Stephen Perkins

One of rock's most talented and skilled drummers, Stephen Perkins' tribal and powerful drumming style served as a main ingredient for the wide-ranging sound of alt-rock greats Jane's Addiction. Shortly after co-founding the group in the mid-'80s with singer Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, and guitarist Dave Navarro (the latter of which Perkins was in a thrash metal band with previously), Jane's Addiction became the talk of the Los Angeles underground as their unpredictable and high-energy stage show, gender-bending look, and sonic mix of punk, funk, metal, jazz, and haunting ballads hit a nerve with a diverse rock crowd. Although the quartet only issued three albums during their original tenure together (1987's live self-titled debut, 1988's Nothing's Shocking, and 1990's Ritual de lo Habitual), they left an indelible impression on the rock world, helping to introduce alternative music to a wider audience and opening the doors for other bands that were soon to follow in their wake (Nirvana, Tool, etc.). After headlining the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in 1991 (which Farrell had organized), Jane's Addiction split up.

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