Chris Cornell
Encyclopedia
Chris Cornell is an American rock
musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden
and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave
. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998. He is known for his wide vocal range, spanning B1-G5 in full-voice, and up to E6 in falsetto
, as well as his powerful vocal belting
technique. He was the founder and frontman for Temple of the Dog
, the one-off tribute band dedicated to his former roommate, Andrew Wood. He has released three solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning
(1999), Carry On
(2007), and Scream
(2009). Cornell was ranked 4th in the list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" by Hit Parader
. He performed the theme song to the James Bond
film Casino Royale
(2006), "You Know My Name
."
and Shorewood High School. His parents are Ed Boyle (a pharmacist from an Irish Catholic
background) and Karen Cornell (an accountant from a Jewish
background). He has five siblings: older brothers Peter and Patrick, and younger sisters Katy, Suzy, and Maggie. Peter, Katy and Suzy all performed in the band Inflatable Soule in the 1990s. Peter is currently the frontman for the New York-based rock band Black Market Radio. Katy performs as lead vocalist for the Seattle band Happy Hour Hero.
Cornell spent a two-year period between the ages of nine and eleven solidly listening to The Beatles
after finding a large collection of Beatles records abandoned in the basement of a neighbor's house. Cornell was a loner; however, he was able to deal with his anxiety around other people through rock music. Before becoming a successful musician, he worked at a seafood wholesaler and was a sous-chef at a restaurant named Ray's Boathouse.
In the early 1980s, Cornell was a member of a cover band called The Shemps that performed around Seattle. The Shemps also featured bassist Hiro Yamamoto
. Following Yamamoto's departure from The Shemps, the band recruited guitarist Kim Thayil
as its new bassist. Cornell and Yamamoto stayed in contact, and after The Shemps broke up Cornell and Yamamoto started jamming
together, eventually bringing in Thayil to join them.
was formed in 1984 by Cornell, Thayil and Yamamoto with Cornell originally on drums and vocals. In 1985, the band enlisted Scott Sundquist
as the drummer to allow Cornell to concentrate on vocals. The band's first recordings were three songs that appeared on a compilation for C/Z Records
called Deep Six
. In 1986, Sundquist, who by that point had a wife and a child, decided to leave the band and spend time with his family. He was replaced by Matt Cameron
, the drummer for Skin Yard
, who became Soundgarden's permanent drummer.
Soundgarden signed to Sub Pop
, releasing the Screaming Life
EP in 1987 and the Fopp
EP in 1988 (a combination of the two was issued as Screaming Life/Fopp
in 1990). Though the band was being courted by major labels, in 1988 they signed to SST Records
to release their debut album, Ultramega OK
(1988), for which they earned a Grammy Award
nomination for Best Metal Performance
in 1990. The band subsequently signed with A&M Records
, becoming the first grunge
band to sign to a major label. In 1989, the band released their second effort, and their first for a major label, Louder Than Love
. Following the release of Louder Than Love, Yamamoto left the band to finish his Master's degree in Physical Chemistry at Western Washington University
. He was replaced by former Nirvana
guitarist Jason Everman
. Everman was fired following Soundgarden's tour supporting Louder Than Love. In 1990, the band was joined by a new bassist, Ben Shepherd
.
Along with Alice in Chains
, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam
, Soundgarden became one of the most successful bands from Seattle's emerging grunge scene in the early 1990s. With Shepherd, the new line-up recorded Badmotorfinger
in 1991. The album brought the band to a new level of commercial success, and Soundgarden found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention given to the Seattle music scene. Badmotorfinger included the singles "Jesus Christ Pose
", "Outshined
", and "Rusty Cage
". The three singles gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations, while the videos for "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" gained considerable airtime on MTV
. The song "Jesus Christ Pose" and its music video was the subject of widespread controversy in 1991, and the video was removed from MTV's playlist. "Rusty Cage" was later covered by Johnny Cash
on his 1996 album, Unchained. It also appeared on the fictional radio station Radio X
on the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
and in the 32-bit version of Road Rash
. "Room a Thousand Years Wide
" was released previously as a single in 1990, but not to promote the album. It was released (with the song "HIV Baby") as a 7" through Sub Pop's Single of the Month club a full year before the release of Badmotorfinger. The song was re-recorded for this album. Badmotorfinger was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1992. It was also ranked number 45 in the October 2006 issue of Guitar World
on the magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time.
Superunknown
became the band's breakthrough album. Upon its release in March 1994, Superunknown debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
. The album launched several successful singles, including "Spoonman
" and "Black Hole Sun
", and granted Soundgarden international recognition. Superunknown achieved quintuple platinum status in the United States, triple platinum status in Canada, and gold status in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Rolling Stone
gave Superunknown four out of five stars. Reviewer J.D. Considine said Superunknown "demonstrates far greater range than many bands manage in an entire career." Considine criticized "Black Hole Sun" and "Half", stating that the former is "not a very good song" while the latter "is the virtual definition of a B-side." Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
said that "Superunknown actually tries to broaden its audience by breaking heavy-metal
genre barriers that Soundgarden used to accept." He added that "Soundgarden...want[s] something different from standard heavy metal." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly
gave the album an A. He said, "Soundgarden is pumped and primed on Superunknown, and they deliver the goods." He praised it as a "hard-rock milestone-a boiling vat of volcanic power, record-making smarts, and '90s anomie and anxiety that sets a new standard for anything called metal." The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album
in 1995. Two singles from Superunknown, "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman", won Grammy Awards, and the music video for "Black Hole Sun" won a MTV Video Music Award
and a Clio Award
. Superunknown was ranked number 336 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Black Hole Sun" was ranked number 25 on VH1
's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s.
The band's final album was 1996's self-produced Down on the Upside
. The album spawned several singles, including "Pretty Noose
", "Burden in My Hand
", and "Blow Up the Outside World
". The album was notably less heavy than the group's preceding albums, and marked a further departure from the band's grunge roots. Soundgarden explained at the time that it wanted to experiment with other sounds. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said, "Few bands since Led Zeppelin have so crisply mixed instruments both acoustic and electric." However, tensions within the group arose during the sessions, with Thayil and Cornell reportedly clashing over Cornell's desire to shift away from the heavy guitar riffing that had become the band's trademark. Despite favorable reviews, the album did not match the sales of Superunknown. In 1997, Soundgarden received another Grammy nomination, for the lead single "Pretty Noose". Due to tensions within the band, reportedly due to internal strife over its creative direction, Soundgarden announced it was disbanding on April 9, 1997. In a 1998 interview, Thayil said, "It was pretty obvious from everybody's general attitude over the course of the previous half year that there was some dissatisfaction."
and Natasha Shneider
of the band Eleven
. The album, entitled Euphoria Morning
, was released on September 21, 1999. The album proved commercially unsuccessful although the album's single "Can't Change Me
" was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Euphoria Morning includes "Wave Goodbye", Cornell's tribute to his late friend Jeff Buckley
. It has been noted that Euphoria Morning is influenced by Buckley's songwriting and distinctive vocal style. He also contributed the song "Sunshower" (a bonus track on the Japanese release of Euphoria Morning) to the soundtrack of the 1998 film, Great Expectations
, and a reworked version of the track "Mission", retitled "Mission 2000", was used on the soundtrack
to the 2000 film, Mission: Impossible II
. In 2000, Cornell embarked on a tour in support of the album.
Audioslave
was formed after Zack de la Rocha
left Rage Against the Machine
and the remaining members were searching for another vocalist. Producer and friend Rick Rubin
suggested that they contact Cornell. Rubin played the remaining Rage Against the Machine band members the Soundgarden song "Slaves & Bulldozers" to showcase his ability. Cornell was in the writing process of a second solo album, but decided to shelve that and pursue the opportunity to work with Tom Morello
, Tim Commerford
and Brad Wilk
when they approached him. Morello described Cornell: "He stepped to the microphone and sang the song and I couldn't believe it. It didn't just sound good. It didn't sound great. It sounded transcendent. And... when there is an irreplaceable chemistry from the first moment, you can't deny it." The quartet wrote 21 songs during 19 days of rehearsal and began working in the studio in late May 2001.
Their debut album, Audioslave
, released in November 2002, spawned hits such as "Cochise
", "Like a Stone
" and "Show Me How to Live", and has reached triple platinum status in the United States. The band was nearly derailed before the album's release; Cornell was going through alcohol problems and a slot on the Ozzfest
tour was canceled. During this time, there was a rumor that Cornell had checked himself into drug rehabilitation
. He later confirmed it in an interview with Metal Hammer
that was conducted from a clinic payphone. In a San Diego CityBeat
article, Cornell explained that he went through "a horrible personal crisis" during the making of the first record, staying in rehab for two months and separating from his wife. The problems were ironed out and he has remained sober
since this time. The band toured through 2003, before resting in 2004 to record their second album.
Audioslave's second album, Out of Exile
, was released in May 2005 and debuted at number one on the U.S. charts. The album has since gone on to achieve platinum status. The album features the singles "Out of Exile
", "Be Yourself
", "Your Time Has Come
", and "Doesn't Remind Me
". Cornell admitted to writing his most personal songs ever on this album, influenced by the positive changes in his life since 2002. He also described the album as more varied than the debut and relying less on heavy guitar riffs. Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden, but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that they had established a separate identity. The album was received more favorably than Audioslave's debut; critics noted Cornell's stronger vocals, likely the result of quitting smoking and drinking, and pointed out that Out of Exile is "the sound of a band coming into its own." Allmusic praised the album as "lean, hard, strong, and memorable." The lyrics, however, were still a common complaint; musicOMH.com wrote that Cornell's lyrics "continue to border on the ridiculous." On May 6, 2005, Audioslave played a free show in Havana, Cuba. Audioslave became the first American rock group to perform a concert in Cuba
, playing in front of an audience of 70,000. The band traveled to Havana on May 4 to interact with Cuban musicians. Cornell commented: "Hopefully, this concert will help to open the musical borders between our two countries." The 26-song set concert was the longest the band had ever played.
