Jerry Cantrell just wanted to be a guitar player who didn’t sing in Alice in Chains.
But he credits the late Layne Staley for changing all of that, and how the band’s sound would be shaped moving forward.
Jerry Cantrell Didn’t Want To Sing
It may be difficult to imagine Alice in Chains without the dueling vocals, but that is what Cantrell initially wanted during the band’s early days.
“I never really wanted to be a lead singer, ever,” Cantrell said in a recent interview with Gibson TV. “I just wanted to play guitar, write songs and sing backups.”
Jerry Cantrell Speaks With Gibson TV
Cantrell viewed that arrangement as being much “easier” for him and the band in general.
“We had Layne Staley… Like, I don’t need to be singing anything. He’s got it covered, you know.”
What Made Jerry Cantrell Change His Mind
Cantrell credits Staley for pushing him to sing lead on some Alice in Chains’ songs, especially the ones where he wrote the lyrics.
“I remember having a couple of conversations with Layne, especially on the first EP, because that was pretty much my first experience of sort of like singing a lead on an Alice record,” Cantrell recalled. “He was like, ‘Man, these are your lyrics. No offence, but they probably mean more to you than they do to me. I love singing them and all that, but you should sing some of these.'”
Cantrell was initially hesitant to do it, even with Staley’s encouragement. He also felt he wasn’t “as good a singer” as Staley.
Eventually, Staley’s insistence pushed Cantrell to give it a try. It took some time, but the two eventually started to get “closer together” with how they used their voices in the songs.
READ MORE: Hear a Darker + Heavier Version of Alice in Chains’ ‘Dirt’ Album
“The cool thing about it is the way that we sang together, like the two of our voices kind of made a bigger voice,” Cantrell said, “Sometimes you can totally tell when it’s him and you can totally tell when it’s me, but it’s a lot of times when we sing together you can’t tell which one is which. It kind of makes a thing, you know.”
Jerry Cantrell + Alice in Chains in 2025
After canceling dates earlier in the year due to a medical emergency concerning drummer Sean Kinney, Alice in Chains have no further shows scheduled for 2025. They did however return to the stage with Kinney at the recent Back to the Beginning farewell concert for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath.
That leaves Cantrell free to continue his solo band touring in support of his I Want Blood album. Dates begin again on Aug. 16 in San Diego, with shows currently booked through Sept. 14 in Kansas City. There are also a pair of shows in Mexico on Nov. 14 and 16. All Jerry Cantrell tour dates and ticketing info can be found through his website.
Every Alice In Chains Song (With Layne Staley) Ranked
Here’s our ranking of every Alice In Chains song with Layne Staley, from Facelift to their Music Bank box set.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
