Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell Receives Stevie Ray Vaughan Award

06/22/2012
. (Banana 101.5) Alice in Chains co-founder Jerry Cantrell was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan award for his contributions to the MusiCares MAP fund at an event on May 31. In a new video, you can hear Cantrell, former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and more talk about their struggles with sobriety.

Alice in Chains has had many substance abuse problems over the course of their 20+ year history, ultimately losing two of their original members � singer Layne Staley in 2002 and bassist Mike Starr in 2011 � to addiction. They weren't the only band members with problems though, "I'm as imperfect as they come," said Jerry Cantrell at the podium for the MusiCares MAP benefit. "I just try to do what I can to not get high today, you know. And that's pretty much gotten me to where I am today."

Rocking a sweet 'stache, Cantrell even gave the details of his, literally, rocky road to sobriety. "Shawn [Kinney, Alice in Chains' drummer] was at the door with my brother. So my choices were open the door and go to rehab or jump out the back window, down down a cliff, into some blackberry bushes. That's the choice I took." said Cantrell. "And I ended up here. So, I didn't intend to get here but I'm very grateful that I am here and it took a lot of people to help me get here." Check out the video here.

Banana 101.5 is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
Copyright Banana 101.5 - Excerpted here with permission.