James Lynn Strait (August 7, 1968 – December 11, 1998) was an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist for the nu metal band Snot. Biography Strait was born on August 7, 1968 in New York City. Strait's father was in the US Armed Forces, and the Strait family moved around the country throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, before deciding to settle down in Santa Barbara, California, when Lynn was 10 years old. Although he was not diagnosed with it until he was an adult, Strait suffered from Tourette's syndrome. As a teenager, Strait embraced the 'SoCal' punk scene. Prior to his work with Snot, Strait had played bass in Goleta-based thrash metal band Lethal Dose, but he had never sung in a band. "I always wanted to because it seemed like a lot of fun. But I wasn't into what most bands were playing". Starting from scratch was an advantage for Strait: "There's nobody to emulate. I won't say what I do is groundbreaking, but some of it is original; there are weird patterns in my vocals, because I got to make up my style as I went along". Strait was friends with Tairrie B, and Snot played their first show in 1995 opening for Manhole (later known as Tura Satana). He later appeared as a guest vocalist on Manhole's debut album All is Not Well (1996), performing a duet with Tairrie B on the song "Down". Landing a recording contract was a dream come true for some of his friends, but Strait was underwhelmed by the development. His response: "Yeah, now I can order cheese on my Whopper". While his bandmates were signing the contracts, Strait was completing a month-long sentence in the county jail, where he had spent a year in the early 1990s. Death and legacy According to California Highway Patrol reports, on December 11, 1998, Strait was traveling from Santa Barbara, California to Los Angeles and was killed in a two-car crash. The crash occurred on a highway off-ramp. Only one other driver, David Redderson, was injured in the crash and he was released from Saint Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara. Also killed in the accident was Strait's dog, Dobbs, who was on the cover of the band's 1997 debut album Get Some, and served as the group's mascot. The band Sevendust paid tribute to Strait with the song