Year of the Tiger

Album: Year of the Tiger (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy's debut solo album. The story of the record revolves around his father's death from appendicitis in 1974 and the aftermath.
  • The singer/guitarist revealed to radio personality Eddie Trunk that the record's central theme was inspired by the death of his father after he refused to see doctors due to his Christian Science faith. Kennedy explained:

    "I realized year of the tiger was 1974, which was the year my father passed away when I was a kid... My family, at that point, were Christian Scientists. So basically, this woman Mary Baker Eddy started this in the 1800s, and the premise is that you don't go to doctors. You believe that God is gonna heal you. It's very frustrating even talking about it, frankly.

    So dad got sick and chose not to go and see a doctor. He died of the appendicitis. He died one night in his sleep because it blew up and gangrene went all over. He didn't know it was [appendicitis] because he wouldn't go and see a doctor. But what is interesting is that he got really sick about eight weeks prior. He was in a lot of pain. So there's a theory it might have actually ruptured then. He may have had gangrene actually for quite a while. But mom woke up one morning and he passed away."

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