On this day (July 11) in 1996, Jonathan Melvoin died of an overdose at the age of 34. The Wrecking Crew keyboardist was on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins. He was using with Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin in a New York City hotel room the night before a show at Madison Square Garden. His death led to Chamberlin being booted from the band. Additionally, his passing inspired songs from Sarah McLachlan and Prince, with whom he had worked for years.
Melvoin came from a high-profile musical family. His father was the Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Mike Melvoin, who served as president of the Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. His sister, Wendy, was a member of Prince’s band, The Revolution. Her twin, Susannah, was a member of the Revolution and Prince’s side project, The Family. Additionally, she was the inspiration for “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Melvoin was also a member of The Family. Additionally, he played on Around the World in a Day and Parade. While he was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a group of in-demand session musicians, his outing with the Smashing Pumpkins was his first tour, according to the Los Angeles Times. Friends and family believed it would be his “big break.”
Jonathan Melvoin’s Death Impacted the Music World
Jonathan Melvoin’s death inspired several songs and was the final straw for the Smashing Pumpkins already strained relationship with Jimmy Chamberlin.
Wendy & Lisa (Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman) wrote “Jonathan” after his death. Prince wrote “The Love We Make” from Emancipation about him. Maybe the most notable song inspired by his tragic and unexpected passing was “Angel” by Sara McLachlan.
“Angel” is the song that played over all of those sad ASPCA ads that ran in the late 2000s. However, the song is about addiction and the angel in the lyrics represents the drugs that keep the addict coming back for more, according to Songfacts.
She didn’t know Melvoin and was never an addict, but she still felt a connection to him when she read about his death in Rolling Stone.
The Smashing Pumpkins Oust Jimmy Chamberlin
Days after Jonathan Melvoin overdosed while doing heroin with Jimmy Chamberlin, the Smashing Pumpkins announced that they were parting ways with their longtime drummer. “This may come as a shock to some. To others not. But, to us, it is devastating. We have battled with Jimmy’s struggles with the insidious disease of drug and alcohol addiction. It has nearly destroyed everything we are and stand for,” the band wrote in a joint statement. “We have decided to carry on without him, and we wish him the best that we have to offer.”
Featured Image by Pete Still/Redferns
The post 30 Years Ago Today, We Lost the Prince Collaborator Whose Death Inspired a Sarah McLachlan Hit and Devastated the Smashing Pumpkins appeared first on American Songwriter.
Go To Source | Author: Clayton Edwards
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