VINNIE PAUL – Grave Headstone Revealed

A new ornate headstone now adorns the grave of late PANTERA, HELLYEAH, etc. drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. Vinnie was laid to rest beside his brother “Dimebag” Darrell and his mother Carolyn back on June 30th, 2018 after passing away to heart related issues on June 22nd.

He was buried at the Moore Memorial Gardens cemetery in Arlington, TX with a placeholder headstone of sorts originally setup for his grave. The finalized headstone, which is similar to that of his brother’s, was unveiled this past Friday, May 17th. You can see a photo of it HERE.

In the 1980s, four heavy metal cowboys from Texas got together to form a band, creating their niche in the music world as Pantera, the Spanish name for “panther.” Singer Philip Anselmo, guitarist Diamond “Dimebag” Darrell, bassist Rex, and drummer Vinnie Paul started out as a cover band in the bars in Texas, playing hits by Motley Crue and Bon Jovi, and went on to become one of the heaviest metal groups of the 1990s.

Brothers Paul and Darrell Abbott developed their interests in music while growing up in Pantego, Texas, where their father owned a recording studio. The boys were encouraged to experiment with the recording equipment and with music in general, which would eventually lead to Paul’s influence as Pantera’s co-producer. As Darrell recalled in Guitar World: “I can remember one birthday of mine where [Dad] said, ‘Son, you can either have a BMX bike or you can have this,’ and he pointed to a guitar. I ended up taking the bike, but he did plant a seed in my mind.”

That seed blossomed into the sound bandmembers categorize as “power groove”; Village Voice reviewer Daina Darzin described Pantera as “an angry, cantankerous, ferally aggressive band that channels all the free-floating rage of their environment into a murderous, metallic growl.”

Pantera released four independent albums before signing with a major label. In 1990, ATCO (now EastWest) released the group’s Cowboys From Hell LP onto the streets with such vigorous force that it soared to gold status. Featuring metal radio hits like “Cowboys From Hell” and “Cemetery Gates,” Cowboys From Hell gained most of its exposure from Pantera’s live performances. The band kicked off its club tour in April of 1990, and from there moved on to supporting slots on other major metal tours.

“We just tour and tour,” Anselmo told Billboard. “Our lives are on the bus, in the venue, and on the stage. It’s with the kids you get to know along the way. That’s what our lives are all about. Every night we play is Saturday night to those kids, and you’ve got to give it every drop you’ve got inside.”