In early 2006 the band returned, recording their third album as they had written most of the material during the tour. The band released the album, titled Revelations, in September 2006. Revelations was influenced by 1960s and 70s funk
and R&B
music. The first two singles were "Original Fire
" and "Revelations". Two of the songs from the third album, "Shape of Things to Come" and "Wide Awake" were also prominently featured in Michael Mann's 2006 film, Miami Vice
, prior to the release of the album. Despite the exposure to other forms of media and the positive critical buzz for their third album, Audioslave did not tour behind the release. They went into hiatus to allow Cornell to complete "You Know My Name", the theme song for the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale, and Morello to pursue his own solo work under the moniker of The Nightwatchman
.
All of Audioslave's lyrics were written by Cornell, while all four members were credited with writing the music. Their songwriting process was described by Wilk as "more collaborative" and "satisfying" than Rage Against the Machine's, which was "a battle creatively." Cornell, for his part, saw Soundgarden's songwriting method as inferior to Audioslave's. Cornell's lyrics were mostly apolitical; Audioslave's Morello referred to them as "haunted, existential
poetry." They were characterized by his cryptic approach, often dealing with themes of existentialism, love, hedonism
, spirituality
and Christianity
. Cornell's battle with addiction to prescription drugs and alcoholism was a defining factor in the writing and recording process. Even though the singer admitted that he was "never able to write effectively" while drinking, and attended rehab after recording the debut album, Morello stated that Revelations was "the first record [Cornell] didn't smoke, drink or take drugs through the recording." However, Morello said: "Chris was stone sober during the making of our Out of Exile album. Chris was also sober during the making of Revelations and prior to recording he gave up smoking as well. I apologize for any confusion or concern that was stirred up by the original article. Sobriety can be a matter of life or death and Chris' courage in maintaining his health for years has been an inspiration."
News about Cornell's departure emerged in July 2006, when insiders stated that after the third album he would split for a solo career. The singer immediately denied the rumors, stating: "We hear rumors that Audioslave is breaking up all the time. ... I always just ignore [them]." On February 15, 2007, Cornell officially announced his departure from Audioslave, stating that "Due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences, I am permanently leaving the band Audioslave. I wish the other three members nothing but the best in all of their future endeavors." As the other three members were busy with the Rage Against the Machine reunion, and Morello and Cornell had each released solo albums in 2007, Audioslave was officially disbanded.
collaborated on the song "You Know My Name
", which Cornell co-wrote and performed and which accompanies the opening titles for the 2006 James Bond
film, Casino Royale
. "You Know My Name" is the first theme song since 1983's Octopussy
to use a different title than the film, the first ever sung by a male American, and the first ever title theme song that did not appear on the soundtrack album. Cornell is the first male performer since a-ha
in 1987's The Living Daylights
. It is the fourth title theme after Dr. No
, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
and Octopussy, that does not make any reference to the title of the film. "You Know My Name" won a 2006
Satellite Award in the category of Best Original Song
, and a 2007
World Soundtrack Award
in the category of Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
. The song was also nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
at the 2008 Grammy Awards
. This song became the first song recorded for his solo album, which he began work on in 2007.
Cornell has done a number of meet and greet showings with his fanbase. On April 18, 2009, it was announced on his official website that he would be doing a meet and greet appearance at the "Electric Fetus" record store in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fans who caught on to the message were able to meet Cornell for pictures and autographs before the concert at the "Myth" in Maplewood, Minnesota.
Though not officially released onto CD, an hour-long acoustic concert Cornell performed on September 7, 2006 at O-Baren in Stockholm
, is widely available for download
under the title Chris Cornell: Unplugged in Sweden. A promotional CD for his solo album, Carry On, was released in March 2007, entitled The Roads We Choose - A Retrospective
. The 17-song CD
included songs from Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave and Cornell's solo work.
On June 5, 2007, Cornell released his second solo album, Carry On
, produced by Steve Lillywhite
. It debuted at number 17 on the American Billboard
charts. Among the artists who accompanied him on his second solo release was friend Gary Lucas
, who contributed acoustic guitar
to some of the tracks. Cornell has stated that he is always writing, and that there are some songs that he was not able to put onto an Audioslave album. While recording his second solo album, Cornell was involved in a motorcycle
accident. He was apparently "rear-ended
by a truck in L.A.
's Studio City
while riding his motorcycle" and "catapulted 20 feet into the air." He was able to walk away from the accident, but had severe cuts and bruises. He returned to the studio later that day.
In 2007, Cornell appeared as support to Aerosmith
on at least two legs of their 2007 world tour—Dublin, London, and Hyde Park
—and to Linkin Park
in Australia and New Zealand. These shows formed part of his own ongoing world tour which began in April 2007 and continued into 2008 and 2009. Cornell has described his touring band—comprising guitarists Yogi Lonich and Peter Thorn, bassist Corey McCormick and drummer Jason Sutter
—as "musicians that could get the whole picture" playing music by Soundgarden and Audioslave, as well as his solo material.
In 2008, Cornell was featured on the Main Stage of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution
tour. Joining Linkin Park and Cornell on the Main Stage were Busta Rhymes
, The Bravery
, and Ashes Divide
. The Revolution Stage featured Atreyu
, 10 Years
, Hawthorne Heights
, Armor for Sleep
, and Street Drum Corps
. During this tour, Cornell has stated that he plans to "jump on stage" with other artists as the opportunity arises; this may set the stage for future Cornell collaborations, outside his work with Timbaland. Throughout the tour, Cornell collaborated with Chester Bennington
from Linkin Park while performing "Hunger Strike", and with Street Drum Corps for a number of his Soundgarden tracks. While Linkin Park would perform their Grammy-winning song "Crawling
", he would appear on stage singing the second verse of the song, the outro, and harmonies Aaron Lewis
provided for the Reanimation
version.
Cornell worked with producer Timbaland
on his most recent album, Scream
, which was released on March 10, 2009. Timbaland has referred to the recording sessions as "The best work I've done in my career," and predicted that Cornell will be the "first rock star in the club." Cornell called the new album "a highlight of my career." The album was largely panned by critics, but was the highest charting album of Cornell's solo career, reaching # 10 on the Billboard 200
.
On April 2, 2009, Cornell took over Atlanta Rock station, Project 961, WKLS-FM. For 24 hours the station became "Chris-FM" and included a two hour special of Cornell DJing and playing his favorite songs of his career with the stories behind them leading up to a rebroadcast of his solo show from the previous night. On September 11, 2009, Cornell performed John Lennon
's "Imagine
" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
. On October 30, 2009 it was reported that Cornell is working with Jordan Zadorozny and Michael Friedman to rework the Scream
album, which was completely untrue. Never Far Away and Long Gone were the only songs that were reworked and not the full album. Cornell's voice is also sampled on the song "Mister Dirt" from Joshua David's album Good. Night. Melody. which was released on November 17, 2009.
In January 2011 Cornell announced his solo acoustic 'Songbook' tour, following on from a series of acclaimed solo acoustic shows in Los Angeles during 2009 and 2010. The first leg of the sold-out tour began on April 1, 2011 and continued through the US and Canada until May 6. The tour received universally positive reviews.
In August 2011 Cornell released “The Keeper”, an original song written for the Marc Forster
directed 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher
. For the first 24 hours of release, the song was exclusively available as part of the "Donate to Download" campaign for Sam Childers
' Angels of East Africa children's charity. The song will also be the lead track on the film’s soundtrack album.
reunion via his Twitter
account, writing: "The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" The message linked to a website that features a picture of the group performing live and a place for fans to enter their e-mail address to get updates on the reunion. Entering that information unlocks an archival video for the song "Get on the Snake", from Soundgarden's second studio album, 1989's Louder Than Love
.
In April 2010, Soundgarden announced plans to headline Lollapalooza
2010. Soundgarden made the announcement through their website and email list. On April 16, 2010, Soundgarden held a secret show at the Showbox Theater on First Avenue in downtown Seattle, Washington, publicized via the band's mailing list. The show was billed as Nudedragons, an anagram for Soundgarden. Asked in August 2010 if Soundgarden will record new material, Cornell replied, "it would be exciting to record one song, to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later. But for me, it's been more of a trip relearning the songs and playing them together. Some of the songs we're approaching we've never played live."
Soundgarden made their first television appearance since their reunion on Conan O'Brien
's second episode of Conan November 9, 2010 on TBS and toured North America in summer 2011.
In mid/late September 2011 Chris Cornell stopped by Rolling Stone to perform a few acoustic songs & conducted an interview where he spoke about what it's like being back with Soundgarden & revealed that in early 2012 a new Soundgarden album consisting of new material would be released. The album would pick up exactly where the Down on the upside album released in 1996 left off.
band Center for Disease Control Boys
.
