Stone Temple Pilots Biography
Who are Stone Temple Pilots, and why are they so important in rock music? Stone Temple Pilots, or STP for short, were one of the most successful and influential American rock bands to come out of the preternaturally fertile soil of the early 1990s, synthesizing grunge, alternative, hard, even psychedelic, as well as traditional, rock styles to produce a unique sound.
Originally formed in San Diego, California, in 1989, the original members included Scott Weiland on vocals, brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo on guitar and bass, and Eric Kretz on drums. Before deciding to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots—a reference to the “STP” stickers on the motor oil they respected as teens—the band had gigged under the names Swing and Mighty Joe Young.
Theirs were years of backbreaking touring throughout California, winning them a reputation for explosive stage shows. Weiland, born out of wedlock in 1967 in Santa Cruz but raised in Ohio until he moved back to California, had the charismatic stage presence and the unsettling capacity to change the timbre of his voice so dramatically, wowing audiences with a resemblance both to the Jim Morrison wail and the falsetto of David Bowie.
Dean and Robert DeLeo came up on the East Coast, growing up in New Jersey with exposure to music as kids but eventually relocating to California, while Eric Kretz, a native California, had been on the California music scene before he became a member.
Although none of the four musicians enjoyed conservatory training, the four were intensively self-taught, familiar not only with the music of the classic, glam, and 70s hard rock gods like Aerosmith, the Who, the Who-inspired Zeppelin, but also the Stones, among others.
It wasn’t until STP signed with Atlantic Records, however, and released the debut album Core in 1992, that the band really began to take off.
Despite critics initially referring to them as grunge copycats, the album broke commercially, reaching a high of No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and creating generation-defining singles with “Plush” and “Creep.” Purple (1994) followed, entering the chart at No. 1 and solidifying the band with anthems with “Interstate Love Song” and “Vasoline.”
The late 1990s were years of musical experimentation with Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996), with glam rock, psychedelia, even a touch of bossa nova, but side projects continued to spring up, as frontman Scott Weiland continued to struggle with drug addiction, forcing touring dates to regularly stall, with projects such as Talk Show with the DeLeos and Kretz, as well as with Weiland as a solo venture.
The group recovered in 1999 with No. 4, unleashing the hit single “Sour Girl,” and followed up with Shangri-La Dee Da in 2001.
Tensions within the band, along with Weiland’s demons, ultimately resulted in the breakup of the band in 2003. Throughout this time, Weiland had success with Velvet Revolver, the DeLeo brothers with Army of Anyone, and Kretz with studio projects.
Reconciliation occurred for the group in 2008, resulting in a successful reunion tour, as well as the self-titled 2010 album release. However, Weiland was fired in 2013, during which time Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington filled in for a short but warmly welcomed stint, releasing the High Rise EP.
After Bennington left the group in 2015 and Weiland passed away later the same year, the group began a public bid to find a new vocalist. In 2017, Jeff Gutt was introduced as the new frontman, bringing renewed energy.
With Gutt, STP released another self-titled album in 2018 and the acoustic-driven Perdida in 2020, continuing to tour and adapt their sound for new audiences. Over their decades-long career, the band has sold over 40 million records worldwide, earned a Grammy Award, multiple American Music Awards, and secured their place in rock history with 16 top-ten singles on Billboard’s rock charts, including eight No. 1 hits.
Their legacy is one of resilience, reinvention, and the enduring power of songs that balance raw energy with melodic craft, making them not just survivors of the grunge era but a band whose music has truly stood the test of time.
Contents
Stone Temple Pilots Top Songs
- Plush
- Interstate Love Song
- Vasoline
- Creep
- Big Empty
- Sour Girl
- Sex Type Thing
- Wicked Garden
- Down
- Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Stone Temple Pilots Discography
- Core (1992)
- Purple (1994)
- Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996)
- No. 4 (1999)
- Shangri-La Dee Da (2001)
- Stone Temple Pilots (2010)
- Stone Temple Pilots (2018)
- Perdida (2020)
Stone Temple Pilots Top Albums
- Core – The groundbreaking first album to showcase STP’s heavy combination of grunge and heavy rock, including the Grammy-winning Plush.
- Purple – A No. 1 album which expanded their musical boundaries with anthemic, arena-ready sound and songwriting substance.
- Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop – A dramatic stylistic departure into psychedelic and glam leanings.
- No. 4 – A back-to-basics rock album that spawned the hit “Sour Girl.”
- Shangri-La Dee Da – A mix of experimental tracks and radio-friendly rock, reflecting the band’s versatility.
Stone Temple Pilots Awards
- Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance – “Plush” (1994)
- American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist (1994)
- Billboard Music Award for Top Modern Rock Act of the Year (1994)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Song from a Movie – “Big Empty” (1995)
- ASCAP Pop Music Award for Most Performed Song – “Interstate Love Song” (1996)
- Multiple MTV Video Music Award nominations, including Best Alternative Video and Best Group Video
Stone Temple Pilots – Singles (Official)
| Year | Single | Album | US Hot 100 | US Alt. | US Main. Rock | US Rock | AUS | CAN | NLD | NZ | SWE | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sex Type Thing | Core | — | — | 23 | — | 138 | — | — | — | — | 55 |
| 1993 | Plush | Core | — | 9 | 1 | 7 | 47 | 21 | 15 | 23 | 18 | 23 |
| 1993 | Creep | Core | — | 12 | 2 | 12 | 76 | 45 | — | 24 | — | — |
| 1994 | Big Empty | Purple | — | 7 | 3 | — | 63 | — | — | 47 | — | — |
| 1994 | Vasoline | Purple | — | 2 | 1 | — | 24 | 21 | — | 28 | — | 48 |
| 1994 | Interstate Love Song | Purple | — | 2 | 1 | 9 | 50 | 20 | — | 47 | — | 53 |
| 1996 | Big Bang Baby | Tiny Music… | — | 2 | 1 | — | 37 | 18 | — | — | — | 154 |
| 1996 | Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart | Tiny Music… | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Lady Picture Show | Tiny Music… | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Down | No. 4 | — | 9 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | — |
| 2000 | Sour Girl | No. 4 | 78 | 3 | 4 | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000 | Break on Through (To the Other Side) | Stoned Immaculate | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | Days of the Week | Shangri-La Dee Da | — | 5 | 4 | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | Hollywood Bitch | Shangri-La Dee Da | — | 29 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | Revolution | Non-album single | — | — | 30 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 2003 | All in the Suit That You Wear | Thank You | — | 19 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Between the Lines | Stone Temple Pilots (2010) | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 50 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Take a Load Off | Stone Temple Pilots (2010) | — | 24 | 23 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | Meadow | Stone Temple Pilots (2018) | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018 | Roll Me Under | Stone Temple Pilots (2018) | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Fare Thee Well | Perdida | — | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Promotional Singles
| Year | Single | Album | US Alt. | US Main. Rock | US Rock | CAN | MEX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Dead & Bloated | Core | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992 | Crackerman | Core | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993 | Wicked Garden | Core | 11 | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | Unglued | Purple | 16 | 8 | — | 64 | — |
| 1995 | Pretty Penny | Purple | — | 12 | — | — | — |
| 1995 | Dancing Days | Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin | 11 | 3 | — | 46 | — |
| 1996 | Tumble in the Rough | Tiny Music… | 36 | 9 | — | 60 | — |
| 1997 | Art School Girl | Tiny Music… | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Heaven & Hot Rods | No. 4 | 30 | 17 | — | — | — |
| 2000 | No Way Out | No. 4 | 24 | 17 | — | — | — |
| 2002 | Wonderful (feat. Chester Bennington) | The Family Values Tour 2001 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003 | Plush (Acoustic) | Thank You | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Cinnamon | Stone Temple Pilots (2010) | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | Out of Time | High Rise | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| 2013 | Black Heart | High Rise | — | 13 | — | — | — |
| 2018 | The Art of Letting Go | Stone Temple Pilots (2018) | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018 | Never Enough | Stone Temple Pilots (2018) | — | — | — | — | 36 |
| 2020 | Three Wishes | Perdida | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | Perdida | Perdida | — | — | — | — | — |
Key: US Alt. = Billboard Alternative Airplay (Modern Rock); US Main. Rock = Billboard Mainstream Rock; US Rock = Billboard Rock Airplay/Hot Rock Songs. “—” = did not chart / not released in that territory.