Soundgarden

Soundgarden formed in Seattle in 1984, started by Chris Cornell, who sang and played drums at first, with guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron took over on drums in 1986, freeing Cornell to concentrate on vocals, and Ben Shepherd became the bassist after Yamamoto left in 1989. They were among the pioneers of grunge, mixing it with alternative metal, sludge and psychedelic rock. Theirs was the first grunge band signing to Sub Pop, and later to a major label, A&M.

Badmotorfinger (1991) helped open the door to grunge's mainstream breakthrough, with "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" among its singles. Superunknown (1994) went straight to number one in the US and brought "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun". Down on the Upside (1996) explored fresh textures before the band split in 1997. They reunited in 2010 and released King Animal in 2012. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.