Stone Temple Pilots Members: Every Lineup From 1989 to Today

Stone Temple Pilots members have been remarkably stable for a band with such a turbulent story. The core of guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz has been there since the start. What changed was the voice: the band has had three lead singers, Scott Weiland, Chester Bennington and Jeff Gutt.

Here is who is in the band now, who was in it before, and how each era sounded.

Current Stone Temple Pilots members

Member	Role	Years in STP
Dean DeLeo	Guitar	1989–2003, 2008–present
Robert DeLeo	Bass, backing vocals	1989–2003, 2008–present
Eric Kretz	Drums, percussion	1989–2003, 2008–present
Jeff Gutt	Lead vocals	2017–present

The gaps in the instrumentalists' dates are not departures. They reflect the band's 2003 to 2008 breakup, when the whole group was inactive.

Former STP members: the band's earlier singers

Scott Weiland (1989–2003, 2008–2013)

Weiland was the band's original frontman and its most recognizable voice. He co-wrote many of the band's best-known songs and shaped its image through the 1990s. Between STP eras he fronted the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which released Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007). STP dismissed Weiland in February 2013. He died on December 3, 2015, of an accidental overdose.

Chester Bennington (2013–2015)

The Linkin Park vocalist joined in May 2013. His only release with the band was the five-song EP High Rise (2013), credited to Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington. He left in late 2015 to focus on Linkin Park and died in July 2017.

Jeff Gutt (2017–present)

After Bennington left, the band ran an open online audition. Jeff Gutt, a Michigan singer who finished as runner-up on the 2013 season of The X Factor in the US, was chosen and introduced as the new singer in November 2017. He has sung on two studio albums: the self-titled Stone Temple Pilots (2018) and the acoustic Perdida (2020).

How the band formed

Weiland met Robert DeLeo in Southern California in the mid-1980s, and the two started playing together. Eric Kretz joined on drums, and Robert brought in his older brother Dean on guitar in 1989, completing the classic lineup in San Diego.

The band first played as Mighty Joe Young. While recording their debut, they learned the name was already used by a blues musician, so they changed it. "Stone Temple Pilots" was inspired by the STP motor oil stickers of the era, which is why the initials often stand in for the full name.

Timeline of lineups and albums

Era	Singer	Studio releases
1989–2003	Scott Weiland	Core (1992), Purple (1994), Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996), No. 4 (1999), Shangri-La Dee Da (2001)
2003–2008	Hiatus	Greatest hits album Thank You (2003)
2008–2013	Scott Weiland	Stone Temple Pilots (2010)
2013–2015	Chester Bennington	High Rise EP (2013)
2017–present	Jeff Gutt	Stone Temple Pilots (2018), Perdida (2020)

What each member brings to the sound

Dean DeLeo

Dean's guitar style mixes heavy, riff-driven rock with surprisingly jazzy chord voicings and melodic hooks. That blend is a big part of why STP songs such as "Interstate Love Song" sound more sophisticated than typical grunge-era rock.

Robert DeLeo

Robert is a principal songwriter as well as the bassist. He wrote or co-wrote much of the music behind the band's biggest songs, and his melodic bass lines often act as a second hook.

Eric Kretz

Kretz's drumming is solid and economical, giving the band's groove a heavy, steady foundation that lets the guitars and vocals move around it.

The singers

Each singer changed the band's color. Weiland had a chameleon-like range, from baritone croon to snarl. Bennington brought raw intensity. Gutt's voice sits close enough to the classic sound to carry the older songs while adding his own warmth.

A band's identity also lives in its production. If you are interested in how records like these are shaped in the studio, our article on what music producers do explains the role behind the console.

Career highlights

• Core (1992) produced "Sex Type Thing," "Plush," "Creep" and "Wicked Garden." "Plush" won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
• Purple (1994) debuted at No. 1 in the US and included "Interstate Love Song," "Vasoline" and "Big Empty."
• No. 4 (1999) delivered "Sour Girl," one of the band's biggest later hits.
• Side projects: the DeLeo brothers and Kretz formed Talk Show during a 1990s break, and the DeLeos later formed Army of Anyone.

The band's visual identity mattered too, with distinctive album art for each era. Our guide to album cover art looks at how covers shape a record's identity.

Where to start listening to each lineup

If you are new to the band, or only know the radio hits, here is a simple way to hear how the STP members' chemistry changed over time:

• Classic Weiland era: start with Purple, then go back to Core for the heavier sound and forward to Tiny Music for the band's more experimental, '60s-influenced side.
• Reunion era: the 2010 self-titled album shows the original four members reconnecting after years apart.
• Bennington era: High Rise is short, so it is an easy single listen.
• Gutt era: the 2018 self-titled album shows the current lineup on full electric form, while Perdida strips things back to mostly acoustic arrangements with extra instrumental color.

Many fans learn these songs by covering them. If you record a cover in a home studio, a professional audio editing and mixing service can tidy timing, balance the instruments and give the recording a finished, radio-ready feel. And if the band's story makes you curious about a career behind the scenes, our guide to music production jobs covers the roles that support touring and recording artists.

Frequently asked questions