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Chris Cornell

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Chris Cornell was born in Seattle in 1964 as Christopher John Boyle. After his parents divorced he took his mother's surname. As a child he had piano and guitar lessons, and between the ages of nine and eleven he listened endlessly to a pile of Beatles records he had found in a basement. As a teenager he struggled with depression and anxiety, and found something to hold on to in music. His mother bought him a snare drum, and that is how it began.

Music and breakthrough

In 1984 he founded Soundgarden with Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto. At first he sang and drummed at the same time; later he stood at the front alone. Soundgarden became the first grunge band to sign with a major label. With Badmotorfinger in 1991 and Superunknown the band grew, alongside Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, into one of the great groups of Seattle. The music was heavy and slow, with influences from metal and Black Sabbath, and unusual time signatures.

Influence

Cornell had a range of almost four octaves and a powerful, soaring way of singing. He also founded Temple of the Dog, as a tribute to his late friend Andrew Wood, and later sang in Audioslave. As a solo artist he made Euphoria Mourning, among other albums, and he sang You Know My Name for the James Bond film Casino Royale. He died in 2017, shortly after a Soundgarden concert in Detroit. He is regarded as one of the most important voices of grunge.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden. Notice the heavy, thundering guitars and drums, and how Cornell rises above them with high, soaring cries.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists