"For me, honesty is everything. If I'm not gonna be honest with my music, what's the point in playing?"

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Live Photos By Larry Petro/Petrofyed Photography

The 1990s was a decade in transition. The Cold War had ended, the internet was on the rise, and for much of the United States, it was a time of relative peace and prosperity. Culture was buzzing. Grunge and hip-hop dominated the charts, video games became a household staple, and everyone was on edge about the looming Y2K bug. Even as the World Wide Web crept into daily life, the pace still felt slower and more grounded. Connections were made in person, not through screens, giving the era a unique sense of authenticity.

As the decade drew to a close, rock was shifting into high gear. Nu-metal was clawing its way to the surface, ready to explode. Bands like KORN, LINKIN PARK, DISTURBED, and MUDVAYNE were about to rewrite the rules, fusing rock, hip-hop, funk, industrial, and grunge into one bruising, high-energy package. It was perfect mix of heavy yet vulnerable, hostile yet inviting, connecting legions of fans to the words and sounds blasting across the airwaves. The music was more intricate and heavier than its predecessors, performed by skilled musicians who paved the way for some of the greatest rock of my lifetime.

Born in a small farming town in Illinois, Chad Gray lived through hell before rising to fame as the lead singer of MUDVAYNE and HELLYEAH. Growing up surrounded by poverty and domestic violence, he defied the odds to become not just a rock star but a remarkably grounded man. Raised in a house filled with hate and emotional darkness, Chad found light and belonging in the embrace of heavy metal music. He often recalls his grandmother as the love of his life. She introduced him to music by having him sing in the church choir and later gifted him a cassette player that sparked his connection to the welcoming world of metal. Her love would be with him through the hardest of times.

After quitting his profitable yet mundane job at a tire factory, Chad set out to create MUDVAYNE, never imagining that their debut release, L.D. 50, would become one of the most defining albums of the nu-metal genre. The record even hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and number eighty-five on the Billboard 200. The album would be followed by four more groundbreaking albums before an eleven-year hiatus that would pave the way for the birth of the supergroup HELLYEAH.

Gray has faced his share of darkness. The turbulence of his upbringing, the feeling of being unloved in his own home, and the emotional scars of his childhood forged a bond with heavy metal that became the guiding force of his life. His lyrics originate from places most people would never dare to share, let alone put on display for the world to hear. While he does not see himself as a rock star, referring to himself as a touring musician instead, he uses his platform to connect with fans in ways that remind them they are not alone in their struggles. Chad Gray is a phoenix who rose from the ashes of a tumultuous childhood to stand before adoring fans as a symbol of courage and resilience. He proves that we are not defined by where we come from and we hold the power to change our own trajectory. His lyrics remain a beacon of hope for those who feel lost, alone, and forgotten.

I recently had the incredible opportunity to chat with Chad Gray ahead of MUDVAYNE's stop in Pocatello, Idaho, for the L.D. 50 25th Anniversary Tour. Chad joined me by phone from his tour bus on a rainy day in Denver, Colorado, where the band was scheduled to perform that night. We talked about touring, the inspiration behind his lyrics, and his love story with Shannon Gunz.

If you follow Chad Gray on Instagram, you know how devoted he is to his family, which includes his wife, Shannon Gunz, and their two French bulldogs, Milly and Mad Lee. He is the quintessential dog dad, and those pups are as pampered as they come. When I asked if the dogs were joining him on tour, he sadly responded no but explained, "In a perfect world, someday I would have my own bus, and I would have my wife and my dogs on tour with me." He even added that if he could tour on a plane with a first-class lay-flat seat, his wife, and the dogs by his side, he would travel 24/7, 365 days a year. And just so you know, if he ever did have his own bus, Chad laughed and said, "I could just invite everybody up on my bus after the show."

Next, I asked about the L.D. 50 25th Anniversary Tour and what it felt like stepping back into that era of the band two and a half decades later. Not many bands get a second chance to tour by playing their entire first album. Gray reflected on the album's release being delayed multiple times until its release in August 2000. He spoke fondly about living in the moment when it was finally available on record store shelves and compared the excitement to being able to perform it again "25 years later out with some of the same people that were at our first tour. There are people that have grown up with us. It's been really incredible. It's a blast from the past. It's just a lot of fun."