, and the self-titled album
was released in 1991. The album is a tribute to their mutual friend, and Cornell's former roommate, Andrew Wood. Wood, the former lead singer of Mother Love Bone
, died of a heroin overdose the year before. Jeff Ament
and Stone Gossard
of Mother Love Bone teamed up with Mike McCready
, Dave Krusen
, and new vocalist Eddie Vedder
in 1990, forming Pearl Jam. Temple of the Dog has gone on to sell more than a million copies, thanks in large part to the singles "Say Hello 2 Heaven
" and "Hunger Strike
", the latter of which features a duet between Cornell and Vedder. This was the first time Vedder was recorded professionally. During a 2003 Pearl Jam show at the Santa Barbara Bowl
, Cornell appeared as a surprise guest. After playing a short acoustic set, Cornell joined Vedder and the rest of the band to perform "Hunger Strike" and "Reach Down". On October 6, 2009, Cornell made a surprise appearance during a Pearl Jam concert at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles. The reunited Temple of the Dog played Hunger Strike. At the end of the concert, Cornell took a bow with the band along with Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, thus having three of the four major grunge bands of the early 1990s represented on stage, with only Nirvana missing.
of Mudhoney, contributed vocals on the Alice in Chains
song "Right Turn" from the 1992 EP, Sap
, although the band given credit for this song is Alice Mudgarden
.
.
on the Screaming Trees
' 1991 album, Uncle Anesthesia
. He acted in a cameo role and an onstage performance in Cameron Crowe
's 1992 Seattle-based film, Singles. He also contributed his solo song "Seasons", and Soundgarden's song "Birth Ritual", to the Singles soundtrack. Cornell contributed vocals on Alice Cooper
's "Stolen Prayer" and "Unholy War" (which he also wrote) from the 1994 album, The Last Temptation. In 1997, Cornell collaborated with Eleven
on a rendition of the song, "Ave Maria", for the Christmas compilation album, A Very Special Christmas 3
. Cornell has also performed live with the band Linkin Park
.
It was incorrectly believed (for many years) that Cornell had written the Eleven
song "Someone to Die For" on the 2004 Spider-Man 2
soundtrack, but this was corrected in an interview in April 2007. The song is performed by Jimmy Gnecco
of Ours and Brian May
of Queen
. Cornell had recorded a demo of the song some time earlier, which was released only to members of the Eleven street team
.
Cornell co-wrote (with Brian Howes
) David Cook
's first post-American Idol
album single, "Light On
", released in 2008. And in 2009, he contributed vocals on the song, "Mister Dirt", from the album, Good.Night.Melody, by Joshua David. Cornell sang one song (which he co-wrote) on Slash, Slash
's solo record released in April 2010. The song is called "Promise" and it was premiered at amazon.com on March 26, 2010. He contributed vocals on the song, "Lies", on the 2010 album, Third and Double, by Gabin
which was subsequently released as a single in October 2010. Cornell appears on the Carlos Santana
album Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time
, where he sings on the cover of Led Zeppelin
's "Whole Lotta Love
".
In September 2011, he joined members of Pearl Jam
for a Temple Of The Dog
live reunion at the 2-day PJ20 Festival in Alpine Valley, WI.
A recurrent characteristic is the usage of major-only chord sequences (Euphoria Morning, Pretty Noose), which also leads to more subtle key changes.
While a most intensive concentration of Chris Cornell's songwriting style can still be found on the Euphoria Morning album, later works, with Audioslave or on the later solo albums, tend to be more conventional, only sometimes containing short but inventive interlude parts (e.g. Like a stone, Disappearing Act, No Such Thing).
2006 ad campaign. He recently became a restaurateur with the opening of his restaurant, Black Calavados, in Paris. He is also the owner of the music publishing company You Make Me Sick I Make Music.
Cornell has optioned Phil Carlo's true crime book The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez
, with plans to turn it into a movie. Cornell is collaborating with Carlo to produce the screenplay.
and Soundgarden
. He had a daughter with Silver, Lillian Jean, in June 2000. He and Silver divorced in 2004. In December 2008, Cornell reported via his official website that he had finally won back his collection of 15 guitars after a four-year court battle with Silver.
He is currently married to Vicky Karayiannis (Βίκυ Καραγιάννη), a Paris-based American publicist of Greek heritage. She gave birth to his second daughter, Toni, in September 2004, and his third child, Christopher Nicholas, in December 2005.
When asked how Cornell beat all his addictions he stated, "It was a long period of coming to the realization that this way (sober) is better. Going through rehab, honestly, did help, and I'm not....it got me away from just the daily drudgery of depression and either trying to not drink or do drugs or doing them and you know, they give you such a simple message that any idiot can get and it's just over and over, but the bottom line is really, and this is the part that is scary for everyone, The individual kinda has to want it...not kinda, you have to want it and to not do that crap anymore or you will never stop and it will just kill you."
In a 2011 interview, Chris Cornell said the major change with the reformed Soundgarden is a lack of alcohol: "The biggest difference I noticed.. and we haven't even really talked about it: There are no bottles of Jack Daniels around or beers. And we never talked about.. it's just not there."
, produced five albums, five EPs and two greatest hits compilations. He released three albums with Audioslave
and one album with Temple of the Dog
. Despite this large discography he has only released one retrospective compilation which was given a limited release. Cornell has also produced an album for Screaming Trees
and had his music featured on one mixtape.
Producer
Mixtapes
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998. He is known for his wide vocal range, spanning B1-G5 in full-voice, and up to E6 in falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
, as well as his powerful vocal belting
Belt (music)
Belting refers to a specific technique of singing by which a singer produces a loud sound in the upper middle of the pitch range. It is often described as a vocal register although some dispute this since technically the larynx is not oscillating in a unique way...
technique. He was the founder and frontman for Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone...
, the one-off tribute band dedicated to his former roommate, Andrew Wood. He has released three solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning
Euphoria Morning
Euphoria Morning is the first solo studio album released by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released on September 21, 1999 through Interscope Records. Euphoria Morning sold over 75,000 copies in its first week of release and eventually sold 343,000 copies in the U.S. alone...
(1999), Carry On
Carry On (Chris Cornell album)
Carry On is the second solo studio album released by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released on May 28, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States. This album is Cornell's second after Euphoria Morning in 1999, and his first since leaving his former band Audioslave...
(2007), and Scream
Scream (Chris Cornell album)
Scream is the third solo studio album by American musician Chris Cornell. Released on March 10, 2009 through Suretone Records and Mosley Music Group, it marked a shift from Cornell's previous musical efforts with the exclusion of some guitar and rock elements that were replaced with producer...
(2009). Cornell was ranked 4th in the list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" by Hit Parader
Hit Parader
Hit Parader is an American music magazine focusing on the genres of hard rock, pop, and heavy metal.The magazine was originally started as a pop song lyric magazine by Charlton Publications in 1942. Charlton sold off the magazine before the company went under in 1991...
. He performed the theme song to the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
(2006), "You Know My Name
You Know My Name
"You Know My Name," performed by Chris Cornell, is the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer. The film producers went after Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer...
."
Childhood and early life
Cornell was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and attended Christ the King, Catholic elementary schoolChrist the King School (Seattle, Washington)
Christ the King School is a Roman Catholic parochial school in Seattle, Washington, USA, teaching children from preschool through eighth grade.- History :...
and Shorewood High School. His parents are Ed Boyle (a pharmacist from an Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
background) and Karen Cornell (an accountant from a Jewish
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
background). He has five siblings: older brothers Peter and Patrick, and younger sisters Katy, Suzy, and Maggie. Peter, Katy and Suzy all performed in the band Inflatable Soule in the 1990s. Peter is currently the frontman for the New York-based rock band Black Market Radio. Katy performs as lead vocalist for the Seattle band Happy Hour Hero.
Cornell spent a two-year period between the ages of nine and eleven solidly listening to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
after finding a large collection of Beatles records abandoned in the basement of a neighbor's house. Cornell was a loner; however, he was able to deal with his anxiety around other people through rock music. Before becoming a successful musician, he worked at a seafood wholesaler and was a sous-chef at a restaurant named Ray's Boathouse.
In the early 1980s, Cornell was a member of a cover band called The Shemps that performed around Seattle. The Shemps also featured bassist Hiro Yamamoto
Hiro Yamamoto
Hiro Yamamoto is an American bassist who was a founding member of grunge band Soundgarden, along with Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell in 1984...
. Following Yamamoto's departure from The Shemps, the band recruited guitarist Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
as its new bassist. Cornell and Yamamoto stayed in contact, and after The Shemps broke up Cornell and Yamamoto started jamming
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
together, eventually bringing in Thayil to join them.
1984–1997: Soundgarden
SoundgardenSoundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
was formed in 1984 by Cornell, Thayil and Yamamoto with Cornell originally on drums and vocals. In 1985, the band enlisted Scott Sundquist
Scott Sundquist
-Soundgarden:In 1985, Soundgarden was a recently formed three-piece band with Chris Cornell on vocals and drums, Kim Thayil on guitar, and Hiro Yamamoto on bass guitar. The band enlisted Sundquist as their drummer so Cornell could focus on the vocals. They traveled around playing various gigs with...
as the drummer to allow Cornell to concentrate on vocals. The band's first recordings were three songs that appeared on a compilation for C/Z Records
C/Z Records
C/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge...
called Deep Six
Deep Six (album)
The Deep Six compilation was released March 1986 . It was the very first release by C/Z Records, a few months before the release of Sub Pop 100 from Sub Pop Records. It was also arguably the second record to influence the later "Seattle sound" that would be known worldwide as grunge...
. In 1986, Sundquist, who by that point had a wife and a child, decided to leave the band and spend time with his family. He was replaced by Matt Cameron
Matt Cameron
Matthew David "Matt" Cameron is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden...
