Bradley Nowell
Bradley Nowell | |
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San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
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Years active | 1984–1996 |
Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer of the band Sublime.[1]
Born and raised in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in music at a young age. Nowell formed Sublime with bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, whom he had met while attending California State University, Long Beach. During his lifetime, Sublime released the albums 40oz. to Freedom and Robbin' the Hood to critical and commercial success. In 1996, Nowell died of a heroin overdose in a San Francisco hotel while Sublime was on tour.
Early life
Bradley Nowell and his sister, Kellie, were born and raised in the
Music was an integral part of Nowell's upbringing on the part of both of his parents.[4] His father, a construction worker, enjoyed playing guitar and exposed him to the music of Jim Croce; his mother taught piano for a living in addition to playing the flute.[3] Both parents helped teach young Nowell to play the guitar.[3] In the summer of 1979, 11-year-old Nowell accompanied his father on a month-long sailing trip in the Virgin Islands, where he was first exposed to reggae music.[2]
By the age of 16, he had started his first band, Hogan's Heroes, with Michael Yates and Eric Wilson. Nowell was described as a "gifted kid without many friends."[5] At first, Wilson did not share Nowell's interest in reggae music. Nowell recalled the experience: "I was trying to get them to do (UB40's version of) 'Cherry Oh Baby,' and it didn't work. They tried, but it just sounded like such garbage. We were horrible."[3] Nowell attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School (where he took advanced courses) and graduated from Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach.[6] He attended the University of California, Santa Cruz before transferring to California State University, Long Beach to study finance.[7][3] He dropped out one semester shy of earning a degree.[3][8]
Sublime
According to a Westwood One interview (which can be found on disc three of the Sublime box set), in 1988 Nowell got together with bassist Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, performing in small shows at house parties and barbecues. The band was often asked to leave the parties due to excessive noise.[2] Despite their local success, music venues were skeptical of the band's eclectic musical fusion and many refused to book the band. In response, Nowell and Wilson created their own music label, Skunk Records, telling venues they were "Skunk Records recording artists," helping the band seem more accomplished and enabling them to book more shows.[9] The band produced and distributed Sublime's early recordings on the label, later selling demo tapes at shows and local record stores.[citation needed]
In 1990, music student
Using the same tactics they used in recording Jah Won't Pay the Bills, the band recorded its debut album 40oz. to Freedom in secrecy at the studios at California State University, Dominguez Hills.[10] Nowell recalled, "You weren't supposed to be in there after 9 p.m., but we'd go in at 9:30 and stay until 5 in the morning. We'd just hide from the security guards. They never knew we were there. We managed to get $30,000 worth of studio time for free".[10] 40oz. to Freedom was released in 1992; 60,000 copies were sold.[11]
"We just kept being punkers and doing it all by ourselves. Now here we are today. We never thought it would be like this. We just thought we'd always be playing backyard parties. A couple of hundred people in Long Beach can claim we played in their back yards".
