Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, and the drum position was taken over first by Scott Sundquist and then by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto departed in 1989 and was replaced briefly by Jason Everman before Ben Shepherd joined later that year. Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 and reunited in 2010. Following Cornell’s death in 2017, Thayil stated in 2018 that the band had disbanded again. The surviving members have since collaborated occasionally, including a tribute concert for Cornell in 2019 and a benefit performance in 2024 in Seattle under the anagram name Nudedragons with Shaina Shepherd on vocals. Soundgarden was among the early developers of grunge, a style of alternative rock originating in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1980s, and contributed to the genre’s rise in the early 1990s alongside Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. They were the first major grunge group signed to Sub Pop, releasing the EPs “Screaming Life” (1987) and “Fopp” (1988). Their debut album, “Ultramega OK”, was released in 1988 by SST Records and received critical recognition, including a Grammy Award nomination. Later in 1988, Soundgarden became the first grunge band signed to a major label when they joined A&M Records. Their second album, “Louder Than Love” (1989), became their first release to enter the Billboard 200 and produced the singles “Hands All Over” and “Loud Love”. The band achieved wider commercial success with their third album, “Badmotorfinger” (1991), which featured the singles “Jesus Christ Pose”, “Outshined”, and “Rusty Cage”, reached number 39 on the Billboard 200, and was certified double-platinum by the RIAA. Their fourth album, “Superunknown” (1994), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced the Grammy Award-winning singles “Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun”. Their fifth album, “Down on the Upside” (1996), debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and included the singles “Pretty Noose”, “Burden in My Hand”, and “Blow Up the Outside World”. The band dissolved in 1997 due to creative disagreements and touring fatigue. After pursuing individual projects for more than a decade, they reunited in 2010, and their sixth and final studio album, “King Animal”, was released by Republic Records in 2012. By 2019, Soundgarden had sold more than 14 million records in the United States and an estimated 30 million worldwide. VH1 placed the group at number 14 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Soundgarden was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. Studio albums Ultramega OK (1988) Louder Than Love (1989) Badmotorfinger (1991) Superunknown (1994) Down on the Upside (1996) King Animal (2012)