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Artist
Soundgarden
12+ albums
Grungealternative rockrockhard rockalternative
about
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, and the drum position was taken over first by Scott Sundquist and then by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto departed in 1989 and was replaced briefly by Jason Everman before Ben Shepherd joined later that year. Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 and reunited in 2010. Following Cornell’s death in 2017, Thayil stated in 2018 that the band had disbanded again. The surviving members have since collaborated occasionally, including a tribute concert for Cornell in 2019 and a benefit performance in 2024 in Seattle under the anagram name Nudedragons with Shaina Shepherd on vocals. Soundgarden was among the early developers of grunge, a style of alternative rock originating in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1980s, and contributed to the genre’s rise in the early 1990s alongside Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. They were the first major grunge group signed to Sub Pop, releasing the EPs “Screaming Life” (1987) and “Fopp” (1988). Their debut album, “Ultramega OK”, was released in 1988 by SST Records and received critical recognition, including a Grammy Award nomination. Later in 1988, Soundgarden became the first grunge band signed to a major label when they joined A&M Records. Their second album, “Louder Than Love” (1989), became their first release to enter the Billboard 200