, the drummer for Skin Yard
Skin Yard
Skin Yard was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, who were active from 1985 to 1992. The group never gained a mainstream audience, but were an influence on their contemporaries – most notably Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, The Melvins, and Green River – alongside whom they are considered...
, who became Soundgarden's permanent drummer.
Soundgarden signed to Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
, releasing the Screaming Life
Screaming Life
-Outtakes:The song "Toy Box" was recorded during the sessions for Screaming Life. It was later featured on the "Flower" single. The instrumental track "The Telephantasm" was recorded mostly during these sessions and was released as a separate single in late 2010 and as an iTunes bonus track on...
EP in 1987 and the Fopp
Fopp (EP)
-Personnel:Soundgarden*Matt Cameron – drums*Chris Cornell – vocals*Kim Thayil – guitar*Hiro Yamamoto – bass guitarProduction*Drew Canulette – engineering*Steve Fisk – production...
EP in 1988 (a combination of the two was issued as Screaming Life/Fopp
Screaming Life/Fopp
Screaming Life/Fopp is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on May 11, 1990 through Sub Pop Records.-Overview:...
in 1990). Though the band was being courted by major labels, in 1988 they signed to SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
to release their debut album, Ultramega OK
Ultramega OK
Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 through SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life , and Fopp , both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with the independent record label SST and went to work...
(1988), for which they earned a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Metal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
in 1990. The band subsequently signed with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, becoming the first grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band to sign to a major label. In 1989, the band released their second effort, and their first for a major label, Louder Than Love
Louder than Love
Louder Than Love is the second studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on September 5, 1989 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its first full-length studio album, Ultramega OK , Soundgarden signed with A&M and began work on its first album for a major label...
. Following the release of Louder Than Love, Yamamoto left the band to finish his Master's degree in Physical Chemistry at Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
. He was replaced by former Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
guitarist Jason Everman
Jason Everman
Jason Mark Everman is an American guitarist/bassist who played with Nirvana and Soundgarden. Everman is currently studying philosophy at Columbia University.-Nirvana:...
. Everman was fired following Soundgarden's tour supporting Louder Than Love. In 1990, the band was joined by a new bassist, Ben Shepherd
Ben Shepherd
Ben Shepherd is an American musician, two-time Grammy Award Winner best known for playing bass in the grunge band Soundgarden from 1990 until the band's 1997 break-up...
.
Along with Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, Soundgarden became one of the most successful bands from Seattle's emerging grunge scene in the early 1990s. With Shepherd, the new line-up recorded Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its previous album, Louder Than Love , Soundgarden began the recording sessions for its next album with new bassist Ben Shepherd...
in 1991. The album brought the band to a new level of commercial success, and Soundgarden found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention given to the Seattle music scene. Badmotorfinger included the singles "Jesus Christ Pose
Jesus Christ Pose
"Jesus Christ Pose" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in 1991 as the first single from the band's third studio album, Badmotorfinger...
", "Outshined
Outshined
"Outshined" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Outshined" was released in 1991 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Badmotorfinger...
", and "Rusty Cage
Rusty Cage
"Rusty Cage" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Rusty Cage" was released in 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Badmotorfinger . The song became an instant hit and was released as a single in several different formats...
". The three singles gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations, while the videos for "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" gained considerable airtime on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The song "Jesus Christ Pose" and its music video was the subject of widespread controversy in 1991, and the video was removed from MTV's playlist. "Rusty Cage" was later covered by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on his 1996 album, Unchained. It also appeared on the fictional radio station Radio X
Radio X
Radio X may refer to:*These stations owned by RNC Media in Quebec:**CHOI-FM 98.1, Quebec City**CKYK-FM 95.7, Saguenay**CHGO-FM 104.3, Val-d'Or **CJGO-FM 102.1, La Sarre *WKPX 88.5 FM, Sunrise, Florida...
on the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
and in the 32-bit version of Road Rash
Road Rash
Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from...
. "Room a Thousand Years Wide
Room a Thousand Years Wide
"Room a Thousand Years Wide" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring lyrics written by guitarist Kim Thayil and music written by drummer Matt Cameron, "Room a Thousand Years Wide" was released as a single in 1990 through Sub Pop...
" was released previously as a single in 1990, but not to promote the album. It was released (with the song "HIV Baby") as a 7" through Sub Pop's Single of the Month club a full year before the release of Badmotorfinger. The song was re-recorded for this album. Badmotorfinger was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1992. It was also ranked number 45 in the October 2006 issue of Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
on the magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time.
Superunknown
Superunknown
Superunknown is the fourth album by American grunge band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994 through A&M Records. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger...
became the band's breakthrough album. Upon its release in March 1994, Superunknown debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album launched several successful singles, including "Spoonman
Spoonman
"Spoonman" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Spoonman" was released on February 15, 1994 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown . "Spoonman" is often credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden's career...
" and "Black Hole Sun
Black Hole Sun
"Black Hole Sun" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris finneran, "Black Hole Sun" was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album Superunknown . It is arguably the band's most recognizable and most popular song, and remains a well...
", and granted Soundgarden international recognition. Superunknown achieved quintuple platinum status in the United States, triple platinum status in Canada, and gold status in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave Superunknown four out of five stars. Reviewer J.D. Considine said Superunknown "demonstrates far greater range than many bands manage in an entire career." Considine criticized "Black Hole Sun" and "Half", stating that the former is "not a very good song" while the latter "is the virtual definition of a B-side." Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that "Superunknown actually tries to broaden its audience by breaking heavy-metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
genre barriers that Soundgarden used to accept." He added that "Soundgarden...want[s] something different from standard heavy metal." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album an A. He said, "Soundgarden is pumped and primed on Superunknown, and they deliver the goods." He praised it as a "hard-rock milestone-a boiling vat of volcanic power, record-making smarts, and '90s anomie and anxiety that sets a new standard for anything called metal." The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album
Grammy Award for Best Rock Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre...
in 1995. Two singles from Superunknown, "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman", won Grammy Awards, and the music video for "Black Hole Sun" won a MTV Video Music Award
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
and a Clio Award
Clio Awards
The Clio Awards are annual awards bestowed to reward innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication. The categories include work in nearly all types of media, and the judges are advertising professionals from around the world....
. Superunknown was ranked number 336 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Black Hole Sun" was ranked number 25 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s.
The band's final album was 1996's self-produced Down on the Upside
Down on the Upside
Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996 through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown , Soundgarden commenced work on a new album...
. The album spawned several singles, including "Pretty Noose
Pretty Noose
"Pretty Noose" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Pretty Noose" was released in March 1996 as the first single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside . The song reached number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart...
", "Burden in My Hand
Burden in My Hand
"Burden in My Hand" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Burden in My Hand" was released on September 18, 1996 as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside . The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,...
", and "Blow Up the Outside World
Blow Up the Outside World
"Blow Up the Outside World" is a song by the American grunge band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Blow Up the Outside World" was released on November 18, 1996 as the third single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside . The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock...
". The album was notably less heavy than the group's preceding albums, and marked a further departure from the band's grunge roots. Soundgarden explained at the time that it wanted to experiment with other sounds. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said, "Few bands since Led Zeppelin have so crisply mixed instruments both acoustic and electric." However, tensions within the group arose during the sessions, with Thayil and Cornell reportedly clashing over Cornell's desire to shift away from the heavy guitar riffing that had become the band's trademark. Despite favorable reviews, the album did not match the sales of Superunknown. In 1997, Soundgarden received another Grammy nomination, for the lead single "Pretty Noose". Due to tensions within the band, reportedly due to internal strife over its creative direction, Soundgarden announced it was disbanding on April 9, 1997. In a 1998 interview, Thayil said, "It was pretty obvious from everybody's general attitude over the course of the previous half year that there was some dissatisfaction."
1998–2000: Solo career
In 1998, Cornell began working on material for a solo album on which he collaborated with Alain JohannesAlain Johannes
Alain Johannes Moschulski is a guitarist and, along with his late partner Natasha Shneider and drummer Jack Irons, a founding member of the band Eleven...
and Natasha Shneider
Natasha Shneider
Natasha Shneider was a Russian musician. She was most notably the keyboardist and vocalist in the musical group Eleven, and was the partner of bandmate Alain Johannes...
of the band Eleven
Eleven (band)
Eleven was a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990 by Alain Johannes , Natasha Shneider , and Jack Irons .-History:...
. The album, entitled Euphoria Morning
Euphoria Morning
Euphoria Morning is the first solo studio album released by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released on September 21, 1999 through Interscope Records. Euphoria Morning sold over 75,000 copies in its first week of release and eventually sold 343,000 copies in the U.S. alone...
, was released on September 21, 1999. The album proved commercially unsuccessful although the album's single "Can't Change Me
Can't Change Me
"Can't Change Me" is the only single released from Chris Cornell's solo album, Euphoria Morning. A music video was produced for the song. Its filming was showcased in an episode of MTV's Making the Video.-Release and Reception:...
" was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Euphoria Morning includes "Wave Goodbye", Cornell's tribute to his late friend Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
. It has been noted that Euphoria Morning is influenced by Buckley's songwriting and distinctive vocal style. He also contributed the song "Sunshower" (a bonus track on the Japanese release of Euphoria Morning) to the soundtrack of the 1998 film, Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1998 film)
Great Expectations is a 1998 contemporary film adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft and Chris Cooper. It is known for having moved the setting of the original novel from 1861...