The significance of this opportunity for fans to see the album performed live is not lost on Gray. He related with the idea that for fans, "it's almost like you're reliving your youth even if it's just for a few hours. That's what's beautiful about music. You're coming back to see L.D. 50 celebrated, something that was put on this earth 25 years ago, and you can't help but feel 25 years younger. But that's the connection and the beauty and the timelessness of music. And it'll be the same way for any band that you love in 25 years. It's like a moment never passed. The music is ageless."

When I asked how it feels to see the generational crossover and the young fans in the crowd, his excitement was clear. "It's incredible. Because they're really young, like, really cool-looking kids. It's like the Cool Kids Club. I look out and see anywhere from 14 to 25-year-olds. Twenty-five-year-olds were zero when the record was put out. We took our 12-year hiatus, a lot of them probably became fans of ours during that time. Not knowing if they were ever going to see the band again. And then we come back and they're able to see us. It's gotta be pretty cool for kids to go."

After learning about Chad Gray's upbringing, I was eager to understand his songwriting process. I asked if his lyrics came more from personal experience or storytelling. His answer revealed just how genuine he is. "I'll set you kind of going down the road with kind of an idea of where the song might be coming from, a place for me, because it's gotta be honest. For me, honesty is everything. If I'm not gonna be honest with my music, what's the point in playing? So, I'll kind of start going down that road, but all the way through the song, I'm giving you little off-ramps. I'm allowing you to make the story applicable to your life. That's where the connection is made. If I'm just like, this is what the song's about, you can't see it from your point of view. It's not about what I think it's about. I want you to make it about what YOU think it's about."

In speaking with him, the first thing that is evident is that Chad Gray cares deeply about those around him. One of his biggest emphases is reminding people that they are not alone. He knows all too well the dangers of growing up in an alcoholic and abusive household. "It's not something you scream from the mountaintops," he said. "You don't talk to your friends about it, you don't talk to anyone about it, you just push it out and it's just a very lonely place." He went on to explain, "If I can share bits of my emotions from that time, or bits of those stories, and somebody latches onto them, then they think, okay, well, at least this guy feels like he knows what I'm talking about. He knows where I'm at, and it reminds him that at least one other person - me - has dealt with it, and it makes him not feel alone."

When it comes to performing, Gray said he doesn't "go back to the time that I wrote the song; I go back to the time that inspired me to write the song. When I go back to the 5-year-old, the 10-year-old, the 13-year-old, the 17-year-old-whatever it was in that era inspired me to write this song. That's when the real emotion comes in."

We delved deeper into the lyrics, which toe the uneasy line between rage and vulnerability. When asked how he decides which struggles to include in his songs versus which ones to keep private, he said, "My lyrics are direct, almost to the point of discomfort. It goes back to being honest. I have to be honest with people, and I have to be honest with myself in my work. I have a willingness to be honest, and I think that's everything. I want people to build a relationship with it. That's the key to me, the connection."

From there, we explored what Gray calls his "staples", the artists and songs that shaped him, including PANTERA, KORN, METALLICA, and SLAYER to name a few. He recalled how growing up these artists felt like they were singing directly to him. His connection with his heavy metal predecessors is so strong that he finds himself carrying the torch that inspired him to become the artist he is today.

Regarding what he wants fans to experience after attending a MUDVAYNE show, Gray said, "I don't want anybody to have a single thought about what's going on outside this moment in your life-your boss, your significant other, your job, your money, your house payment. I just want you to check it all at the door. Everyone deserves a break. Take this time, be selfish, make it about you. Open your hands instead of walking around with your fists clenched, fighting bills, surviving a toxic job, dealing with a f*cking boss. It's easy to stay clenched, but hard to open your hands and let it all go. Just let it go. And don't worry. When you're done, you're sharing this space with people who are your brethren, your tribe. They love you, will protect you, and take care of you. It's a warm, comfortable space of trust, vulnerability, and aggression. Everyone will take care of one another. If you do it to your fullest potential, when you walk out of here and everything you checked at the door will feel 100 times lighter. You'll think, I can do this, no problem, because you gave yourself this gift. It's almost like a vacation. That's the escape, the true escape of life. When I was a fan at shows, I wasn't thinking about anything other than the bands on stage. Anything else floating around in your head doesn't need to be there, so just get rid of it. I want fans to walk out feeling strong, empowered, and good about themselves, like they can take on the world. Heavy metal music saves lives. It saved mine. When I was that young kid, I had no one and nothing, but I had heavy metal and the tribe that came with it, and it changed my life. Let it save your life."

