Chris Cornell biography

Synopsis

Musician Chris Cornell was born July 20, 1964 in Seattle, WA. In the mid 1980s he formed the band Soundgarden. The band earned multi-platinum status and two Grammys. He released his solo debut to critical praise in 1999. The following year, he formed the band Audioslave with Rage Against the Machine members. He left Audioslave in 2007 and released his second solo effort. In 2008, he won a Grammy.

Profile

Musician. Born Christopher John Boyle on July 20, 1964 in Seattle, Washington. One of six children born into an Irish Catholic and Jewish family, Chris Cornell rebelled against religion and authority as a youth. After his parents?? divorce (the children adopted their mother??s maiden name, Cornell), Chris acted out by using drugs and stealing??and learning to play the drums. By age 15, plagued by bouts of depression, Cornell had dropped out of school to play music and help support the family.

In the mid 1980s Cornell formed the band Soundgarden with Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Hiro Yamamoto, who was later replaced by Ben Shepherd. Soundgarden would become one the most successful bands of the 1990s and a forerunner of the sound that would later be dubbed "Seattle grunge." The band earned multi-platinum status and two Grammy Awards before parting ways in 1997. Notable albums include 1991??s Badmotorfinger, 1994??s Superunknown and 1996??s Down on the Upside.

Cornell released his solo debut, Euphoria Morning, to critical praise in 1999. The following year, he collaborated with Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk to form the new band Audioslave. The band??s second album, 2005??s Out of Exile, reached platinum status.

Chris Cornell left Audioslave in 2007 and released his second solo effort, Carry On, later that year. In 2008, he won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture for "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale.

Suffering for years from depression, social phobias and drug and alcohol abuse, Cornell checked himself into rehab in 2000 and has been sober since. He and his ex-wife, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden manger Susan Silver, have a daughter, Lillian Jean. He married publicist Vicky Karayiannis in 2003; they have two children.