It's hard to believe that Chris Cornell has been a prominent name on the rock music scene for an entire twenty years as of 2008. He has had critically acclaimed success vocally, musically, and creatively and has earned the respect of many fellow rock musicians and fans alike, and it doesnít l... More
Chris Cornell Information
It's hard to believe that Chris Cornell has been a prominent name on the rock music scene for an entire twenty years as of 2008. He has had critically acclaimed success vocally, musically, and creatively and has earned the respect of many fellow rock musicians and fans alike, and it doesnít look like Chris is planning on stopping any time soon. He has been recognized for his vocal agility, power and wide vocal range, as well as his songwriting.
Chris Cornell, and his band Soundgarden, got their start in the late eighties, at the very start of Seattleís grunge scene, which would also go on to produce great names like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains. Soundgarden formed in 1984, with Chris on drums and vocals. Eventually, there was some shifting of band members and Chris was replaced on the drums, so he could focus solely on his vocal performance. The bandís debut album, Ultramega OK, came out in 1988. Although the album didnít take the world by storm, in 1990 it did earn the band a nomination for a ìBest Metal Performanceî Grammy. The second album, Louder Than Love, was released in 1989, but it was the bandís third attempt, Badmotorfinger, which would finally deliver well-deserved success. The album was released in 1991 and went double Platinum. Inertia from the success of the third album is what lead 1994ís Superunknown to achieve unparalleled success for the band. The album sold over seven million copies and won two Grammy awards. In contrast, the bandís final album, Down on the Upside, only sold one million copies and marked a turning point for the worst when it came to the band. The members of Soundgarden disbanded in 1997. While still a member of the band, Chris Cornell actually did some work with the future members of Pearl Jam. The name that this make-shift band went under was Temple of the Dog. Their album was a tribute to a mutual friend named Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose. Their self-titled album sold over one million copies.
After the breakup of Soundgarden, Chris went to work on his debut solo album, Euphoria Morning, as a tribute to his friend: singer Jeff Buckley, who had tragically died in a swimming accident a couple of years prior. Unfortunately, the album, released in 1999, was not very successful. However, two tracks from the album were used for the soundtracks to the movies Great Expectations and Mission Impossible 2. Cornell was also nominated for a Grammy award in 2000 for ìBest Male Rock Vocal Performanceî, reinforcing the fact that his vocal skills, over ten years in the making, were still very impressive.
While working on his second solo project, Chris decided to take a break and join with three former members of a group called Rage Against the Machine to form a new group: Audioslave. The groupís self-titled debut album went triple Platinum in the U.S. Their second album, Out of Exile, debuted at #1 in the U.S. and went Platinum. As an interesting fact, in 2005 Audioslave also became the first American-based rock group to perform in Cuba. The group did release a third album in 2006 called Revelations, yet they seemed distracted. Chris was working on a song for a soundtrack and another member of Audioslave was also doing solo work. Chris Cornell officially left Audioslave in 2007, stating creative differences and personal tensions between the members.
Chris was immediately back up on his feet, following his departure from Audioslave. That same year, he released his second solo album, the aptly titled Carry On. Cornell was so determined in making the album, that he even recorded on the day that he was a part of a serious motorcycle accident, during which he was rear-ended, thrown about 20 feet into the air and left with severe bruises and cuts.
Aside from his main endeavors, Chris Cornell has also done some work for movie soundtracks. His most notable work is the song titled ìYou Know My Nameî which he wrote for the James Bond movie Casino Royale. Cornellís contribution to the song was significant in several ways. The song was the first ever sung by an American male artist. It was also the first Bond theme to be sung by a male since 1987 and the first to have a different name than the title of the movie since 1983.
So what does Chris Cornell do in between winning Grammy awards and breaking records? He recently opened up his own restaurant in Paris, France called Black Calavados and owns his own music publishing company.
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