Mudvayne and HELLYEAH vocalist Chad Gray has opened up about the vocal cord injury that recently forced him to postpone several dates on his ongoing fall tour, admitting that the situation has left him genuinely frightened about what it could mean for his career.
During an appearance on The Jesea Lee show, Gray explained that he initially believed his vocal problems were simply the result of allergies after arriving in Nashville for rehearsals. However, the issue continued to worsen despite working with his vocal coach.
“I live in the desert, and we flew into Nashville for rehearsals [for my solo tour], and my voice wasn’t working. So I thought it was, like, allergies. There’s a lot of ragweed there, and just other shit. It’s a Petri dish in Nashville when it comes to allergies. So I thought it was just that.”
Gray eventually underwent an examination of his vocal cords, where doctors discovered a significant problem with one of his vocal folds.
“So I went — four days ago, [I] got scoped [where they] put the thing down your nose and look at your vocal cords. And they looked at it, and one of my vocal folds is twice as wide as the other one, which makes it heavier than the way your vocals work, ’cause [they’re like] butterfly wings.”
The examination also revealed a damaged blood vessel, leading Gray to believe that he had suffered a hemorrhage at some point.
“And there’s a big broken blood vessel on the front of it, which means that at some point I’ve hemorrhaged and bled or whatever.”
When asked whether he had ever coughed up blood, Gray said he had not, although he wished he had experienced some obvious warning sign that could have alerted him to the injury sooner.
“No. But I wish I would’ve coughed up blood so then at least I would know when it happened. Because my shows before these shows, I was, like, ‘I can’t miss.’ I felt really good about my voice vocally.”
For now, Gray has been instructed to remain silent and allow his voice time to recover. The singer admitted that the uncertainty surrounding his condition has been especially difficult given how central his voice is to both his career and his identity.
“To tell you I was scared would be the understatement of my life. ‘Cause I’m fucking scared to death. It’s not only my instrument — it’s my life, it’s my career, it’s what I do for a living.”
Gray also acknowledged the potentially serious consequences of continuing to perform before the injury has properly healed.
“The idea of the potential fatality of this is enormous. But you gotta take care of it. And it’s a hurry-up-and-wait thing. The only thing that’s gonna heal it is time.”
While surgery is not currently scheduled, Gray believes an operation could ultimately be necessary to address the enlarged vocal fold.
“Not at this point. But I think I’m gonna need one, though, to deal with that larger fold. So, yeah. I don’t know. But, yeah, not to bring everybody down. But life-wise, I’m good. Health-wise, I’m good. Just my throat’s fucked up.”
Gray’s tour with Butcher Babies and Devil’s Cut is currently scheduled to resume October 7 in Las Vegas, although his ability to perform will depend on his recovery and medical guidance.
10/07 Las Vegas, NV – Fremont Country Club
10/10 San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
10/11 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
10/12 Dallas, TX – The Studio at The Factory
10/14 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
10/16 Clearwater, FL – OCC Road House & Museum – Music Hall
10/18 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte – The Underground
10/19 Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
10/20 Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
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