, and a reworked version of the track "Mission", retitled "Mission 2000", was used on the soundtrack
Mission: Impossible II (soundtrack)
Music from and Inspired by Mission: Impossible II is the Soundtrack for the movie Mission: Impossible II.- Track listing :# Limp Bizkit – "Take a Look Around"# Metallica – "I Disappear"# Rob Zombie – "Scum of the Earth"...
to the 2000 film, Mission: Impossible II
Mission: Impossible II
Mission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer...
. In 2000, Cornell embarked on a tour in support of the album.
2001–2007: Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
was formed after Zack de la Rocha
Zack de la Rocha
Zacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
left Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and the remaining members were searching for another vocalist. Producer and friend Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
suggested that they contact Cornell. Rubin played the remaining Rage Against the Machine band members the Soundgarden song "Slaves & Bulldozers" to showcase his ability. Cornell was in the writing process of a second solo album, but decided to shelve that and pursue the opportunity to work with Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
, Tim Commerford
Tim Commerford
Timothy Robert Commerford , also known by his various monikers/stage names is the bassist/backing vocalist for American alternative metal band Rage Against The Machine and the now-defunct supergroup Audioslave.-Biography:Tim Commerford was born on February...
and Brad Wilk
Brad Wilk
Brad Wilk is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the American rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave.-Family and early life:...
when they approached him. Morello described Cornell: "He stepped to the microphone and sang the song and I couldn't believe it. It didn't just sound good. It didn't sound great. It sounded transcendent. And... when there is an irreplaceable chemistry from the first moment, you can't deny it." The quartet wrote 21 songs during 19 days of rehearsal and began working in the studio in late May 2001.
Their debut album, Audioslave
Audioslave (album)
Audioslave is the eponymous debut studio album by the American rock supergroup Audioslave and was released on November 19, 2002 . The album's music features Chris Cornell providing his familiar classic rock-esque wails and croons to the songs. It features the hit singles "Cochise", "Show Me How to...
, released in November 2002, spawned hits such as "Cochise
Cochise (song)
"Cochise" is the first single by Audioslave for their eponymous debut album released in 2002. The single was released with a white and a black cover...
", "Like a Stone
Like a Stone
"Like a Stone" is a song by American hard rock band Audioslave, featured on their 2002 debut studio album Audioslave. When released as the band's second single in January 2003, the song topped both the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts, and reached number...
" and "Show Me How to Live", and has reached triple platinum status in the United States. The band was nearly derailed before the album's release; Cornell was going through alcohol problems and a slot on the Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
tour was canceled. During this time, there was a rumor that Cornell had checked himself into drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
. He later confirmed it in an interview with Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
that was conducted from a clinic payphone. In a San Diego CityBeat
San Diego CityBeat
San Diego CityBeat is an alternative weekly newspaper in San Diego, California that focuses on local progressive politics, arts, and music. It is published every Wednesday and distributed around San Diego county, although with a focus on the city of San Diego itself, with a weekly circulation of...
article, Cornell explained that he went through "a horrible personal crisis" during the making of the first record, staying in rehab for two months and separating from his wife. The problems were ironed out and he has remained sober
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
since this time. The band toured through 2003, before resting in 2004 to record their second album.
Audioslave's second album, Out of Exile
Out of Exile
Out of Exile is the second studio album by the American rock supergroup Audioslave, first released on May 23, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. It is the band's only number one album on the Billboard 200. Four singles were released: "Be Yourself", "Your Time Has Come",...
, was released in May 2005 and debuted at number one on the U.S. charts. The album has since gone on to achieve platinum status. The album features the singles "Out of Exile
Out of Exile (song)
"Out of Exile" is the title track from Audioslave's second album Out of Exile and the fourth and final single released from the album.An excerpt of this song was used at the 2006 Pro40 tournament....
", "Be Yourself
Be Yourself (Audioslave song)
"Be Yourself" is the first single by Audioslave for their second album Out of Exile. It was released in 2005. The song topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for seven weeks and the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks in 2005....
", "Your Time Has Come
Your Time Has Come
"Your Time Has Come" is the second single by the American hard rock band Audioslave from their second album Out of Exile. It was released in 2005.The song is featured on the Soundtrack of the game FlatOut 2.-Song meaning:...
", and "Doesn't Remind Me
Doesn't Remind Me
"Doesn't Remind Me" is the third single from American hard rock band Audioslave's second album Out of Exile. It was released on May 24, 2005, in the United States, and was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance" at the 48th Grammy Awards...
". Cornell admitted to writing his most personal songs ever on this album, influenced by the positive changes in his life since 2002. He also described the album as more varied than the debut and relying less on heavy guitar riffs. Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden, but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that they had established a separate identity. The album was received more favorably than Audioslave's debut; critics noted Cornell's stronger vocals, likely the result of quitting smoking and drinking, and pointed out that Out of Exile is "the sound of a band coming into its own." Allmusic praised the album as "lean, hard, strong, and memorable." The lyrics, however, were still a common complaint; musicOMH.com wrote that Cornell's lyrics "continue to border on the ridiculous." On May 6, 2005, Audioslave played a free show in Havana, Cuba. Audioslave became the first American rock group to perform a concert in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, playing in front of an audience of 70,000. The band traveled to Havana on May 4 to interact with Cuban musicians. Cornell commented: "Hopefully, this concert will help to open the musical borders between our two countries." The 26-song set concert was the longest the band had ever played.
In early 2006 the band returned, recording their third album as they had written most of the material during the tour. The band released the album, titled Revelations, in September 2006. Revelations was influenced by 1960s and 70s funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music. The first two singles were "Original Fire
Original Fire
"Original Fire" is the first single from the album Revelations by American hard rock band Audioslave. The song debuted on radio stations on July 17, 2006 and the single itself was released on August 28, 2006....
" and "Revelations". Two of the songs from the third album, "Shape of Things to Come" and "Wide Awake" were also prominently featured in Michael Mann's 2006 film, Miami Vice
Miami Vice (film)
Miami Vice is a 2006 American crime drama film about two Miami police detectives, Crockett and Tubbs, who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name, written, produced, and directed by Michael Mann...
, prior to the release of the album. Despite the exposure to other forms of media and the positive critical buzz for their third album, Audioslave did not tour behind the release. They went into hiatus to allow Cornell to complete "You Know My Name", the theme song for the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale, and Morello to pursue his own solo work under the moniker of The Nightwatchman
The Nightwatchman
The Nightwatchman is the alter-ego and solo act of Rage Against the Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club and former Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello...
.
All of Audioslave's lyrics were written by Cornell, while all four members were credited with writing the music. Their songwriting process was described by Wilk as "more collaborative" and "satisfying" than Rage Against the Machine's, which was "a battle creatively." Cornell, for his part, saw Soundgarden's songwriting method as inferior to Audioslave's. Cornell's lyrics were mostly apolitical; Audioslave's Morello referred to them as "haunted, existential
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
poetry." They were characterized by his cryptic approach, often dealing with themes of existentialism, love, hedonism
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
, spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Cornell's battle with addiction to prescription drugs and alcoholism was a defining factor in the writing and recording process. Even though the singer admitted that he was "never able to write effectively" while drinking, and attended rehab after recording the debut album, Morello stated that Revelations was "the first record [Cornell] didn't smoke, drink or take drugs through the recording." However, Morello said: "Chris was stone sober during the making of our Out of Exile album. Chris was also sober during the making of Revelations and prior to recording he gave up smoking as well. I apologize for any confusion or concern that was stirred up by the original article. Sobriety can be a matter of life or death and Chris' courage in maintaining his health for years has been an inspiration."
News about Cornell's departure emerged in July 2006, when insiders stated that after the third album he would split for a solo career. The singer immediately denied the rumors, stating: "We hear rumors that Audioslave is breaking up all the time. ... I always just ignore [them]." On February 15, 2007, Cornell officially announced his departure from Audioslave, stating that "Due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences, I am permanently leaving the band Audioslave. I wish the other three members nothing but the best in all of their future endeavors." As the other three members were busy with the Rage Against the Machine reunion, and Morello and Cornell had each released solo albums in 2007, Audioslave was officially disbanded.
2007: Solo revival
Cornell and composer David ArnoldDavid Arnold
David Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
collaborated on the song "You Know My Name
You Know My Name
"You Know My Name," performed by Chris Cornell, is the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer. The film producers went after Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer...
", which Cornell co-wrote and performed and which accompanies the opening titles for the 2006 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film, Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
. "You Know My Name" is the first theme song since 1983's Octopussy
Octopussy
Octopussy is the thirteenth entry in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights...
to use a different title than the film, the first ever sung by a male American, and the first ever title theme song that did not appear on the soundtrack album. Cornell is the first male performer since a-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
in 1987's The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
. It is the fourth title theme after Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby...
and Octopussy, that does not make any reference to the title of the film. "You Know My Name" won a 2006
Satellite Awards 2006
The 11th Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film- and televisionmaking in 2006, were given on 18 December 2006.-Best Actor - Drama: Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland*Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond*Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson...
Satellite Award in the category of Best Original Song
Satellite Award for Best Original Song
The Satellite Award for Best Original Song is an annual award given by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :*1996: "You Must Love Me" performed by Madonna - Evita**"God Give Me Strength" - Grace of My Heart**"Kissing You" - Romeo + Juliet...
, and a 2007
World Soundtrack Awards 2007
The 7th World Soundtrack Awards were given on 20 October 2007 in Ghent, Belgium.-Winners:*Soundtrack Composer of the Year:**Alexandre Desplat for The Painted Veil and The Queen*Best Original Soundtrack of the Year:...
