Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell was born on the 20th of July 1964 in Seattle, his father being a pharmacist and his mother an accountant. He took his mother’s maiden name when his parents divorced in 1978. By that time he was already supposed to be suffering from depression and anxiety which led to his drug and alcohol addiction.
He quit high school in 1979 and worked as a fishmonger and as a sous-chef in a restaurant called “Ray’s Boathouse” in Seattle. After making first experiences as a drummer and singer in a cover band, in 1982 he joined the band “The Shemps”. Two years later, the band split up and Chris formed a new group with Hiro Yamamoto and Kim Tahyil. After a few changes in the line-up, it was to become the legendary band Soundgarden with Chris as the front man. Next to Nirvana, Soundgarden are among the most influential artists from the grunge era.
In addition to his work with Soundgarden, Chris Cornell founded the project “Temple Of The Dog” in 1991. He wrote the song “Seasons” for the Bridget Fonda and Matt Dillon film “Singles” and recorded a cover version of “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)” under the pseudonym “MACC” (McCready, Ament, Cameron, Cornell) for a Jimi Hendrix tribute album. He also wrote songs for stars like Alice Cooper and produced the album “Uncle Anesthesia” by the “Screaming Trees”.
In 1999, Chris Cornell released his debut solo album, “Euphoria Morning”. The album reached no. 18 in the US charts and the single, “Can’t Change Me” was nominated for a Grammy in the category “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance”. Chris dedicated the song “Wave Goodbye” to his late friend Jeff Buckley.
After touring with the album, Chris shortly worked with the musicians from the band “Rage Against The Machine”, before the band “Audioslave” was formed, with which he also enjoyed worldwide success.
Shortly before his second solo album, “Carry On”, was released in 2007, Chris announced leaving Audioslave because of “insurmountable personal conflicts and musical differences”.
In September 2006, he released “You Know My Name”, the title track for the James Bond film “Casino Royale”. He finished his third album “Scream” in 2009 which was followed by his final album, “Higher Truth” in 2015 .
Chris Cornell was a workaholic his whole life. Beside his musical career, he opened a restaurant, the “Black Calvados”, in Paris, with his second wife Vicky Karayiannis and her brother. In 2012, the couple founded the “Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation”, to support homeless, abused and neglected children.
Chris Cornell died in May 2017 in Detroit, aged 52. According to the police report, he had committed suicide. He left a daughter with his first wife Susan Silver and a son and a daughter with Vicky Karayiannis.