Biography: Stone Temple Pilots

Founded in 1992 in San Diego by vocalist Scott Wieland and bassist Robert DeLeo, the Stone Temple Pilots exploded onto the music industry while riding the coattails of the Grunge scene of the early 1990s.

While they fell into more of a post-grunge genre, the Stone Temple Pilots (STP for short) has a more unique sound, comparable to the likes of Led Zeppelin and the doors. Robert DeLeo and his brother/lead guitarist Dean DeLeo’s frantic craftsmanship of their riffs, specifically, gave STP an eclectic and psychedelic sound.

Drummer Eric Kretz’s slow and groovy style, and Weiland’s low vocals and picturesque vocals filled out the rest of the bands old-school sound.

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STP released their debut album, Core, in 1992, and instantly became a rock powerhouse. Off of the success of the singles “Plush” and “Creep,” Core would go on to sell over eight million copies in the U.S. Though commercially and fan friendly, STP’s sound was disliked my many critics due to their similarity in style to previous Grunge bands.

In 1994, STP released their sophomore effort, Purple, once again to great commercial success. “Interstate Love Song,” the bands highest charting single to date, was a high-energy and radio-friendly rocker that peaked at fifteen on the Billboard’s Hot 100. Two other singles, “Vasoline” and “Big Empty,” also received great airplay. You cannot help but continue to draw comparisons to Led Zeppelin with tracks like “Pretty Penny,” a slow acoustic-driven song.

The Pilot’s sound took a more psychedelic turn after Purple, and Weiland dealt with a drug problem, which would then lead to on-and-off legal issues. The band broke up temporarily in 1995, but soon got back together, and STP released their third album, Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. Another multi-platinum success for the band, Tiny Music… was a more frantic album than the past two, with songs such as “Big Bang Baby” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.”

Weiland continued to face major drug problems. In 1996 and 1997, Weiland entered rehab multiple times, and the band would go on hiatus. After band members went on to do their own side projects in 1998, STP would release their fourth album, No. 4, in 1999. STP’s last major commercial single would come off the albumwith the pop hit, “Sour Girl.” In 2001, the band would release the album Shangri-La Dee Da, and STP would later break up.

The DeLeo brothers would go on to form super group Army of Anyone with Filter’s Richard Patrick. After releasing one album, the band would call it quits. Weiland would have great success with a super group of his own, Velvet Revolver, along with members of Guns N’ Roses.

The Stone Temple Pilots would reunite in 2008, and released their self-titled comeback album in 2009 to mediocre success. Currently, the band is still touring and is contemplating the release of a seventh album.