Blind Melon is an American rock band active from 1989 to 1999, and from 2006 onward.

Best remembered for their 1993 single "", the group enjoyed critical and commercial success in the early 1990s with their take on . The 1995 death of lead vocalist halted the band's activity, and the members went on hiatus until officially disbanding in 1999. The band reformed with new lead vocalist Travis Warren in 2006, and although Warren departed two years later, he has since resumed performing with the band.

Early history

Blind Melon formed in in 1989, with members from , , and . The band signed to in 1991 and recorded an unreleased demo. The band's initial popularity is partially attributed to vocalist Hoon's association with frontman , and Hoon's on several Guns N' Roses tracks on 1991's album (one example being "Don't Cry").

The band's , by (), contained 13 songs and sold poorly until the "" single was released in September 1993. The single, promoted by a featuring the "Bee Girl" (played by ), helped launch the commercial success of the band, eventually leading the album to quadruple- status, debuting in the Billboard top 40 on 10/9/93 and peaking at #11 on the Hot 100.

In 1994, the band began recording its second album, , in with producer . In August, the band went to perform at , and had a positive performance. Soup was released in 1995, and predominantly featured shorter songs with a less conventional approach. The lyrics to "St. Andrew's Fall" referenced a suicide jump, while "New Life" discussed the forthcoming birth of Hoon's child. "Mouthful of Cavities" featured backing vocals from , who subsequently recorded a solo record with and Brad Smith. Possibly because of the more experimental sound (the album begins and ends with New Orleans style jazz and has a hodgepodge of instrumentation throughout), the album failed to meet sales expectations.

In 1995, Blind Melon contributed a version of the song "" to the tribute album to , as well as a promotional CD with a cover of the song "".

Their version of "Three Is a Magic Number", although never a charting single, became a fan favorite and features in the films , , and as well as the retrospective . reviewer Theresa E. LaVeck praised the tune's "'70s feel-good vibe" and "rolling jam-band rhythms".

Against the advice of Hoon's drug counselor, Blind Melon went on tour in support of Soup. Hoon was found dead on the band's tour bus of a , caused by a cocaine overdose, on October 21, 1995 in .

The remaining members released (named for Hoon's daughter, only 13 weeks old when her father died) in 1996, with the profits going to a program that helps musicians with and . Nico contained unreleased songs from the Soup recording sessions, as well as other songs often recorded with only partial instrumentation. The closing track, "Letters from a Porcupine", was recorded as a telephone message left by Hoon on Thorn's answering machine. Nico included covers of and songs.

During this period, without Hoon, the relationships between the band's main members disintegrated as they attempted to recruit a new front man. Rumors began to spread of a breakup and while efforts were made to reconcile, a split seemed likely.

Blind Melon officially disbanded on March 4, 1999 and the various members went on to other projects.

In 2002, Capitol Records released a Classic Masters CD showcasing twelve Blind Melon songs. Thanks to stronger-than-expected sales, the band released The Best of Blind Melon in 2005, a CD–DVD package that features Blind Melon performing live from a September 1995 concert in . On December 15, 2006, a to Blind Melon was released by Yakmusic in featuring bands from all over the world. In April 2006, Capitol Records released the Live at the Palace CD that was re-released October 17, 2006 with a new package.

On September 15, 2006, it was announced that Blind Melon had reunited, with the addition of new lead singer Travis Warren (formerly of Rain Fur Rent). On November 9, 2006 three new Blind Melon songs were released: "Make a Difference", "For My Friends" and "Harmful Belly". On October 7, 2007 Blind Melon performed their first show in twelve years in .

On April 22, 2008, the band released For My Friends on Adrenaline Records. The first single, "Wishing Well", was released on March 4, 2008. A U.S. tour in support of the album began February 28. Around this time, Billboard confirmed that a book about the Hoon era of the band is forthcoming. Then, on September 17, 2008, the book A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon by Greg Prato was published.

In September 2008, Blind Melon played a number of European tour dates, with Warren as lead vocalist. On November 6, 2008, the band announced the departure of Warren. The reasons behind his departure are disputed: Warren states that he was ejected from the band after having lost his voice due to extensive touring, while the band cites unresponsiveness and lack of communication and that Warren chose to leave the band on his own. Initially, the band intended to honour their remaining dates, and announced of as lead vocalist for the remainder of their tour. However, this was later retracted, and the tour cancelled, with the band stating that Shinn simply didn't have enough time to prepare.

After clearing the air with the rest of the band, Warren returned to perform a previously scheduled gig with Blind Melon on December 31, 2008 in , which the band later announced would be the last show with him.

Blind Melon have stated their intention to continue looking for a permanent vocalist and carry on regardless.

Capitol Records released a 4 track EP entitled "Deep Cuts" in April 2009 as a digital download. The band had no input into this ep, but it is an official release.

It was reported on May 23 that Smith and Thorn were invited to play with . and that Graham has formed a new band named . with his long time friend Joe Tullos. There has been no further announcement on the state of Blind Melon, so it is currently assumed that these developments are in addition to searching for a replacement for Warren.

On January 23, 2010, Graham posted a message on the band's profile stating that the group were still in the process of sourcing a frontman capable of filling 'some rather large shoes'.

On November 2, 2010, Blind Melon announced 3 dates with Travis Warren singing. On November 27, Blind Melon played a free concert at the base of Aspen mountain in . They continued sporadic performances over the coming months, opening for Candlebox at The Hard Rock Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 4, 2011.