PUDDLE OF MUDD Biography - Theater, Opera and Movie personalities

 
 

Biography » theater opera and movie personalities » puddle of mudd

PUDDLE OF MUDD
       

Too mainstream to be labelled nu-metal and too modern-sounding to be allied with grunge, Kansas City, USA-based Puddle Of Mudd share elements of both genres and have gained a measure of success as a result.

       

The original line-up, formed in 1993 around Wes Scantlin (b. Wesley Reid Scantlin, b. 1973, USA; vocals, guitar), named themselves after a rehearsal room next to a river which became a swamp overnight after a flood. Puddle Of Mudd struck lucky when Scantlin went to a concert on Korn’s Family Values tour and passed his band’s demo tape to a security guard during Limp Bizkit’s set, requesting that his tape be passed to the band’s singer Fred Durst.

       

The rapper liked what he heard and contacted Scantlin who had, however, just lost all his band-members, his outfit having decided to part ways in the interim. Even the phone call from Durst failed to persuade the musicians to re-form, but Durst flew Scantlin over to Los Angeles, a city which he knew was bursting at the seams with budding musicians. Recruiting Paul Phillips (b. 1976, USA; guitar), Douglas Ardito (b. 1972, USA; bass), and Greg Upchurch (b. 1973; drums). Scantlin and Durst negotiated a contract with the Limp Bizkit frontman’s own Flawless label and commenced recording sessions for an album.

       

The result, 2001’s Come Clean, replicated the success of Durst’s other discoveries, Staind, selling over 100,000 copies in a few weeks. A performance by Scantlin, Durst and Jimmy Page at the MTV Europe Awards in 2001 saw the Puddle Of Mudd profile rise still higher. The band enjoyed a transatlantic hit the following summer with “Blurry".