World Soundtrack Award
World Soundtrack Academy
The World Soundtrack Academy , launched in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and its worldwide promotion...
in the category of Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
The World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film is one of the three main prizes given by the World Soundtrack Academy to honour the best movie soundtracks...
. The song was also nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
at the 2008 Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
. This song became the first song recorded for his solo album, which he began work on in 2007.
Cornell has done a number of meet and greet showings with his fanbase. On April 18, 2009, it was announced on his official website that he would be doing a meet and greet appearance at the "Electric Fetus" record store in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fans who caught on to the message were able to meet Cornell for pictures and autographs before the concert at the "Myth" in Maplewood, Minnesota.
Though not officially released onto CD, an hour-long acoustic concert Cornell performed on September 7, 2006 at O-Baren in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, is widely available for download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
under the title Chris Cornell: Unplugged in Sweden. A promotional CD for his solo album, Carry On, was released in March 2007, entitled The Roads We Choose - A Retrospective
The Roads We Choose - A Retrospective
The Roads We Choose – A Retrospective is a promo compilation album released by Chris Cornell. It spans his career as a whole, featuring songs from Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden and Audioslave, as well as material from his solo career. "The Roads We Choose" was a working title for the Audioslave...
. The 17-song CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
included songs from Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave and Cornell's solo work.
On June 5, 2007, Cornell released his second solo album, Carry On
Carry On (Chris Cornell album)
Carry On is the second solo studio album released by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released on May 28, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States. This album is Cornell's second after Euphoria Morning in 1999, and his first since leaving his former band Audioslave...
, produced by Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
. It debuted at number 17 on the American Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts. Among the artists who accompanied him on his second solo release was friend Gary Lucas
Gary Lucas
Gary Lucas is an American guitarist, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, a soundtrack composer for film and television, and an international recording artist with over a dozen solo albums to date. He has been described as "one of the best and most original guitarists in America" ; a "legendary leftfield...
, who contributed acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
to some of the tracks. Cornell has stated that he is always writing, and that there are some songs that he was not able to put onto an Audioslave album. While recording his second solo album, Cornell was involved in a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident. He was apparently "rear-ended
Rear-end collision
A rear-end collision is a traffic accident wherein a vehicle crashes into the vehicle in front of it, usually caused by tailgating or panic stops...
by a truck in L.A.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
's Studio City
Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City is an affluent residential neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. Studio City expands over four ZIP code areas: 91604 and sections of 91602, 91607 and 90210....
while riding his motorcycle" and "catapulted 20 feet into the air." He was able to walk away from the accident, but had severe cuts and bruises. He returned to the studio later that day.
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
on at least two legs of their 2007 world tour—Dublin, London, and Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
—and to Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
in Australia and New Zealand. These shows formed part of his own ongoing world tour which began in April 2007 and continued into 2008 and 2009. Cornell has described his touring band—comprising guitarists Yogi Lonich and Peter Thorn, bassist Corey McCormick and drummer Jason Sutter
Jason Sutter
Born in Potsdam, New York, Jason Sutter began playing drums at the age of nine and played his first professional gig at the age of ten with his band Paragon! Playing his first "bar gig" at thirteen, Jason continued to play clubs two to three times a week throughout his high school years...
—as "musicians that could get the whole picture" playing music by Soundgarden and Audioslave, as well as his solo material.
In 2008, Cornell was featured on the Main Stage of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution is a music festival hosted by Linkin Park, bringing artists of various genres of music together. Linkin Park started Projekt Revolution in the year 2002 with just one stage...
tour. Joining Linkin Park and Cornell on the Main Stage were Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, The Bravery
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...
, and Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide
Ashes Divide is an American rock band formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel, who had also formed A Perfect Circle. Howerdel is the primary songwriter, musician, producer, and vocalist for the band....
. The Revolution Stage featured Atreyu
Atreyu (band)
Atreyu is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/lyricist Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight and drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller...
, 10 Years
10 Years
10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.-Early Years, Into the Half Moon :10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson and Matt...
, Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli...
, Armor for Sleep
Armor for Sleep
Armor for Sleep was an American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2009. The final lineup consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Ben Jorgensen, lead guitarist PJ DeCicco, bassist Anthony DiIonno and drummer Nash Breen....
, and Street Drum Corps
Street Drum Corps
Street Drum Corps is a punk rock percussion band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2004 by Bobby Alt, of S.T.U.N. and Faculty X, Adam Alt, of Circus Minor, and Frank Zummo, of TheStart. To date the group have released two albums and have been part of tours such as Van's Warped Tour, Taste of...
. During this tour, Cornell has stated that he plans to "jump on stage" with other artists as the opportunity arises; this may set the stage for future Cornell collaborations, outside his work with Timbaland. Throughout the tour, Cornell collaborated with Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
from Linkin Park while performing "Hunger Strike", and with Street Drum Corps for a number of his Soundgarden tracks. While Linkin Park would perform their Grammy-winning song "Crawling
Crawling (song)
"Crawling" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park. It is the fifth track from their debut album Hybrid Theory. It was released in 2001 as their second single and won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002...
", he would appear on stage singing the second verse of the song, the outro, and harmonies Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis, , is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the rock group Staind, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He has since ventured into country music with his debut solo album, Town Line...
provided for the Reanimation
Reanimation
Reanimation helped the many underground hip-hop artists that it featured reach a larger audience, as well as changing the nature of the work so significantly that it could be considered an entirely new album...
version.
Cornell worked with producer Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
on his most recent album, Scream
Scream (Chris Cornell album)
Scream is the third solo studio album by American musician Chris Cornell. Released on March 10, 2009 through Suretone Records and Mosley Music Group, it marked a shift from Cornell's previous musical efforts with the exclusion of some guitar and rock elements that were replaced with producer...
, which was released on March 10, 2009. Timbaland has referred to the recording sessions as "The best work I've done in my career," and predicted that Cornell will be the "first rock star in the club." Cornell called the new album "a highlight of my career." The album was largely panned by critics, but was the highest charting album of Cornell's solo career, reaching # 10 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
On April 2, 2009, Cornell took over Atlanta Rock station, Project 961, WKLS-FM. For 24 hours the station became "Chris-FM" and included a two hour special of Cornell DJing and playing his favorite songs of his career with the stories behind them leading up to a rebroadcast of his solo show from the previous night. On September 11, 2009, Cornell performed John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
. On October 30, 2009 it was reported that Cornell is working with Jordan Zadorozny and Michael Friedman to rework the Scream
Scream (Chris Cornell album)
Scream is the third solo studio album by American musician Chris Cornell. Released on March 10, 2009 through Suretone Records and Mosley Music Group, it marked a shift from Cornell's previous musical efforts with the exclusion of some guitar and rock elements that were replaced with producer...
album, which was completely untrue. Never Far Away and Long Gone were the only songs that were reworked and not the full album. Cornell's voice is also sampled on the song "Mister Dirt" from Joshua David's album Good. Night. Melody. which was released on November 17, 2009.
In January 2011 Cornell announced his solo acoustic 'Songbook' tour, following on from a series of acclaimed solo acoustic shows in Los Angeles during 2009 and 2010. The first leg of the sold-out tour began on April 1, 2011 and continued through the US and Canada until May 6. The tour received universally positive reviews.
In August 2011 Cornell released “The Keeper”, an original song written for the Marc Forster
Marc Forster
Marc Forster is a German-Swiss filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner, and Quantum of Solace.- Life and career :...
directed 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher
Machine Gun Preacher
Machine Gun Preacher is a 2011 action biopic film about Sam Childers, a biking preacher-defender of Sudanese orphans. The movie was written by Jason Keller, directed by Marc Forster and stars Scottish actor Gerard Butler as Childers...
. For the first 24 hours of release, the song was exclusively available as part of the "Donate to Download" campaign for Sam Childers
Sam Childers
Sam Childers is a former gang biker who now dedicates his life and resources to rescue children in the war zone of South Sudan. Childers and his wife Lynn founded and operate Angels of East Africa, the Children's Village Orphanage in Nimule, Sudan, where they currently have more than 300 children...
' Angels of East Africa children's charity. The song will also be the lead track on the film’s soundtrack album.
2010: Soundgarden reunion
On January 1, 2010, Cornell alluded to a SoundgardenSoundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
reunion via his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account, writing: "The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" The message linked to a website that features a picture of the group performing live and a place for fans to enter their e-mail address to get updates on the reunion. Entering that information unlocks an archival video for the song "Get on the Snake", from Soundgarden's second studio album, 1989's Louder Than Love
Louder than Love
Louder Than Love is the second studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on September 5, 1989 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its first full-length studio album, Ultramega OK , Soundgarden signed with A&M and began work on its first album for a major label...
.
In April 2010, Soundgarden announced plans to headline Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
2010. Soundgarden made the announcement through their website and email list. On April 16, 2010, Soundgarden held a secret show at the Showbox Theater on First Avenue in downtown Seattle, Washington, publicized via the band's mailing list. The show was billed as Nudedragons, an anagram for Soundgarden. Asked in August 2010 if Soundgarden will record new material, Cornell replied, "it would be exciting to record one song, to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later. But for me, it's been more of a trip relearning the songs and playing them together. Some of the songs we're approaching we've never played live."
Soundgarden made their first television appearance since their reunion on Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
's second episode of Conan November 9, 2010 on TBS and toured North America in summer 2011.
In mid/late September 2011 Chris Cornell stopped by Rolling Stone to perform a few acoustic songs & conducted an interview where he spoke about what it's like being back with Soundgarden & revealed that in early 2012 a new Soundgarden album consisting of new material would be released. The album would pick up exactly where the Down on the upside album released in 1996 left off.
