CHRIS CORNELL & SOUNDGARDEN

Vocalist Christopher J. Cornell was born on July 20, 1964, in the suburbs of Seattle. He was one of six children (brothers & sisters) that grew up attending Catholic school. He had an early affinity to music, beginning with piano lessons and listening to borrowed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Beatles, and Alice Cooper records as early as age 7.

Cornell soon stopped taking piano lessons and acquired a drum kit, playing along to Rush and Yes tunes. Cornell's parents divorced when he was 14, at which point he dropped out of high school, taking a job as a cook. After a short time, he soon joined his first band and began to pursue becoming a vocalist.

Chris Cornell is a private person. He has said that he, "may not speak a word to another human being for a week or two or three." He smokes cigarrettes and loves vodka. Cornell owns a custom 1,340cc Harley Davidson bike, hates to travel and has a serious fear of flying, making going on tour difficult.

Cornell's first band, the Jones Street Band, covered songs by Rush, AC/DC, Sex Pistols and Ramones. Cornell cites Killing Joke's self-titled record as the first genre-blending music he had heard, realizing that he too, could mix new wave and heavy metal and be successful.

From 1982 to 1984 he was in a band called the Shemps located in Seattle and founded by Kim Thayil's roommate, Matt Dentino. During this time Cornell moved in with Hiro Yamamoto, the Shemps' original bassist. In 1984 Cornell and Yamamoto invited Thayil to form a band with them and they named themselves Soundgarden. Cornell assumed the role of both drummer and vocalist.

In 1986, Cornell was taking singing lessons and working at the Rain City Grill. A neighbor remembers Soundgarden rehearsing in his apartment, and Cornell standing in his kitchen practicing his screams. Cornell's then-girlfriend, Susan Silver (who he would subsequently marry, in September 1990), was brought in to manage the band.

Soon Cornell was interested in expanding his talent as a musician, and taught himself guitar and bass; his learning of the guitar has been a huge influence on Soundgarden's music, and he invariably has guitar in hand in shows these days. His guitar ability also led him to some solo ventures, such as the song "Seasons," from the Singles soundtrack and the acoustic version of "Like Suicide" from S.F.W..

On March 16, 1990, a previous roommate Andy Wood died, and as a tribute, Cornell wrote and recorded demos of "Reach Down" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven". In November of that year, those songs were recorded and released as part of the Temple of the Dog project, which also featured Matt Cameron. Cornell later teamed up with Cameron on the side again as half of M.A.C.C., covering "Hey Baby" for the Stone Free tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

After selling millions of copies of their albums, Soundgarden was remarkably unaffected by their own success. If anything, the world changed around them. Soundgarden usually had a very friendly mood. They don't find it difficult to keep motivated just because they are now extremely wealthy. In fact, they seem to be almost embarrassed about being wealthy. Soundgarden is not flashy. They do not drive a fleet of Ferraris, or host wild parties in their rock star mansions.

Soundgarden does not go to many gigs. All the members in the band still hang out with the same friends in the same places as they always have. "It's totally weird," says Cornell. "You realize that somebody's standing there watching you and they're trying to get a reaction. And some people will come up and start being really rude to you, because they think you'll think it's cool."

The band, Chris Cornell (vocals/guitar), Kim Thayil (guitar), Hiro Yamamoto (bass) and Matt Cameron (drums), proffered a sound characterized by heavy-duty, bass-laden metallic riffs, which swung between dark melancholia and avant garde minimalism. Cornell's ranting vocal style and articulate lyrics completed the effect. The band's first recording, "Screaming Life" (1987), was the second release on the hugely influential Sub Pop Records label. The band became the first of the Sub Pop generation to sign to a major label when they attracted the attention of A&M Records.

A&M eventually released "Louder Than Love", one of the most underrated and offbeat rock albums of 1989. After it's release Cameron and Cornell also participated in the two million-selling Temple Of The Dog album, that co-featured members of Pearl Jam, laying tribute at the door of deceased Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. Yamamoto was replaced by Jason Everman (ex-Nirvana), though he played on only one track. His eventual replacement was a friend of the band, Ben "Hunter" Shepherd.

Landing the support slot on Guns 'N' Roses' US Illusions tour deservedly opened Soundgarden up to a much wider audience. Superunkown featured 15 songs and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard chart in early 1994, eventually selling over three million copies. Down On The Upside was another album recorded during Cornell's allegedly serious drug problems. This furthered the band's internal strife with intense heavy rock. The band eventually split up in April 1997, with Cameron moving on to Pearl Jam and Cornell embarking on a solo career.

Chris Cornell, the former lead singer of Soundgarden, left the group to pursue a solo career. His first solo material was the version of "Ave Maria" recorded with members of the Seattle band Eleven. The song appears on the benefit CD, A Very Special Christmas 3. Chris also appears on the soundtrack for the film, Great Expectations.

Cornell has two Grammys and seven albums including "Temple of the Dog." Soundgarden's album, "SuperUnknown", sold over five million copies in the U.S. Soundgarden was also considered the Greatest Hard Rock Band in the World.