Stephen Perkins was only 18 when he succumbed to an addiction that would have rock fans hooked for life.

Born Stephen Andrew Perkins on Sept. 13, 1967, he is a percussionist and songwriter, and – in 1985 at age 18 – was a founding member of the rock band Jane’s Addiction.

The group burst onto the Los Angeles music scene with a style influenced by punk, metal, gothic rock and psychedelic music. Singer Perry Farrell once described Jane’s Addiction has a cross between Duke Ellington and Bad Brains. The alternative rock group was together until 1991 – recording three that included hits like “Jane Says” and “Been Caught Stealing” – before splitting up for the first time. They reunited for a tour in 1997, have released more than one greatest-hits disc, and a 2003 studio album “Strays” that included the hit “Just Because.”

During times that Jane’s Addiction has been broken, Perkins has continued to work with members of the group on various side projects. He toiled with Farrell in the rock band Porno for Pyros. He has played with ex-Jane’s guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Chris Chaney, joined by singer/guitarist Steve Isaacs, on a new project, called The Panic Channel. Other collaborations by Perkins include the group’s Rage Against the Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “One Big Mob,” along with Nine Inch Nails on the track “I Do Not Want This” from the disturbing and successful album “The Downward Spiral.”

Perkins also has his own group, called Banyan, which has released two albums, and he’s played alongside members of Suicidal Tendencies in their side project, known as Infectious Grooves. Finally, Perkins has played with Hellride, an L.A.-based Stooges cover band.

Perkins and his wife, Cindy Juarez Perkins, a Chicago native and artist, have been married for 12 years (as of this writing in 2007). Her work appears as the cover art on Banyan’s two CDs, a self-titled relase and 1999’s “Anytime At All.”