ARTIST STORY
CHRIS CORNELL.
From Soundgarden and Audioslave to a voice with only a guitar. Chris Cornell continued to search for the melody that could stand on its own without amplifiers.
IMAGE CREDIT: Teresa Sedó, Chris Cornell live in 2012. Original photo, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. The responsive crop is under the same license.
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Open in Spotify ↗An acoustic guitar is enough. As soon as Chris Cornell starts singing, the room takes on a different depth. The voice that could cut through the heaviest guitars also proves compelling in silence. Beneath the range and the raw edge is a songwriter who knows how to make a melody stick. Listen further on vinyl with Carry On and Chris Cornell Anthology.
THE VOICE FROM SEATTLE.
Cornell was born in 1964 and grew up as a musician in the Seattle scene. At Soundgarden, founded in 1984, he also started as a drummer. The band combined metal, punk, and quirky rhythms. In Black Hole Sun, that sound became almost psychedelic pop: a melody that is easily accessible, with unrest just beneath the surface.
With Temple of the Dog, he revealed a different color. His voice could be heavy and fierce, but also carry the warmth of soul. That difference is not just in volume. It is in the way he stretches a word, lets a tone fray, and then draws close again.
BEYOND THE BAND SOUND.
For his solo debut Euphoria Morning, Cornell worked with Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider. The 1999 album gave his melodies more space and different instrumental colors. Can’t Change Me shows how recognizable he remains when the guitar onslaught is less prominent.
Then Audioslave was formed, with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk. The groove of that band gave Cornell a new foundation. Like a Stone builds its power with patience: the vocals hold the attention while the instruments leave open spaces.
THE SPACE TO TRY.
Carry On from 2007 contains his slowed-down cover of Billie Jean. The famous song takes on a heavier shadow. For Scream in 2009, he instead chose the electronic production of Timbaland. That step suits someone who wanted to keep testing his voice outside the familiar environment.
With Higher Truth in 2015, the emphasis returned to the song and the acoustic guitar. In an interview with M Music & Musicians, Cornell linked that approach to his solo performances. Without a band, he could treat the form more freely. A song did not need to get bigger to tell more.
ONE THING YOU DIDN’T KNOW.
A DIFFERENT ENTRY POINT FOR BOND.
Cornell wrote and sang You Know My Name for Casino Royale in 2006. His grainy voice gave Daniel Craig's introduction to Bond a direct, physical energy.
After his death in 2017, the studio cover album No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1 was released in 2020. Cornell had chosen and recorded the songs himself. There too, it is about something simple: a familiar song becomes different as soon as he sings it.
THE FACTS
ESSENTIAL DISCOGRAPHY
The solo studio albums. Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog have their own band catalogs; Songbook is a live album.
- 1999Euphoria Morning (later re-released as Euphoria Mourning)
- 2007Carry On
- 2009Scream
- 2015Higher Truth
- 2020No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRIS CORNELL
What is Chris Cornell best known for?
Chris Cornell became known as a singer, guitarist, and co-founder of Soundgarden, one of the defining bands of the Seattle grunge scene. In addition, he was active in Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, and as a solo artist.
What bands was Chris Cornell in?
His most important bands were Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Audioslave. At Audioslave, Cornell formed the group with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine.
What is Chris Cornell's most famous song?
Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden is his most famous recording with the band. As a member of Audioslave, Like a Stone is also an essential song; both reveal a different side of his voice and songwriting.
What was Chris Cornell's first solo album?
Euphoria Morning was released in 1999 and was his first solo album. With it, Cornell chose a more personal, less heavy band sound after the first Soundgarden period.
Which Chris Cornell albums are interesting on vinyl?
For his solo work, Euphoria Morning and Higher Truth are good starting points. Anyone who wants to hear his entire career can combine it with Soundgarden's Superunknown and Audioslave's untitled debut.
View the artist page of CHRIS CORNELL for vinyl releases and more to discover.
Read further in ALTERNATIVE ROCK.
THE FINAL WORD.
A VOICE THAT OPENS A SONG.
With Cornell, you hear power and attention. Place a loud band recording next to a subdued solo song: the environment changes, but the same human tension remains audible.