—Nowell, on Sublime's success in 1995.[12]
Despite their growing popularity in Southern California, Sublime still was not signed with a major label. Around this same time, Nowell teamed up with longtime friend Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, to record the song "Saw Red". The song was eventually released on Sublime's Robbin' the Hood album, which was self-recorded on a four-track cassette, and released in October 1994.[10] Several songs from the album detail Nowell's worsening drug addiction.[13]
About a year later,
Nowell died on May 25, 1996. Sublime's final album was released on July 30, 1996. Its original title, Killin' It, was replaced by the eponymous title
Personal life
Marriage and fatherhood
While on tour in the early 1990s, Nowell began dating Troy Dendekker. In October 1994, Troy became pregnant, giving birth to a son, Jakob James Nowell, on June 25, 1995. On May 18, 1996, a week before Nowell's death, the couple married in a Hawaiian-themed ceremony in Las Vegas.[9]
In December 2023, Jakob Nowell joined Sublime[17] as the band's lead singer.[18]
Lou Dog
In February 1990, Nowell purchased a
Addiction
As Nowell entered his twenties and witnessed his band's success, he decided to try heroin. Nowell's father explained, "His excuse for taking the heroin was that he felt like he had to be larger than life. He was leading the band, leading his fans, and he had to put on this persona. He heard a lot of musicians say they were taking heroin to be more creative."[2] Nowell became addicted to heroin.[21] Some of Sublime's songs relate to Nowell's addiction. Nowell is said by some to have predicted his own death in the song "Pool Shark", with the line, "One day I'm gonna lose the war."[13]
Death
On the morning of May 25, 1996, Sublime was in the midst of a five-day tour through Northern California that was to be followed by a European and East Coast tour. However, while the band was staying at the Ocean View Motel in San Francisco (later Seascape Inn),
Eight months after Nowell's death, No Doubt headlined a "cautionary" benefit concert in honor of his memory. Nowell's widow wanted to make it clear that the goal of the concert was not to glamorize his death, but rather to promote drug awareness and prevention among fans. Proceeds from the concert were given to a non-profit offering support for musicians struggling with drug addiction, as well as a scholarship fund for Nowell's son, Jakob.[23]
Jason Westfall, one of Sublime's managers, was quoted as saying the surviving members of Sublime had no interest in continuing to perform and record under the "Sublime" name: "Just like Nirvana, Sublime died when Brad died".[24][25] However, the band reunited in 2024 with Nowell's son serving as lead vocalist.
See also
- Dub music
- Long Beach Dub All Stars
- Long Beach Shortbus
References
- ^ a b "Band's singer found dead in motel". SFGate. May 27, 1996. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Sublime". Behind the Music. Episode 169. May 30, 2001. VH1. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Boehm, Mike (May 4, 1995). "Sublime Making the Most of '40oz.' of Success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Brad Nowell Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Smith, RJ (January 6, 1997). "The Year in Music". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 10. p. 63. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "Bradley Nowell: Feb. 22, 1968-May 25, 1996 – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com. May 19, 2011.
- ^ "Hometown paper talks about Brad".
- ^ "Don't Start a Riot – OC Weekly". July 29, 2010.
- ^ a b Farley, Christopher John (August 12, 1996). "Sublime: When the Music's Over". Time. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ a b c Freedom du Lac, J. (November 5, 1995). "Ska's the Limit for Controversial Band Sublime". The Sacramento Bee. Cheryl Dell.
- ^ "The Band". www.sublimemusic.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Mark (April 30, 1995). "Belmont Shore's Sublime, playing Board in South Bay on Saturday, isn't fazed by the success, or furor, over its recording 'Date Rape.'". The Orange County Register. Freedom Communications, Inc.
- ^ a b Sullivan, James (August 11, 2002). "Rocker dies young and becomes a star". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Boehm, Mike (June 1, 1996). "The Examined Life Ends for Brad Nowell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Sublime's chart history". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Serpick, Evan (March 18, 2010). ""Shaun White"". Rolling Stone. No. 1100.
- ^ Brooks, Dave (December 18, 2023). "Rome Ramirez to Exit Sublime While Original Members Explore Venture with Bradley Nowell's Son". Billboard.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (February 25, 2024). "Bradley Nowell's Son is Sublime's New Singer. His Path Hasn't Been Easy". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Bose, Lilledeshan (May 25, 2011). "FIVE CLASSIC STORIES ABOUT SUBLIME'S MASCOT, LOU DOG". ocweekly.com.
- ^ "Lou Dog stories". Ocweekly.com. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Crowe, Jerry (July 23, 1996). "Heroin's Toll Is Nothing Sublime". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Meline, Gabe (May 24, 2016). "Sublime's Last Show: The Oral History". www.kqed.org.
- ^ Crowe, Jerry (January 11, 1997). "Cautionary Concert in Rocker's Memory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Sublime Singer Brad Nowell Dead At 28". www.mtv.com. May 29, 1996. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Yagi, Anuhea (November 18, 2010). "Sublime With Rome Tries to Recapture the Magic". Maui Time. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
External links
- Bradley Nowell at IMDb
- Bradley Nowell at Find a Grave