Bradley Nowell

Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer of the band Sublime. Nowell developed an interest in music at a young age. Nowell formed Sublime with bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, whom he had met while attending California State University, Long Beach. During his lifetime, Sublime released the albums 40oz. to Freedom and Robbin' the Hood to critical and commercial success. In 1996, Nowell died of a heroin overdose in a San Francisco hotel while Sublime was on tour.

Early life

Nowell and his sister, Kellie, were born and raised in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, California, to Jim and Nancy Nowell. As a child, he enjoyed surfing and sailing, often participating in boat races. Nowell became a difficult child and was often hyperactive and disruptive; his mother recalled that he was "very emotional, very sensitive, very artistic, but he was needy … He was always testing just to see what he could get away with." His father, a construction worker, enjoyed playing guitar and exposed him to the music of Jim Croce; his mother taught piano for a living in addition to playing the flute. At first, Wilson did not share Nowell's interest in reggae music. Nowell recalled the experience: "I was trying to get them to do (UB40's version of) 'Cherry Oh Baby,' and it didn't work. They tried, but it just sounded like such garbage. We were horrible." He attended the University of California, Santa Cruz before transferring to California State University, Long Beach to study finance.

Sublime

In 1988, according to a Westwood One interview, which is available on disc three of the Sublime box set, Nowell, bassist Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh grouped together to perform small shows at house parties and barbecues. The band was often asked to leave the parties due to excessive noise. Nowell recalled, "You weren't supposed to be in there after 9 p.m., but we'd go in at 9:30 and stay until 5 in the morning. We'd just hide from the security guards. They never knew we were there. We managed to get $30,000 worth of studio time for free".

Despite their growing popularity in Southern California, Sublime still was not signed with a major label. Around this same time, Nowell teamed up with longtime friend Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, to record the song "Saw Red". The song was eventually released on Sublime's Robbin' the Hood album, which was self-recorded on a four-track cassette, and released in October 1994.

About a year later, Tazy Phillipz took a copy of 40oz. to Freedom to Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM, requesting that Sublime's song "Date Rape" be added to the playlist. Soon after, MCA Records picked up 40oz. to Freedom for national distribution, and Sublime was scheduled to tour throughout Europe. Nowell, an avid reader who enjoyed quoting historians and philosophers, began studying European history to prepare for the trip. The album produced three more radio hits: "Santeria", "Wrong Way", and "Doin' Time". Sublime became one of the most successful American rock acts of 1997.

Personal life and death

Marriage and fatherhood

While on tour in the early 1990s, Nowell began dating Troy Dendekker. In October 1994, Dendekker became pregnant, giving birth to a son, Jakob Nowell, on June 25, 1995. On May 18, 1996, a week before Nowell's death, the couple married in a Hawaiian-themed ceremony in Las Vegas.

In December 2023, Jakob Nowell joined Sublime as the band's lead singer.

Lou Dog

In February 1990, Nowell purchased a Dalmatian puppy from an old man for $500, and named him "Louie" after his grandfather. Lou Dog also appeared in the video for "Santeria", shot after Nowell's death. Following Nowell's death in 1996, Lou Dog was cared for by Michael Happoldt, the band's manager. Lou Dog died from old age on September 17, 2001.

Addiction

As Nowell entered his twenties and witnessed his band's success, he decided to try heroin. Nowell's father explained, <blockquote>His excuse for taking the heroin was that he felt like he had to be larger than life. He was leading the band, leading his fans, and he had to put on this persona. He heard a lot of musicians say they were taking heroin to be more creative. Some of Sublime's songs relate to Nowell's addiction. Nowell is said by some to have predicted his own death in the song "Pool Shark", with the line, "One day I'm gonna lose the war." drummer Bud Gaugh awoke to find Nowell lying on the floor next to his bed. His dalmatian, Lou Dog, was curled up on the bed whimpering. Nowell had tried awakening his bandmates to go to the beach with him that morning, but they were too hung over and tired to get out of bed. Initially, Gaugh assumed that Nowell was too intoxicated to get into bed. However, he noticed a yellow film around his mouth. His final performance had taken place the night before his death at The Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California. Nowell was cremated and his ashes were spread over his favorite surfing spot in Surfside, California. The cause of death was a heroin overdose.

Eight months after Nowell's death, No Doubt headlined a "cautionary" benefit concert in honor of his memory. Nowell's widow wanted to make it clear that the goal of the concert was not to glamorize his death, but rather to promote drug awareness and prevention among fans. Proceeds from the concert were given to a non-profit offering support for musicians struggling with drug addiction, as well as a scholarship fund for Nowell's son, Jakob.

Jason Westfall, one of Sublime's managers, was quoted as saying the surviving members of Sublime had no interest in continuing to perform and record under the "Sublime" name: "Just like Nirvana, Sublime died when Brad died". However, the band later reunited as Sublime with Rome, with Rome Ramirez as lead singer and guitarist, and then as Sublime in 2023 with Nowell's son serving as lead vocalist.