Scott Weiland Biography

Frontman Scott Weiland was an iconic rock voice of the 1990s and 2000s as a member of the bands Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver. Raised in Ohio and California, he co-founded Stone Temple Pilots in San Diego in 1987 (the band’s first name was Mighty Joe Young). Their blend of punk and heavy metal was a hit in the wake of the grunge-era of rock, and their 1992 debut album, Core, produced the hit singles “Plush” and “Sex Type Thing.” Dismissed by some as Pearl Jam soundalikes, STP’s second album, 1994’s Purple, was an even bigger hit, with singles such as “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song.”

Internal struggles and Weiland’s drug use and arrests eventually led to the end of STP; the band broke up formally in 2002, and Weiland went on to join former Guns ‘N Roses members to form Velvet Revolver in 2003. That band produced hits such as “Fall to Pieces” and the Grammy-winning “Slither,” but broke up in 2008. Weiland and STP got back together and released the 2010 album Stone Temple Pilots, but then broke up again. On his own, Weiland released three albums: 12 Bar Blues (1998), Happy (2008) and a Christmas album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2011). At the time of his death, at the age of 48, Weiland was on tour with a new band, Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts.