Bob Stinson
December 17, 1959 – February 18, 1995
Bob Stinson was the founding lead guitarist for influential Minneapolis alternative rock band, the Replacements. And to some, he was the band’s true heart and soul. The Mats (as they were known to their fans) was formed in 1979 by Stinson, his younger brother, Tommy Stinson, and Christopher Mars. The following year, they added local songwriting genius, Paul Westerberg to the mix. Over the next few years, the band would rise to the top of a thriving local scene that included Husker Du and Soul Asylum on the rock side and the Time and Prince on the R&B side. In 1984, the group released their breakthrough album, Let It Be, an album which most respectable music sources rightfully include in their best or most influential rock albums of all time lists. The following year saw the release of their major label debut, Tim, an album that further cemented the Replacements, importance to rock ‘n roll. But it was more than just their music that endeared the band to critics and fans alike, it was also their “fuck all” attitude, one that made radio appearances and concerts highly unpredictable (to put it lightly). On any given night, you could expect to see the greatest or absolute worst show you had ever seen. But either way, it made for one of the greatest nights you ever had. For good or bad, much of that could be traced directly to Stinson. It was around the time of Tim’s release that infighting within the band and pressure from the label to produce more commercially appealing records lead Stinson and the band to part ways. He continued on over the better part of the next decade playing in other groups, but was never able to recapture spark he found with the Replacements. Bob Stinson struggled with alcohol and drug abuse through much of his life, so when he ultimately died at the age of 35, the official report didn’t cite the drugs or alcohol as the actual cause of death, but rather that his body just gave out after so many years of abuse.
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