Age, Biography, and Wiki
Chris Cornell was born on July 20, 1964, in Seattle, Washington, to Ed Boyle and Karen Cornell. He grew up in a musical family and began his career as a musician early on, forming his first band, Soundgarden, in the late 1980s. Cornell struggled with anxiety and depression throughout his life, which deeply influenced his music. His career spanned multiple bands and solo projects, including Temple of the Dog and Audioslave, before his untimely death on May 18, 2017, at the age of 52.
| Occupation | Metal Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 20 July 1964 |
| Age | 60 Years |
| Birth Place | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 18 May, 2017 |
| Died Place | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Details about Chris Cornell's physical measurements are not extensively documented, but he was known for his tall stature and distinctive voice. His height was reportedly around 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm).
| Height | 6 feet 2 inches |
| Weight | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Chris Cornell was married twice:
- His first marriage was to Susan Silver, his manager, from 1990 to 2004.
- He then married Vicky Karayiannis in 2004, with whom he had two children, Christopher Nicholas and Toni Cornell.
His parents are Edward F. Boyle, a pharmacist of Irish Catholic descent, and Karen Boyle ( Cornell), an accountant of Jewish background and self-proclaimed psychic. Cornell was one of six children; he had two older brothers and three younger sisters. He and his siblings adopted his mother's maiden name, Cornell, following their parents' divorce when they were teenagers. Cornell attended Christ the King, a Catholic elementary school, where he performed for the first time in front of a crowd, singing the 1960s anti-war song "One Tin Soldier". When he was in seventh grade, his mother pulled him and his sister out of Catholic school for fear they were about to be expelled for being too inquisitive. He recalled the episode in a 1994 interview with Request magazine: "With a religion like that, it's not designed for anyone to question. Being young people who have a natural curiosity and half a brain, you're going to start finding inconsistencies, which there are tons of in organized religion. We both sort of made it clear in classroom situations that we didn't get it. 'Explain this to me.' And they couldn't, so we started creating a lot of problems." Cornell subsequently attended Shorewood High School, where he later dropped out.
Cornell credited his mother for saving his life when she bought him a snare drum, the instrument he first adopted on his path to becoming a rock musician. Before he was a successful musician, Cornell worked as a busboy, as a dishwasher, as a fish monger at a seafood wholesaler, and as a sous-chef at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle.
Soundgarden was formed in 1984 by Cornell, Thayil, and Yamamoto, with Cornell originally on drums and vocals. In 1985, they enlisted Scott Sundquist to take over as drummer so that Cornell could concentrate on vocals. Soundgarden'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.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Susan Silver (m. 1990-2004) Vicky Karayiannis (m. 2004) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death in 2017, Chris Cornell's net worth was estimated to be between $40 million and $60 million. The variation in figures might be due to different sources and the timing of the estimates. His estate, managed by his widow Vicky, continues to generate revenue through his extensive music catalog and posthumous releases.
In 1998, Cornell began working on material for a solo album upon which he collaborated with Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider of the band Eleven. The album, titled Euphoria Morning, was released on September 21, 1999. In his first ever solo tour to support Euphoria Morning, Cornell spent seven months on the road from September 13, 1999, to March 7, 2000. He played 61 shows, two of which coincided with the debut of the album on September 21 and 22, 1999 at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood California. Attendance was high, considering that Cornell performed the initial shows before fans were even familiar with the music. The touring band included several contributing musicians on the album: Alain Johannes, Natasha Shneider, Rick Markmann, and Greg Upchurch. Euphoria Morning proved commercially unsuccessful, selling 393,000 copies in the U.S.; however, the album's single "Can't Change Me" was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Cornell recorded a French version of the song that was released as a bonus track on Euphoria Morning's deluxe version and on the Japanese and European editions. The album also includes "Wave Goodbye", Cornell's tribute to his late friend Jeff Buckley. It has been noted that Euphoria Morning is influenced by Buckley's songwriting and distinctive vocal style. The album was re-released in 2015 on CD and vinyl and retitled Euphoria Mourning, with Cornell stating in the press release that he had originally intended that title for the album, but his manager at the time, Jim Guerinot, suggested that "Euphoria Morning" without the "u" would be more fitting. "The title was so beautifully poetic to begin with, just the concept of euphoria in mourning; it was a moment I felt inspired and I let all the air out of it. So when we decided to do its first vinyl release I thought, I want to change the fuckin' title! [Laughs] It's time to change it," Cornell stated.
During this period, an unreleased song called "Heart of Honey" was recorded in collaboration with Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider. According to Johannes, "Heart of Honey" was recorded for the film Titan A.E. but not used. The song was leaked on the Internet. While doing solo tours between 2011 and 2016, Cornell would often pay tribute to the late Natasha Shneider and perform "When I'm Down", (from the album Euphoria Morning that Shneider produced) accompanied by a vinyl recording of the original piano track that Shneider performed for the song.
Career, Business, and Investments
Chris Cornell's career was marked by his work with Soundgarden and Audioslave, as well as a successful solo career. He was a prolific songwriter and performed music for several films, including "Casino Royale" and "The Avengers". Cornell sold over 30 million records worldwide and won three Grammy Awards out of 18 nominations.
