY CRUE DRUMMER TOMMY LEE AND HATED HIS MIDDLE NAME.
STALEY STARTED OUT AS A DRUMMER, BUT AFTER SOME COERSION FROM BANDMATES, LAYNE TOOK THE FRONT MIC FOR THE BAND HE CO FOUNDED, ALICE IN CHAINS….IT WAS THE RIGHT SPOT FOR HIM – HE HAS BEEN RANKED AS ONE OF THE TOP LEAD VOCALISTS OF ALL TIME ON SEVERAL LISTS AND POLLS AND EARNED SIX GRAMMY NOMINATIONS AS A MEMBER OF THE PIONERRING GRUNGE OUTFIT OF ALICE IN CHAINS. IN 2019, HIS HOMETOWN OF SEATTLE OFFICIALLY DECLARED TODAY AS LAYNE STALEY DAY. SADLY, STALEY’S STRUGGLE WITH ADDICTION LED TO HIS UNTIMELY DEATH IN 2002 AT THE AGE OF JUST 34. JUST A DAY BEFORE STALEY’S 23RD BIRTHDAY, ALICE IN CHAINS DROPPED FACELIFT, THEIR DEBUT ALBUM THAT SET IN STONE THE BAND’S SIGNATURE STYLE. THE SECOND SINGLE, ‘MAN IN THE BOX’ WAS WRITTEN BY STALEY…THAT IS TODAY’S ROCK REWIND ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN LAYNE STALEY’S 56TH BIRTHDAY
