Most Seattle rock bands of the late '80s (
Soundgarden,
Nirvana,
Mudhoney, etc.) were considered a reaction against the then-prevailing glam metal scene that had MTV and radio in the palm of its hand. But there was at least one Emerald City band that could've fit into the mainstream, combining the area's trademark
Sabbath-meets-
Stooges garage rock with glam's pretty-boy looks and anthemic choruses --
Mother Love Bone. And although the group included five members, the undisputed leader and focal point was flamboyant and charismatic singer
Andrew Wood. Born on January 8, 1966, in Columbus, MI, Andrew Patrick Wood was raised in Bainbridge Island, WA, discovering rock music via the likes of such theatrical '70s arena rockers as
Elton John,
Queen,
Aerosmith, and
Kiss. At the age of 14,
Wood joined his first serious band,
Malfunkshun, often performing dolled-up in makeup and outrageous clothes, under the persona Landrew the Love Child. The group lasted for much of the '80s, but never released an album (although a few of their tracks were included on C/Z's
Deep Six compilation). By 1988,
Wood left
Malfunkshun and began jamming with two former members of
Green River -- guitarist
Stone Gossard and bassist
Jeff Ament. Originally called Lords of the Wasteland (taken from a line in the
Kiss song "God of Thunder"), the new outfit would soon be re-christened
Mother Love Bone.
Like
Malfunkshun,
Mother Love Bone would include elements of glam rock, but the stripped-down sound of
Gossard and
Ament's former band would also be included in the mix. Drummer
Greg Gilmore and second guitarist
Bruce Fairweather were also welcomed aboard, as
Mother Love Bone quickly built up a loyal local following. Polygram signed the band in 1989, issuing the six-track EP
Shine later in the year (on the band's own subsidiary label, Stardog), as
Mother Love Bone opened up a nationwide tour for British glamsters
Dogs d'Amour. By September of 1989, the quintet were hard at work on their full-length debut, but
Wood had developed a drug addiction that became obvious to his bandmates, and spent the last months of the year in rehab. With expectations running high for MLB's debut album (to be titled
Apple),
Wood and the others started 1990 by playing a few shows around Seattle as they waited for the record's projected springtime release date. On March 16th,
Wood was found comatose in his apartment by his girlfriend, having taken a lethal overdose of heroin.
Wood was placed on life support, but the damage was already done, and he died three days later.
Mother Love Bone broke up shortly after
Wood's death, while
Apple was finally issued to glowing reviews later in the year. The Seattle rock scene was shaken to its core over the death of such a promising singer, as a longtime friend of
Wood's,
Chris Cornell, penned a few songs in tribute to his fallen comrade (and one-time roommate). With
Gossard and
Ament signed on to assist
Cornell, the project was dubbed
Temple of the Dog, taken from a lyric in the MLB song "Man of Golden Words." A full album was recorded, with
Soundgarden drummer
Matt Cameron and local guitarist
Mike McCready, issued in mid-1991 to little fanfare. As many know,
Gossard,
Ament, and
McCready went on to form the band
Pearl Jam (with singer
Eddie Vedder and a revolving door of drummers), finding breakthrough success in the summer of 1992. Shortly thereafter,
Temple of the Dog enjoyed a second life and became a hit, while all of
Mother Love Bone's recorded output for Polygram was compiled for a double-disc self-titled release the same year. MLB would remain in the spotlight for some time afterward -- their epic ballad "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" appeared on the soundtrack to the popular motion picture Singles,
Alice in Chains wrote a song about
Wood and other rockers who died from drugs ("Would?"), and a home video of the band was released as well -- Love Bone Earth Affair. In 1995,
Gossard spotlighted
Wood's early work with
Malfunkshun by issuing the compilation Return to Olympus on his Loosegroove label.
–
Greg Prato, Rovi