We talked about what it's like to take the stage after all these years. I asked whether he still gets worked up before a show or if it's routine now. "100%. I get so wound up, bouncing off the walls and nervous. I'm a singer, so my instrument is internal. Some days I've got 100%, some days 60%, some days 40%. All I know is that when I get on stage, no matter what level I have to give, I'm going to give 100% of whatever's there. If my voice is only going to work at 40%, then I'm going to give 100% of 40%."

When asked if there is a different persona when the makeup goes on, he was honest. "Yeah, I didn't used to think that. The reason we wore makeup was because we were intrigued and influenced by visual art, Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, and Kandinsky. With movies, you get a score, content, and visuals. With a song, you get a score, content, and visuals. It's a big part of tapping into what I need to tap into. And that smile; I've been seeing that face since I was a little boy. That's why I started wearing that face. It helps me face my fears. In that particular makeup, I step into a stronger, more confrontational version of myself. The opposite of who I am. I'm pretty nonconfrontational, but when I put it on, I look in the mirror and think, that's the one. That's the face. I've been seeing that for years. It's the face you fear. Let's go get 'em. It's not like night and day but there's definitely a mental personality shift."

Reflecting on his career, I asked what he would tell his younger self. Gray's answer was striking. "Quit this business! There's litigation and shark people. Lots of those kinds in this business. I've seen people make money off an artist's sound. Young, dumb kids, man! We just do this thing. And it's like ambulance chasing. When you work in the business, people just want to get in and get whatever they can. They don't care. We've had trouble with untrustworthy people simply because we trusted them. That's who we were. A couple of us come from broken homes, so we looked to people like father figures. I've been burned a lot, but I have to keep doing it. I have to be willing to trust. It helps me grow. I was a f*cked-up kid. The older me is still battling things from my childhood, but I have the willingness to overcome them and just face it. That's everything."

On a personal note, Gray's voice lit up speaking about his wife, SiriusXM radio host Shannon Gunz. "I've never been loved by anybody like Shannon loves me. It's incredible. It's not all roses and rainbows, but we're solid. We've been through it! She was with me when I was drinking, and when I wasn't. When we got together, we were toxic twins. I partied; she slowed down. But Shannon stood by me. We rebuilt a house together. She was right there dealing with the city. She's my rock, my right hand, and I'm hers. She's one of the most driven women I've ever met; truly determined, genuinely caring, and passionate about music. She's not just in it for a paycheck. She's trustworthy. I never worry about her, and she never worries about me. Our bond is strong. She's a badass, 100%. Beautiful. One of the strongest people I've ever met. I'm blessed and grateful for her."

For my final question, I asked what Gray hopes his legacy will be. His answer was simple: "Honest, caring, and driven. I don't care if anyone says I was the greatest or the best. That's not important. I want to be remembered for being someone who truly cares about my family, the legacy of heavy metal, and the fans. Someone willing to go down dark rabbit holes to share a story and help others. That's what I want to be remembered for. Someone naturally caring, giving, loving, and passionate about this music and the people who love it. I am still a fan."

As I said goodbye to Chad Gray, I was instantly struck by his kindness, sincerity, and authenticity. Even though we had never met, he was incredibly easy to talk to. There was no barrier of stardom, only humility, honesty, and a desire to make the world a better place. The L.D. 50 25th Anniversary Tour is just getting started, and if you have the chance, I encourage you to attend. Take the time to escape and put your stress aside if only for a few hours.