Christopher John Cornell ( Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a solo career and contributed to numerous movie soundtracks. Cornell was the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, a one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend, musician Andrew Wood. Several music journalists, fan polls and fellow musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.
Soundgarden's fourth studio album, 1994's Superunknown, proved to be the band's breakthrough album. Upon its release in March 1994, Superunknown debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album launched several successful singles, including "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun", and brought the band international recognition. Superunknown achieved quintuple platinum status in the United States, triple platinum status in Canada, and gold status in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Rolling Stone gave Superunknown four out of five stars. Reviewer J.D. Considine said Superunknown "demonstrates far greater range than many bands manage in an entire career". Considine criticized "Black Hole Sun" and "Half", stating that the former is "not a very good song", while the latter "is the virtual definition of a B-side." Jon Pareles of The New York Times said that "Superunknown actually tries to broaden its audience by breaking heavy-metal genre barriers that Soundgarden used to accept." He added that "Soundgarden ... want[s] something different from standard heavy metal." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A, saying "Soundgarden is pumped and primed on Superunknown, and they deliver the goods." He praised it as a "hard-rock milestone—a boiling vat of volcanic power, record-making smarts, and '90s anomie and anxiety that sets a new standard for anything called metal." The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 1995. Two singles from Superunknown, "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman", won Grammy Awards, and the music video for "Black Hole Sun" won a MTV Video Music Award and a Clio Award. Superunknown was ranked number 336 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Black Hole Sun" was ranked number 25 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s.
Cornell collaborated with producer Timbaland on his next studio album, Scream, which was released on March 10, 2009. Timbaland has referred to the recording sessions as "The best work I've done in my career" and predicted that Cornell would be the "first rock star in the club". Cornell described Scream as "a highlight of my career". The album was largely panned by critics, but was the highest-charting album of Cornell's solo career, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard 200.
On April 2, 2009, Cornell took over Atlanta Rock station, Project 961, WKLS. For 24 hours, the station became "Chris-FM" and included a two-hour special of Cornell DJing and playing favorite songs from his career. On September 11, 2009, Cornell performed John Lennon's "Imagine" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
In November 2011, Cornell released Songbook, an acoustic live album featuring songs recorded during Cornell's "Songbook" tour in North America. His first live album as a solo artist, Songbook included stripped-down performances of songs from his entire career as a solo artist as well as with Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog, plus covers of Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" and John Lennon's "Imagine". The album received largely positive reviews, with AllMusic calling it Cornell's "best solo offering to date". Cornell continued his "Songbook" tour in Eu
Social Network
Though Chris Cornell passed away in 2017, his legacy remains strong on social media platforms. His music continues to be celebrated by fans worldwide, and his estate frequently updates his platforms with archival content and new music releases.
On January 1, 2010, Cornell alluded to a Soundgarden reunion via his Twitter account, writing: "The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" The message linked to a website that featured a picture of the group performing live and a place for fans to enter their e-mail address to get updates on the reunion. Entering that information unlocked an archival video for the song "Get on the Snake" from Soundgarden's second studio album, 1989's Louder Than Love.
Education
Chris Cornell attended Christ the King Catholic School and later Shiley Preparatory School. However, his formal education was not as extensive as his musical career. He began focusing on music at a young age and honed his skills through practical experience and collaboration with other musicians.
In summary, Chris Cornell's influence on rock music is undeniable, and his contributions continue to generate significant revenue posthumously. His legacy as a musician and songwriter remains strong, with his family working to preserve his memory through charitable efforts and music releases.
Cornell took piano and guitar lessons as a child. He traced his musical influences back to Little Richard via The Beatles. He spent a two-year period between the ages of nine and eleven listening to The Beatles after finding a large collection of Beatles records abandoned in the basement of a neighbor's house. Cornell described himself at this age as a loner; he was able to deal with his anxiety around other people through rock music. During his teenage years, he experienced severe depression, dropped out of school, and almost never left the house during a two-year span. At the age of 12, Cornell had access to alcohol and marijuana; he used them daily by 13, stopped for a year, but relapsed at age 15 for another year until he turned to music. At 14, he had a bad PCP experience and later had panic disorder and agoraphobia.
In 1989, Soundgarden released their second effort and their first album for a major label, Louder Than Love. Following the album's release, 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 the band's tour in support of Louder Than Love. In 1990, they were joined by a new bassist, Ben Shepherd.
In 1997, Soundgarden received another Grammy award nomination for the lead single "Pretty Noose". As tensions grew within the band, reportedly due to internal strife over its creative direction, Soundgarden announced that it was disbanding on April 9, 1997. 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."
Following Cornell's death, the surviving members of Soundgarden discussed the possibility of moving on with a replacement for him, but Thayil confirmed in an October 2018 interview with Seattle Times that the band had once again dissolved. Speaking to Music Radar magazine in a July 2019 interview, Thayil also said that the surviving members of Soundgarden are trying to finish and release the album they were working on with Cornell. However, the master files of Cornell's vocal recordings are currently being withheld, and they can't complete the album without it.
