Paul Gray

Background and Facts

Paul Dedrick Gray (born April 8, 1972) is the bassist for the nine-piece nu metal band Slipknot. He lives with his family in Des Moines, IA.

He has sung back up vocals for some of the Slipknot songs, such as "Spit It Out" and "Disasterpiece" - usually when Corey Taylor's voice has become too dry, tired, and hoarse. Unlike all the other members in Slipknot, Paul was born in Los Angeles, CA but later moved with his family to Des Moines, IA, where he lives now.

He was formerly in bands such as Anal Blast, Vexx, Body Pit, Inveigh Catharsi, and was one of the original members of Slipknot, along with Shawn Crahan and Anders Colsefini. He is also on tour with Reggie and the Full Effect.

Gray was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in 2004.

Paul uses a Warwick Jazzman bass (4-string and 5-string).

Paul was also involved with a project called "F.O.R." with Benji Heldberg (formerly of Black Flood Diesel and now with American Head Charge)

Other Shit

Masks

Some of his masks include a latex pig face and black death mask that resembles the mask worn by Hannibal Lecter ; the mask has nails going through the mouth socket. Also, in the "Houdini Mansion", during a photo shoot, the forehead of the mask was re-constructed to make it look as if there was a bullet-hole through it. Additionally at this time, green colouring was added to cracks in the mask.

Paul is a cofounder of Slipknot with Shawn (6) and Anders. Seems to be a friendly person, with an indulgent personality. Paul was not born in Des Moines Iowa, unlike the rest of the band, he was born in LA and moved when he was young. Apparently he is half black and once burnt a picture of KoRn posing for Calvin Klein live on stage. He has appeared in bands such as Vexx, Body Pit, Anal Blast and Inveigh Catharsis all before Slipknot, he also made an appearance with Davo's band, "The Havenots".

Quote - "When we go to radio stations for interviews, we wear the masks and never fail to freak people out. Are the masks a fetish thing? I'm definitely into that stuff. Des Moines definitely has more than its fair share of freaks."

Mask - Paul wears a latex pig's face mask. MEANING: "Right now it represents breathing problems and it's somewhat more uncomfortable than the last ones"

Bands
First band- 1989- 1991: VeXX
Josh from Slipknot was guitarist/singer
Paul from Slipknot was bassist Anders was drummer
Second band- 1991- 1993: Inveigh Catharsis Same line-up as above

However with a new wave of popularity in death metal, Paul formed a new band, named, Body Pit. In it came and began to take over, pushing bands such as Joey's, Modifidious, out of the picture. This band also employed the services of Mick Thompson. However despite this addition to the band, it soon broke up.

Third band- 1993- 1995: Body Pit
Mick: Guitar (Slipknot)
Donnie Steele (original Slipknot guitarist)
Danny Spain- drums (Deadfront)
Paul: Bass (Slipknot)
Anders: Vocals


Fourth band- 1994: Anal Blast
Paul: Bass
Joey: Drums


Fifth band- 1995- Present: Slipknot
(Original Line-up)
Anders- vocals
Paul- bass
Shawn- drums
Donnie S.- guitars
Josh- guitars
Joey Jordison- drums

RIP Paul

Paul Gray was found dead on May 24th 2010 in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. Paul died of an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl, a medical examiner has ruled. Paul did not have prescriptions for the drugs, and police are investigating where the 38-year-old musician from Johnston got them. Gray’s body was discovered about 10:50 a.m. May 24 by a maintenance worker at TownePlace Suites, 8800 Northpark Drive in Urbandale.
Morphine is an opium-based narcotic that is used to relieve severe pain. Fentanyl is a synthetic form of morphine that may be hundreds of times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Like morphine, fentanyl is commonly used for anesthesia and pain relief in medical settings. However, fentanyl manufactured in illegal labs has caused thousands of overdose deaths in recent years, according to the DEA website. Its effects are indistinguishable from the effects of heroin.
After his death, fellow band members described Gray as the soul of the band. His wife, Brenna, said at a press conference that she was pregnant with his daughter.