Bradley Nowell

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Bradley James "Brad" Nowell (born February 22, 1968 in Long Beach , California , † May 25, 1996 in San Francisco , California) was an American rock musician . He gained fame as the lead singer , guitarist and songwriter of the ska-punk band Sublime , whose commercial breakthrough he no longer saw.

Life

Childhood and youth

Bradley Nowell grew up with his younger sister Kelly in Belmont Shore, a neighborhood of Long Beach , in a musical family. His father, entrepreneur and amateur guitarist, was at parties Folk Songs for the best, while his mother as a piano teacher and classical flutist earned her money. In 1978, the two divorced and Bradley first moved to Orange County with his mother . His parents later shared custody. The passionate surfer , who practiced his guitar together with father, grandfather and uncle, was described as a sensitive and emotional child. Despite having ADHD , Brad was a good student.

In the summer of 1979 Brad's father took him on a sailing trip to the Virgin Islands , where the young man first came into contact with the music of Bob Marley . At 13 he formed his first band, called Hogan's Heroes, with the neighbor boy Eric Wilson on bass . After high school, the hobby musician went to UC Santa Cruz and later moved to Cal State Long Beach , where he studied finance . One semester before graduation, however, he decided on a band career.

Career and family

In 1988 Nowell and Wilson formed the band Sublime together with drummer Bud Gaugh . After performing throughout Orange County, the trio soon earned a reputation as a notorious party band. On a shoestring budget, their debut album was 40oz in 1992 . to Freedom , which was mainly sold via word of mouth . Nowell, who had begun experimenting with hard drugs, developed a heroin addiction that, despite several withdrawals, he could never completely shake off. It is said that he repeatedly sold the band's instruments before concerts in order to finance his addiction. The second album Robbin 'the Hood was made at the absolute low point of his drug addiction and was released in 1994. The previous summer he had met Troy Dendekker from San Diego , with whom he had a relationship, at a concert . Their son Jakob was born in June 1995. During the recording of the third album, Sublime , Nowell relapsed in the spring of 1996 and made such a bad impression that producer Paul Leary had to send him home from the Austin studio . With the help of his family, the now father overcame the addiction and married his girlfriend Troy on May 18th in Las Vegas .

Death and afterlife

A few days after the wedding, the band embarked on a short west coast tour to promote the upcoming album. Before one of the first appearances, Nowell was offered heroin and relapsed again. The concert that followed was later described by Troy as one of the best in the band's history. In San Francisco , the band quartered in the Ocean View Motel. On the morning of May 25, 1996, Nowell woke up his two bandmates to go surfing with them after a night of partying. After they showed no interest, the singer took one last shot and succumbed to a heroin overdose next to the sleeping Bud Gaugh, with whom he shared the room . His drug deaths were compared in the media with those of Kurt Cobain and Shannon Hoon , two other West Coast rockers who died prematurely. The Rolling Stone described Nowell as "lost junkie whose addiction his songwriting both fired and has ended prematurely."

"Now I've got the needle / I can shake but I can't breathe / Take it away and I want more, more / One day I'm gonna lose the war."

"Now I have the needle / I can shake it, but I can't breathe / Take it away from me and I want more and more / One day I'll lose the war."

- Lyrics "Pool Shark" (1994)

Bradley Nowell was buried in Westminster Memorial Park, some of his ashes scattered around his favorite surfing spot . Sublime broke up after Nowell's death. Their major label debut of the same name , which was released in July 1996, was a great commercial success and made Sublime one of the four singles "What I Got", "Santeria", "Wrong Way" and "Doin 'Time" biggest US rock bands of the coming year.

In January 1997, Nowell's widow organized a benefit concert at the Hollywood Palladium with No Doubt and the newly formed Long Beach Dub Allstars . The proceeds from the concert were donated to a non-profit organization in support of musicians struggling with drug addiction, as well as a scholarship fund for Nowell's son Jakob.

A reunion of the band with the new singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez under the name Sublime was prevented by the Nowell family in 2009. Bradley Nowell had the band name registered as a trademark during his lifetime . The band, in which Eric Wilson is now the last remaining original member, has since performed under the name Sublime With Rome .

Lou Dog

In February 1990 Nowell got a Dalmatian puppy , which he named Louie after his grandfather. Lou Dog became the band's mascot and was described as his alter ego while Nowell was still alive . The attention-loving male initially accompanied the band to all concerts and was often on stage. He was immortalized in both song lyrics and album covers. Because the dog was omnipresent around Sublime, there are all sorts of stories about its behavior. When the band had to endure a long wait at an MCA appointment, Lou Dog is said to have left a bunch in the record boss's office. In addition, the four-legged friend is said not to have liked skateboarders and bit several companions. In 1995 the band shot a music video for their surprising radio hit Date Rape , with Lou Dog biting the lead actor and friend of the band. Sublime and Bradley Nowell had to bear the necessary operating costs. While filming Santeria , after the death of his master, the dog bit Thomas Lister junior , who was lying on the floor, in the face and was then replaced by another Dalmatian. Another prominent bite victim is said to have been the singer friend Gwen Stefani . After Nowell's death, producer Michael "Miguel" Happoldt took care of the dog, who died in September 2001. Lou Dog's ashes were scattered in the same place as those of his master.

Discography

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Mike Boehm: Sublime Making the Most of '40oz.' of Success. Los Angeles Times , May 4, 1995, accessed January 21, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Mark Kemp: Bradley Nowell: Life After Death. Rolling Stone , December 25, 1997, accessed January 23, 2018 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Behind the Music: Sublime . Season 5, Episode 13, premiered on VH1 on December 9, 2001.
  4. ^ RJ Smith: Drug Bust. In: Spin , annual edition 1996, pp. 63–67. Google Preview (English)
  5. ^ Ray Delgado: Band's singer found dead in motel. SFGate , May 27, 1996, accessed January 22, 2018 .
  6. ↑ James Sullivan: Rocker dies young and becomes a star. SFGate , August 11, 2002, accessed January 22, 2018 .
  7. ^ Adam Kovac: How Sublime's Self-Titled LP Outlived Its Doomed Maker. Rolling Stone , July 28, 2016, accessed January 22, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Jerry Crowe: Cautionary Concert in Rocker's Memory. Los Angeles Times , January 11, 1997, accessed January 22, 2018 .
  9. ^ Daniel Kreps: Brad Nowell's Estate Threatens Legal Action Against Sublime Reunion. Rolling Stone , October 23, 2009, accessed January 22, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Lilledeshan Bose: Five Classic Stories About Sublime's Mascot, Lou Dog. OC Weekly, May 25, 2011, accessed January 22, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Nowell, Bradley
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nowell, Brad (short form); Nowell, Bradley James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American rock musician
DATE OF BIRTH February 22, 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH Long Beach (California)
DATE OF DEATH May 25, 1996
Place of death San Francisco