List of Soundgarden Band Members

List Of Soundgarden Band Members

Soundgarden is an American alternative grunge band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. The drummer position was originally filled by Cornell, who played drums while singing, but in 1985 the band enlisted Scott Sundquist to allow Cornell to concentrate on vocals. The band's first recordings were three songs that appeared on a compilation for C/Z Records called Deep Six.

In 1986, Sundquist, who by that point had a wife and a child, decided to leave the band and spend time with his family. He was replaced by Matt Cameron, the drummer for Skin Yard, who became Soundgarden's permanent drummer. This line-up released the extended plays Screaming Life in 1987 and Fopp in 1988, and the studio albums Ultramega OK in 1988 and Louder Than Love in 1989. Following the release of Louder Than Love, Yamamoto left the band to finish his Master's degree in Physical Chemistry at Western Washington University. He was replaced by former Nirvana guitarist Jason Everman. Everman was fired following Soundgarden's tour supporting Louder Than Love. His only contribution for Soundgarden was the band's cover of The Beatles song "Come Together".

In 1990, the band was joined by a new bassist, Ben Shepherd. With the addition of Shepherd, Soundgarden's line-up would not change for the remainder of its existence. Soundgarden subsequently released Badmotorfinger in 1991, Superunknown in 1994, and Down on the Upside in 1996. Tensions within the group arose during the Down on the Upside sessions, with Thayil and Cornell reportedly clashing over Cornell's desire to shift away from the heavy guitar riffing that had become the band's trademark. In 1997, the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction. In a 1998 interview, Thayil said, "It was pretty obvious from everybody's general attitude over the course of the previous half year that there was some dissatisfaction."

Cornell announced Soundgarden's reunion on January 1, 2010.