Center for Disease Control Boys
From 1986 to 1987, Cornell was also a member of the satirical Western swingWestern swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
band Center for Disease Control Boys
Center for Disease Control Boys
The Center for Disease Control Boys were a satirical Western swing band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1986. Their performances included a mixture of original compositions and older songs written by such artists as Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel, and Woody Guthrie...
.
Temple of the Dog
While still in Soundgarden, Cornell recorded an album with members of what would become Pearl Jam. This collaboration went under the name Temple of the DogTemple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone...
, and the self-titled album
Temple of the Dog (album)
Temple of the Dog is the only studio album by the American rock band Temple of the Dog, released on April 16, 1991 through A&M Records. The album is a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. Wood died on March 19, 1990 of a heroin overdose...
was released in 1991. The album is a tribute to their mutual friend, and Cornell's former roommate, Andrew Wood. Wood, the former lead singer of Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and compositions helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/early 1990s Seattle music scene...
, died of a heroin overdose the year before. Jeff Ament
Jeff Ament
Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
and Stone Gossard
Stone Gossard
Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician who serves as the rhythm and lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
of Mother Love Bone teamed up with Mike McCready
Mike McCready
Michael David McCready is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Dave Krusen, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
, Dave Krusen
Dave Krusen
Dave Krusen is an American musician who is best known for being the original drummer for the American rock band Pearl Jam and for his work on the band's debut album, Ten...
, and new vocalist Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
in 1990, forming Pearl Jam. Temple of the Dog has gone on to sell more than a million copies, thanks in large part to the singles "Say Hello 2 Heaven
Say Hello 2 Heaven
"Say Hello 2 Heaven" is a song by the American rock band Temple of the Dog. Written by vocalist Chris Cornell, "Say Hello 2 Heaven" was released in 1991 as the second single from the band's sole studio album, Temple of the Dog...
" and "Hunger Strike
Hunger Strike (song)
"Hunger Strike" is a song by the American rock band Temple of the Dog. Written by vocalist Chris Cornell, "Hunger Strike" was released in 1991 as the first single from the band's sole studio album, Temple of the Dog . It was Temple of the Dog's most popular song...
", the latter of which features a duet between Cornell and Vedder. This was the first time Vedder was recorded professionally. During a 2003 Pearl Jam show at the Santa Barbara Bowl
Santa Barbara Bowl
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California.It was carved into the hillside, in 1936, as a WPA project...
, Cornell appeared as a surprise guest. After playing a short acoustic set, Cornell joined Vedder and the rest of the band to perform "Hunger Strike" and "Reach Down". On October 6, 2009, Cornell made a surprise appearance during a Pearl Jam concert at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles. The reunited Temple of the Dog played Hunger Strike. At the end of the concert, Cornell took a bow with the band along with Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, thus having three of the four major grunge bands of the early 1990s represented on stage, with only Nirvana missing.
Alice Mudgarden
Cornell, together with Mark ArmMark Arm
Mark Arm is the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. He is also credited with coining the term "grunge" to describe his style of rock music...
of Mudhoney, contributed vocals on the Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
song "Right Turn" from the 1992 EP, Sap
Sap (album)
I "Right Turn" is credited to Alice Mudgarden in the liner notes.II "Love Song" is unlisted on the CD.-Personnel:Alice in Chains*Layne Staley – vocals, drums on "Love Song"*Jerry Cantrell – guitar, vocals, bass on "Love Song"...
, although the band given credit for this song is Alice Mudgarden
Alice Mudgarden
Alice Mudgarden is the "band" given credit for the Alice in Chains song "Right Turn" off of their 1992 EP, Sap. The group was so named because it was made up of the full Alice in Chains lineup, Mark Arm of Mudhoney, and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden...
.
M.A.C.C.
In 1992, Cornell and three other former members of Temple of the Dog played under the name M.A.C.C., recording the song "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" for the 1993 album, Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi HendrixStone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 1993 album recorded by various artists in tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The artists were drawn from many genres of popular music. Contributors include his classic rock contemporaries Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, blues man Buddy Guy, classical violinist Nigel...
.
Collaborations
Cornell worked as a co-producer and backing vocalistBacking vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on the Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
' 1991 album, Uncle Anesthesia
Uncle Anesthesia
Uncle Anesthesia is the Screaming Trees' fifth album and first full-length album release on Epic Records, released on January 29, 1991. It includes two of the four tracks from the band's previous Epic release, 1990's Something About Today EP, including the song that would give the LP its title...
. He acted in a cameo role and an onstage performance in Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
's 1992 Seattle-based film, Singles. He also contributed his solo song "Seasons", and Soundgarden's song "Birth Ritual", to the Singles soundtrack. Cornell contributed vocals on Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
's "Stolen Prayer" and "Unholy War" (which he also wrote) from the 1994 album, The Last Temptation. In 1997, Cornell collaborated with Eleven
Eleven (band)
Eleven was a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990 by Alain Johannes , Natasha Shneider , and Jack Irons .-History:...
on a rendition of the song, "Ave Maria", for the Christmas compilation album, A Very Special Christmas 3
A Very Special Christmas 3
A Very Special Christmas 3 is the third in a series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit Special Olympics. The album was released on 23 September 1997, and production was overseen by Bobby Shriver, Al Cafaro, and Linda Feder for A&M Records.-Track listing:# "I Saw Three...
. Cornell has also performed live with the band Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
.
It was incorrectly believed (for many years) that Cornell had written the Eleven
Eleven (band)
Eleven was a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990 by Alain Johannes , Natasha Shneider , and Jack Irons .-History:...
song "Someone to Die For" on the 2004 Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
soundtrack, but this was corrected in an interview in April 2007. The song is performed by Jimmy Gnecco
Jimmy Gnecco
James Francis "Jimmy" Gnecco III is an American musician. He is the vocalist for the rock band Ours as well as a solo artist with his release of The Heart.-Early life:...
of Ours and Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Cornell had recorded a demo of the song some time earlier, which was released only to members of the Eleven street team
Street team
A street team is a term used in marketing to describe a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product. 'Street Teams' are a powerful promotional tool that has been adopted industry wide as a standard line item in marketing budgets by entertainment companies, record labels,...
.
Cornell co-wrote (with Brian Howes
Brian Howes
Brian Howes is a Canadian rock producer, singer, and was a member of the band Closure. He has an exclusive partnership with EMI Music Publishing.-Biography:...
) David Cook
David Cook (singer)
David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...
's first post-American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
album single, "Light On
Light On
"Light On" is the first official single released from American Idol season 7 winner David Cook's major label debut studio album, David Cook. The single has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.-Song information:...
", released in 2008. And in 2009, he contributed vocals on the song, "Mister Dirt", from the album, Good.Night.Melody, by Joshua David. Cornell sang one song (which he co-wrote) on Slash, Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
's solo record released in April 2010. The song is called "Promise" and it was premiered at amazon.com on March 26, 2010. He contributed vocals on the song, "Lies", on the 2010 album, Third and Double, by Gabin
Gabin (Italian band)
Gabin is an Italian nu jazz band featuring Massimo Bottini and Filippo Clary. Their name is a reference to the most popular French actor of the ’30s and ‘40s – Jean Gabin, a classic world-weary screen antihero.They have collaborated with numerous jazz artists such as Dee Dee Bridgewater,...
which was subsequently released as a single in October 2010. Cornell appears on the Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
album Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time
Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time
Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, referred to as simply Guitar Heaven, is the 21st studio album by Santana, released on September 21, 2010...
, where he sings on the cover of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Whole Lotta Love
Whole Lotta Love
"Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is featured as the opening track on the band's second album, Led Zeppelin II, and was released in the United States and Japan as a single. The US release became their first hit single, it was certified Gold on 13 April 1970, when it...
".
In September 2011, he joined members of Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
for a Temple Of The Dog
Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone...
live reunion at the 2-day PJ20 Festival in Alpine Valley, WI.
Musical style
Chris Cornell's songwriting often features non-standard chord progressions and melodies that do not conform with one diatonic scale. A prominent example is Black Hole Sun, which not only involves many kinds of open chords and several key changes in short sequences, but also very unique melody phrases with large-interval jumps.A recurrent characteristic is the usage of major-only chord sequences (Euphoria Morning, Pretty Noose), which also leads to more subtle key changes.
While a most intensive concentration of Chris Cornell's songwriting style can still be found on the Euphoria Morning album, later works, with Audioslave or on the later solo albums, tend to be more conventional, only sometimes containing short but inventive interlude parts (e.g. Like a stone, Disappearing Act, No Such Thing).
Other work
Chris Cornell made a cameo in the 1992 movie Singles. Cornell was the face of fashion producer John Varvatos'John Varvatos
John Varvatos is an American contemporary high fashion menswear designer.- Biography :The Varvatos family are originally from the small village of Poulata on the Greek island of Cefalonia. John Varvatos was born in Detroit and grew up in Allen Park, a Downriver community situated south of the city...
2006 ad campaign. He recently became a restaurateur with the opening of his restaurant, Black Calavados, in Paris. He is also the owner of the music publishing company You Make Me Sick I Make Music.
Cornell has optioned Phil Carlo's true crime book The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez
Ricardo "Richard" Muñoz Ramírez is a convicted serial killer awaiting execution on California's death row at San Quentin State Prison...
, with plans to turn it into a movie. Cornell is collaborating with Carlo to produce the screenplay.
