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Welcome to the Soundgarden Wiki

Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by lead singer and drummer (at the time) Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became the band's permanent drummer in 1986 while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990.

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Chris Cornell Montreux Jazz Festival 2005

Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle, and was one of a number of grunge bands signed to the record label Sub Pop. Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label (A&M Records, in 1988), though the band did not achieve commercial success until Seattle contemporaries Nirvana and Pearl Jam popularized "grunge" in the early 1990s.

Soundgarden achieved its biggest success with the 1994 album Superunknown, which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and yielded the Grammy Award-winning singles "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman." In 1997, the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction. On January 1, 2010, Cornell alluded to a Soundgarden reunion, though no details have yet been released. Soundgarden has sold over eight million records in the United States, and an estimated twenty million worldwide.

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Soundgarden_-_Black_Hole_Sun — Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

Blogs and News

Nobody saw these 15 rock breakups coming - Classical-Music.com - - 2026/06/17 21:19

Nobody saw these 15 rock breakups coming Classical-Music.com...

“We started talking about Black Sabbath, and Buzz goes, ‘You know they did this thing called drop D.’ We said, ‘What’s that?’” Kim Thayil on how Soundgarden took rock guitar into the superunknown – and the unfinished Chris Cornell tapes - Guitar World - - 2026/06/17 09:55

“We started talking about Black Sabbath, and Buzz goes, ‘You know they did this thing called drop D.’ We said, ‘What’s that?’” Kim Thayil on how Soundgarden took rock guitar into the superunknown – an...

How Soundgarden Named One of Their Most Important Albums - Radio Plus Inc. - - 2026/06/16 20:54

How Soundgarden Named One of Their Most Important Albums Radio Plus Inc....

Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil Names the ‘Big 4′ Bands That Pioneered Grunge - Loudwire - - 2026/06/16 20:53

Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil Names the ‘Big 4′ Bands That Pioneered Grunge Loudwire...

Kim Thayil reflects on Soundgarden, Seattle’s scene and his journey from UW student to ’90s rock icon - UW Magazine - - 2026/06/16 20:28

Kim Thayil reflects on Soundgarden, Seattle’s scene and his journey from UW student to ’90s rock icon UW Magazine...

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