A Devil on One Shoulder and
an Angel on The Other
Written by Greg Prato
One of the most tragic stories of the 1990’s rock world was that of singer Shannon Hoon, and his band, Blind Melon. Despite scoring one of the decade’s most enduring singles and videos, “No Rain,”and a quadruple platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock’s biggest names), Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction. Only two records into a promising career, Hoon was dead from an overdose at the age of 28. ‘A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other’ is the first book to tell the group’s story—culled from over 50 exclusive interviews (including the surviving band members and those closest to the band) and featuring many never-before-seen photos.
Shannon
Written by Greg Prato
In 2008, Greg Prato issued his first-ever book, A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, which as its title states, retraced the life and career of one of rock’s greatest – yet tragic – singers/performers of all-time.
In the ensuing years, Prato crossed paths with several key figures who were not interviewed for Devil/Angel (including the actress that played the Bee Girl in the “No Rain” video, Heather DeLoach, plus radio personality Matt Pinfield, Live guitarist Chad Taylor, former Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven, and Coheed and Cambria guitarist/major fan Travis Stever, among others) – which now serves as the basis of a follow-up book, Shannon.
Also included is a roundtable discussion with Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn (who examine various topics that were not included in the earlier book), as well as interviews with the directors of the 2019 film All I Can Say (Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould, and Colleen Hennessy), and an expert of Blind Melon bootleg recordings selecting and analyzing the 15 best.
If there were any questions still remaining after A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other, they are most certainly answered in Shannon.