Personal life
Cornell was previously married to Susan Silver, the manager of Alice in ChainsAlice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. He had a daughter with Silver, Lillian Jean, in June 2000. He and Silver divorced in 2004. In December 2008, Cornell reported via his official website that he had finally won back his collection of 15 guitars after a four-year court battle with Silver.
He is currently married to Vicky Karayiannis (Βίκυ Καραγιάννη), a Paris-based American publicist of Greek heritage. She gave birth to his second daughter, Toni, in September 2004, and his third child, Christopher Nicholas, in December 2005.
When asked how Cornell beat all his addictions he stated, "It was a long period of coming to the realization that this way (sober) is better. Going through rehab, honestly, did help, and I'm not....it got me away from just the daily drudgery of depression and either trying to not drink or do drugs or doing them and you know, they give you such a simple message that any idiot can get and it's just over and over, but the bottom line is really, and this is the part that is scary for everyone, The individual kinda has to want it...not kinda, you have to want it and to not do that crap anymore or you will never stop and it will just kill you."
In a 2011 interview, Chris Cornell said the major change with the reformed Soundgarden is a lack of alcohol: "The biggest difference I noticed.. and we haven't even really talked about it: There are no bottles of Jack Daniels around or beers. And we never talked about.. it's just not there."
Discography
Chris Cornell has released three solo albums. His first band SoundgardenSoundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, produced five albums, five EPs and two greatest hits compilations. He released three albums with Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
and one album with Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone...
. Despite this large discography he has only released one retrospective compilation which was given a limited release. Cornell has also produced an album for Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
and had his music featured on one mixtape.
Solo releases
- Euphoria MorningEuphoria MorningEuphoria Morning is the first solo studio album released by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released on September 21, 1999 through Interscope Records. Euphoria Morning sold over 75,000 copies in its first week of release and eventually sold 343,000 copies in the U.S. alone...
(1999) - Carry OnCarry On (Chris Cornell album)Carry On is the second solo studio album released by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released on May 28, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States. This album is Cornell's second after Euphoria Morning in 1999, and his first since leaving his former band Audioslave...
(2007) - ScreamScream (Chris Cornell album)Scream is the third solo studio album by American musician Chris Cornell. Released on March 10, 2009 through Suretone Records and Mosley Music Group, it marked a shift from Cornell's previous musical efforts with the exclusion of some guitar and rock elements that were replaced with producer...
(2009) - Songbook (2011)
Other appearances
Vocals- 1992: Alice in ChainsAlice in ChainsAlice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
- SapSap (album)I "Right Turn" is credited to Alice Mudgarden in the liner notes.II "Love Song" is unlisted on the CD.-Personnel:Alice in Chains*Layne Staley – vocals, drums on "Love Song"*Jerry Cantrell – guitar, vocals, bass on "Love Song"...
(Co-lead Vocals on "Right Turn") - 1994: Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
- The Last Temptation (Backing Vocals on "Stolen Prayer" and "Unholy War") - 1997: A Very Special Christmas 3A Very Special Christmas 3A Very Special Christmas 3 is the third in a series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit Special Olympics. The album was released on 23 September 1997, and production was overseen by Bobby Shriver, Al Cafaro, and Linda Feder for A&M Records.-Track listing:# "I Saw Three...
(Vocals on "Ave Maria" featuring ElevenEleven (band)Eleven was a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990 by Alain Johannes , Natasha Shneider , and Jack Irons .-History:...
) - 2008: Linkin ParkLinkin ParkLinkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
- Songs From The UndergroundSongs from the UndergroundSongs from the Underground is the third extended play released to the public by American rock band Linkin Park. It features songs previously released through the Linkin Park Underground fan club, as well as two live tracks from Projekt Revolution 2008; one never-before released, and another found...
(Lead Vocals on "Hunger Strike") - 2009: Joshua David - Good.Night.Melody (Vocals on "Mister Dirt")
- 2010: SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
- Slash (Vocals on "Promise") - 2010: GabinGabin (Italian band)Gabin is an Italian nu jazz band featuring Massimo Bottini and Filippo Clary. Their name is a reference to the most popular French actor of the ’30s and ‘40s – Jean Gabin, a classic world-weary screen antihero.They have collaborated with numerous jazz artists such as Dee Dee Bridgewater,...
- Third and Double (Vocals on "Lies") - 2010: Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
- Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All TimeGuitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All TimeGuitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, referred to as simply Guitar Heaven, is the 21st studio album by Santana, released on September 21, 2010...
( Vocals on "Whole Lotta LoveWhole Lotta Love"Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is featured as the opening track on the band's second album, Led Zeppelin II, and was released in the United States and Japan as a single. The US release became their first hit single, it was certified Gold on 13 April 1970, when it...
")
Producer
- 1991: Uncle AnesthesiaUncle AnesthesiaUncle Anesthesia is the Screaming Trees' fifth album and first full-length album release on Epic Records, released on January 29, 1991. It includes two of the four tracks from the band's previous Epic release, 1990's Something About Today EP, including the song that would give the LP its title...
by Screaming TreesScreaming TreesScreaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
Mixtapes
- 2009: Chris Cornell and Prophet – Scream: The Mixtape – presented by DJ SkeeDJ SkeeScott Keeney , better known by his stage name DJ Skee, is a DJ and entrepreneur operating out of Los Angeles. Skee manages his own new media music, marketing, and production company, Skee.TV...
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... s |
1990 | "Ultramega OK Ultramega OK Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 through SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life , and Fopp , both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with the independent record label SST and went to work... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre... |
|
| 1992 | "Badmotorfinger Badmotorfinger Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its previous album, Louder Than Love , Soundgarden began the recording sessions for its next album with new bassist Ben Shepherd... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre... |
||
| 1993 | "Into The Void (Sealth)" with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre... |
||
| 1995 | "Spoonman Spoonman "Spoonman" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Spoonman" was released on February 15, 1994 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown . "Spoonman" is often credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden's career... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre... |
||
| 1995 | "Black Hole Sun Black Hole Sun "Black Hole Sun" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris finneran, "Black Hole Sun" was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album Superunknown . It is arguably the band's most recognizable and most popular song, and remains a well... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |
||
| 1995 | "Black Hole Sun Black Hole Sun "Black Hole Sun" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris finneran, "Black Hole Sun" was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album Superunknown . It is arguably the band's most recognizable and most popular song, and remains a well... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Rock Song Grammy Award for Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre... |
||
| 1995 | "Superunknown Superunknown Superunknown is the fourth album by American grunge band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994 through A&M Records. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Rock Album Grammy Award for Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre... |
||
| 1997 | "Pretty Noose Pretty Noose "Pretty Noose" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Pretty Noose" was released in March 1996 as the first single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside . The song reached number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart... " with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |
||
| 2000 | "Can't Change Me Can't Change Me "Can't Change Me" is the only single released from Chris Cornell's solo album, Euphoria Morning. A music video was produced for the song. Its filming was showcased in an episode of MTV's Making the Video.-Release and Reception:... " |
Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre... |
||
| 2004 | "Like A Stone Like a Stone "Like a Stone" is a song by American hard rock band Audioslave, featured on their 2002 debut studio album Audioslave. When released as the band's second single in January 2003, the song topped both the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts, and reached number... " with Audioslave Audioslave Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk... |
Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |
||
| 2004 | "Audioslave Audioslave (album) Audioslave is the eponymous debut studio album by the American rock supergroup Audioslave and was released on November 19, 2002 . The album's music features Chris Cornell providing his familiar classic rock-esque wails and croons to the songs. It features the hit singles "Cochise", "Show Me How to... " with Audioslave Audioslave Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk... |
Best Rock Album Grammy Award for Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre... |
||
| 2006 | "Doesn't Remind Me Doesn't Remind Me "Doesn't Remind Me" is the third single from American hard rock band Audioslave's second album Out of Exile. It was released on May 24, 2005, in the United States, and was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance" at the 48th Grammy Awards... " with Audioslave Audioslave Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk... |
Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |
||
| 2008 50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,... |
"You Know My Name You Know My Name "You Know My Name," performed by Chris Cornell, is the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer. The film producers went after Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer... " from Casino Royale Casino Royale (2006 film) Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond... |
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media... |
||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 1994 1994 MTV Video Music Awards The 1994 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 8, 1994, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1993, to June 15, 1994. The show was hosted by Roseanne Barr at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and this would be the last time there was a female host for the VMAs until Chelsea... |
"Black Hole Sun" with Soundgarden Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto... |
Best Metal/Hard Rock Video | |
| Satellite Awards | 2006 Satellite Awards 2006 The 11th Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film- and televisionmaking in 2006, were given on 18 December 2006.-Best Actor - Drama: Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland*Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond*Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson... |
"You Know My Name" from Casino Royale Casino Royale (2006 film) Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond... |
Best Original Song Satellite Award for Best Original Song The Satellite Award for Best Original Song is an annual award given by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :*1996: "You Must Love Me" performed by Madonna - Evita**"God Give Me Strength" - Grace of My Heart**"Kissing You" - Romeo + Juliet... |
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| World Soundtrack Awards World Soundtrack Academy The World Soundtrack Academy , launched in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and its worldwide promotion... |
2007 World Soundtrack Awards 2007 The 7th World Soundtrack Awards were given on 20 October 2007 in Ghent, Belgium.-Winners:*Soundtrack Composer of the Year:**Alexandre Desplat for The Painted Veil and The Queen*Best Original Soundtrack of the Year:... |
"You Know My Name" from Casino Royale Casino Royale (2006 film) Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond... |
Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film The World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film is one of the three main prizes given by the World Soundtrack Academy to honour the best movie soundtracks... |