Dean Deleo
Stone Temple Pilots
With the release of debut album Core in 1992, Stone Temple Pilots immediately achieved what all bands crave: a devoted fan base for life. The San Diego-based four-piece captured the zeitgeist at the apex of the so-called “grunge” era, but quickly distinguished themselves as a band beholden to no trend. Boasting the inimitable riffs of guitarist Dean DeLeo, the propulsive rhythm section of bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, and the charismatic baritone of frontman Scott Weiland, STP dominated airwaves, video playlists and the charts alike. Buoyed by Billboard-charting singles “Sex Type Thing,” “Plush,” “Wicked Garden” and “Creep,” Core sold eight million copies in the United States alone, while “Plush” nabbed the 1994 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance and the band took home Best New Artist at the 1993 MTV Music Awards.
STP didn’t disappoint on their highly anticipated follow-up, 1994’s Purple. While diversifying their sound to incorporate elements of psychedelia and introspective acoustic rock, the band continued to command an enormous fan base. Debuting at number one on the Billboard charts and holding that position for three weeks, the record went platinum six times over in America on the strength of “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song” (both of which hit number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart), and “Big Empty,” a sweeping, melancholy epic that originally appeared on the popular original soundtrack to The Crow.
It was on 1996’s infectious Tiny Music...Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop that Stone Temple Pilots embraced a fearless experimental streak that persists to this day. Blending new wave and glam explorations with a spirited Beatles influence, the band kept their multi-platinum streak alive while further expanding their audience. “Big Bang Baby,” “Lady Picture Show” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart” all reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, adding ammunition to STP’s already formidable live arsenal.
Three years later, the muscular No.4 nodded to STP’s early days, delivering throwback aggression on leadoff single “Down.” Yet, the brooding ballad “Sour Girl” wound up one of the band’s biggest hits, appearing in the Billboard Hot 100 (an unprecedented crossover accomplishment) and featuring a memorable video with film star Sarah Michelle Gellar. Unpredictability continued to reign on 2001’s Shangri-LaDeeDa, a fertile batch of psychedelic pop and hard rock, and following a six-year hiatus STP’s critically lauded self-titled comeback album in 2010, which peaked at #2 on Billboard.
After Weiland’s departure in 2013, the band enlisted Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington as frontman. The lifelong STP fan promptly injected an adrenaline rush into his favorite band, conjuring their past while fortifying their bold individuality on the five-track, self-released High Rise EP. This exciting new lineup, combining two titanic forces of modern rock, planned to build on a proud legacy, with new music and tours on the horizon. However, by 2015 it became evident that Chester was not able to keep up the challenging pace of fronting two major bands, so the band and Chester amicably parted ways and STP set about a global search to find a new vocalist. Sadly, on Dezember 3 2015, Scott Weiland passed away. Hit hard by the passing of their band mate and brother, the remaining members of STP vowed to continue on the legacy of STP and in September (currently says July online) of 2017 released the 25th anniversary deluxe edition of their classic debut album Core.
On November 14 2017, after more than a year-and-a-half of auditioning, STP announced that Jeff Gutt had been chosen as their new lead singer. With Gutt at the helm, the band released their second self-titled album on März 16 2018. The album was followed by the successful Revolution 3 Tourin the summer of 2018 alongside Bush and The Cult. Building upon their newfound chemistry with Gutt, STP will continue touring, recording, and evolving musically as they approach three decades of rock and roll dominance.