The Death of Bradley Nowell
Sublime Frontman Died before Band Became Famous
The death of Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell shocked friends and family alike, but his music still lives on to this day.
It seemed inevitable that Bradley Nowell would grow up to be a musician. From the start, music was a part of Nowell's life - his mother was a musician and his father introduced young Bradley to folk music and taught him how to play the guitar.
Nowell's Childhood
At the age of ten, Nowell's parents divorced and Bradley went to live with his mother in Orange County, CA. Four years later, he decided to live with his father in Long Beach. The city was a stark contrast to Orange County, which was primarily white and affluent. Long Beach on the other hand had a wide variety of Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians.
At the same time, Long Beach had developed an art scene that loved punk rock, surf, and hip-hop music. Because of his time here, it was no surprise that Nowell chose to incorporate those three styles of music into his songs.
It was on a trip to the Virgin Islands with his father when Nowell became interested in reggae music. After that, it was only a matter of time before he took what he heard in reggae/surf, hip-hop and punk music to create his signature sound.
The Rise of Sublime
In 1988, Sublime was formed. Eric Wilson was on bass while Bud Gaugh was recruited on drums. Nowell met his band members while attending the University of California, Santa Cruz. The band would go on to eventually become one of the most popular bands in Southern California. However, Sublime struggled to obtain mainstream success in their early years.
Around 1989, Skunk Records was formed by Nowell and Michael "Miguel" Happoldt. The label was responsible for releasing some of Sublime's earlier recordings, and the name was said to be taken from the combination of ska and punk music styles so apparent in Sublime's songs.
A few years later, Sublime released its first studio recording which resulted in the cassette tape Jah Won't Pay the Bills, released in 1991.
As they prepared for their upcoming tour, Bradley Nowell discovered that his drummer Gaugh was battling a drug problem. Gaugh checked himself into rehab, and Nowell chose to focus on recording their music rather than touring without his drummer.
When 40 Oz. to Freedom was released in 1992, while Sublime remained popular in Southern California the band had yet to land a major label record deal. This frustrated Nowell to no end, who decided to try a "heroin experiment" lasting two years. Nowell didn't see a problem with his drug use, which foreshadowed a serious addiction problem that would eventually lead to Nowell's demise.
Even when 40 Oz. to Freedom was picked up my MCA Records, Nowell's drug use did not end. In fact, his problem only worsened.
The Death of Bradley Nowell
After Nowell's marriage to Troy Dendekker, Sublime began a 5-day tour throughout several California cities to prepare for their summer tour through Europe. However, on May 25th 1996 Sublime's drummer Gaugh found Bradley Nowell's body in the hotel room they shared together. Nowell was pronounced dead of a heroin overdose.
After his death, Nowell was cremated and his ashes spread over his favorite surf spot, Surfside.
After the death of Bradley Nowell, the remaining members of Sublime had no interest in performing under the Sublime name. Without Nowell, there was no point.
Despite the fact that Nowell died before his band reached the height of fame he so desired, upon the release of their major label record Sublime (originally titled Killin' It) on July 30th, 1996, the album skyrocketed to the top of the charts. To the surprise of many people, it appeared that Sublime was arguably the most successful rock band of 1997.
Since then, Sublime has sold over 5 million copies and Bradley Nowell's music continues to live on in the heart and mind of many fans the world over.
