Out and About

Raleigh paint company has connection to 1990s band

The band Blind Melon might most known for its 1990s hit "No Rain," but its another single that inspired Raleigh-based business, Tones of Home.

Posted Updated
Tones of Home Painting
By
Kathy Hanrahan
, WRAL lifestyle editor
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A local painting company is gaining attention on social media for its connection to a 1990s band.
The band Blind Melon might most be known for its 1990s hit "No Rain," but another single inspired the Raleigh-based business Tones of Home.

In 2017, Wallace Contracting decided to change its name. Owners Jeff Wallace and Heather Martin were trying to come up with something a little more catchy.

"Tone being something important (in painting), I immediately kept going back to their song 'Tones of Home,'"Martin said.

Martin has loved the band for years and thought it was a perfect fit.

Then, last week, Martin got an unexpected message on social media.

"Last Thursday, the original drummer from the band Blind Melon, Glen Graham, saw our van in Hillsborough. Then, he found our Facebook page and contacted us," Martin said.

Graham asked if they were fans of the band because of the name of business, she said.

"I was so shocked and elated about him contacting me," Martin said. "It was wild."

Graham then asked for permission to share a photo of the van on the Blind Melon social media accounts.

"They've shared it everywhere. It's been met with such positivity and love," Martin said.

This isn't Blind Melon's only North Carolina connection.

Blind Melon rose to success in the early 1990s with the single "No Rain" and its video featuring a girl dressed like a bee. The band relocated to Durham, at Graham's suggestion, to work on that self-titled debut album. The space they worked at became known as the "Sleepyhouse," which is the name of another Blind Melon song.

In 1995, lead singer Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose. The band dissolved four years later, but has reunited for several iterations of the band throughout the years. The most recent lineup released new music last year.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.