Chris Cornell
His soaring, four-octave voice defined the brooding intensity of Seattle's grunge movement and became rock's most haunting instrument.
1964–2017 (age 53)·American musician·Birthday: July 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Chris Cornell emerged from the damp, grey streets of Seattle to become one of rock's most formidable and emotionally raw vocalists. As the frontman for Soundgarden, he channeled Led Zeppelin's thunder and Black Sabbath's doom into a new, distinctly 1990s anxiety, his voice a weapon of astonishing range and vulnerability. The band's success made him a reluctant generational spokesman, a role he later subverted by forming the genre-blending supergroup Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine. Beyond the band dynamic, his solo work and the heartfelt Temple of the Dog tribute revealed a songwriter grappling with melancholy and melody in equal measure. His death in 2017 left a void in the musical landscape, silencing a voice that could shift from a whisper to a primal scream with devastating precision.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Chris was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Died at 53
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Led Soundgarden to become the first grunge band to sign with a major label and release a gold-selling album ('Louder Than Love').
- Co-wrote and performed the theme song 'You Know My Name' for the 2006 James Bond film 'Casino Royale.'
- Founded Temple of the Dog, whose self-titled album became a multi-platinum touchstone for the Seattle scene.
- Won two Grammy Awards with Soundgarden for the songs 'Spoonman' and 'Black Hole Sun.'
Did You Know?
He worked as a seafood wholesaler and a sous-chef before finding fame with Soundgarden.
He was a self-taught musician who learned to play drums first, then guitar, to accompany his singing.
The song 'Black Hole Sun' was partly inspired by a misheard news headline.
He was the godfather of actor and comedian Lily Cornell Silver, daughter of his close friend Chris Carter.
““The only thing that makes me feel like I’m getting old is being asked how it feels to be getting old.””
