Soundgarden

Soundgarden is an American rock band from Seattle, formed in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. The group’s membership changes include Cornell moving to rhythm guitar in 1985, Scott Sundquist and then Matt Cameron taking the drum role in 1986, Yamamoto leaving in 1989, Jason Everman briefly replacing him, and Ben Shepherd joining later that year. The band is active from 1984 to 2017.

Grunge and early releases

Soundgarden is one of the early bands associated with grunge, the alternative rock style that develops in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1980s. It helps bring the genre to wider attention in the early 1990s alongside Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Nirvana. The band is the first major grunge act signed to Sub Pop, and issues the EPs Screaming Life in 1987 and Fopp in 1988. Its debut album, Ultramega OK, appears in 1988 on SST Records and receives critical recognition, including a Grammy Award nomination.

Major-label period and chart success

Later in 1988, Soundgarden becomes the first grunge band signed to a major label when it joins A&M Records. Its second album, Louder Than Love (1989), is the first release by the band to enter the Billboard 200 and includes the singles “Hands All Over” and “Loud Love”. The follow-up, Badmotorfinger (1991), brings wider commercial success, reaches number 39 on the Billboard 200, is certified double-platinum by the RIAA, and includes “Jesus Christ Pose”, “Outshined” and “Rusty Cage”.

Peak years, split and reunion

Superunknown (1994) debuts at number one on the Billboard 200 and includes the Grammy Award-winning singles “Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun”. Down on the Upside (1996) debuts at number two and includes “Pretty Noose”, “Burden in My Hand” and “Blow Up the Outside World”. The band splits in 1997 because of creative disagreements and touring fatigue, then reunites in 2010 after more than a decade of solo and side projects. Its sixth and final studio album, King Animal, is released by Republic Records in 2012.

Later activity, recognition and legacy

After Chris Cornell’s death in 2017, Kim Thayil says in 2018 that the band has disbanded again. Surviving members later perform together occasionally, including a tribute concert for Cornell in 2019 and a benefit performance in Seattle in 2024 under the anagram name Nudedragons, with Shaina Shepherd on vocals. By 2019, Soundgarden has sold more than 14 million records in the United States and an estimated 30 million worldwide. VH1 places the group at number 14 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and it is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.