In Remembrance of Chris Cornell
I was born in the early 80’s and I grew up listening to rock music. Later on in my childhood I would hangout with my older cousin and he would put on this type of music that would stick with me for the next 30 years and most likely for the rest of my life. I did not know what this type of music was called. It had drums, guitars, and a bass guitar. I remember always listening out for the bass parts of the songs. My favorite part of the song was always the bass parts. I would find out later that that the type of music we listened to was called grunge. We would listen to bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden.
Chris Cornell was born Christopher John Boyle in Seattle, WA on July 20, 1964. He was the fourth oldest of six children. Cornell was his mothers maiden name. He decided to take his mothers last name after his parents divorced. After the divorce his father would not be involved in his life from that point moving forward and his mother Karen, an accountant would be raise him by herself.
Cornell dropped out of school at fifteen and worked at a seafood warehouse and as a cook because he wanted to help his mother out financially since she was a single mother. He developed depression at a young age and became more of a loner during his teen years, and did not leave his home for almost a year. He would turn to music for release and started learning how to play the drums that his mother bought him when he was sixteen years old. He also took piano and guitar lessons when he was a child. His favorite musicians were Little Richard and The Beatles.
Going through high school was not easy. I graduated by the skin of my teeth. I did not care whether I graduated from high school or not. I did it for my mom though. I contemplated dropping out of school like Cornell at a young age. But, then I said to myself, “If I dropout, what the hell am I going to do for the rest of my life?” Twenty years later here I am in college and a less than away from earning my Associates Degree.
Cornell’s music inspires me on a personal level to go out, do things and not give up on what I am doing. I feel like when I listen to his music I can do anything that I set my mind to and that is why I am still in school. His music is making me want to go far in my education. I do not think I am done after I earn my associates degree at the end of the year. That is how powerful Cornell’s music is, it inspires people to go out and do things and challenge themselves.
During the early eighties, Cornell played in a cover band called The Shemps with other founding members of what would be known later as Soundgarden. Soundgarden would form in 1984 and would play to together for the next thirteen years.
Their most successful album was titled “Superunknown” and my favorite songs from that album are “Black Hole Sun,” “Spoonman” and “Fell On Black Days”. Success would get the best of Cornell as he dove deeper into his addictions as well as depression. However Soundgarden managed to create one more album before they disbanded.
That album would be titled “Down On The Upside”. I feel that their last album “Down On The Upside” was the best album that the band released. It felt more dark and I could feel Cornell’s pain through his lyrics from songs like “Blow Up The Outside World” and “Pretty Noose”.
After the band broke up Cornell would take a year off from music, before embarking on a solo career that would last for the next 2 years. When his solo career did not amount to much success he formed a group with the remaining members of Rage Against The Machine: Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk.
Audioslave recorded 3 albums together during their 6 year run together and recorded hits such as “Like A Stone,” “Gasoline,” “Show Me How To Live” “Be Yourself” and “Doesn’t Remind Me”. In 2007, Audioslave broke up because Cornell was not getting along with the other member of the band.
Audioslave would reunite for the last time in 2017 only months before Cornell’s death.
After the break-up of Audioslave, Cornell returned to his solo career and would release 2 solo albums. He would also go on tour in support of them.
In 2010, rumors of Soundgarden reuniting began to go around after Cornell posted a cryptic message on his website. Soundgarden would reunite a few months later after they announced they would be headline Lollapalooza later that year.
Soundgarden would go on a reunion tour in 2011 and release their first album in over sixteen years the following year. The album titled “King Animal” would be the bands only studio album that they would release. I was privileged enough to see Soundgarden in concert when they came to Los Angeles on this tour and I feel like the music was just overpowering his voice; like his voice did not have the same strength as it once did to hit the high notes of the songs they performed.
In addition to their studio album Soundgarden would release 2 compilation albums “Telephantasm” in 2012 and “Echo of Miles” in 2014.
Soundgarden started recording new material for their next album the following year but went unfinished due to Cornell’s death in 2017. After his death the remaining members of Soundgarden still worked on completing the album but as of 2019 the album remained unfinished.
Cornell is also known for his contributions to songs that he performed. He was most notable for singing alongside Pearl Jam consisting of Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard and Mike McCready in the early 90’s. Together they were known as Temple of the Dog and were best known for their song “Hunger Strike”. The supergroup was briefly formed after the death of Andrew Wood.
Chris Cornell died on May 18, 2017 at the MGM Grand in Detroit, Mich. His bodyguard found him unresponsive in the bathroom of his hotel a few hours after Soundgarden had finished performing at the Fox Theatre. He was found on the floor with an exercise band around his neck and blood coming out of his mouth.
Medics were not successful in reviving Cornell when they arrived on the scene and was pronounced dead at the age of fifty-two. His death was ruled to be suicide by hanging as there were no signs of foul play that were discovered by police or the medical examiner that performed the autopsy on Cornell.
I have issues with anxiety and depression like Cornell did and I was prescribed Ativan along with other prescription drugs and I am afraid to take it since Cornell’s death. If there is anything to take away from anything that I have said I would like readers to know that depression is very real. The grunge era of rock and roll music has inspired me in so many ways; one thing that the lyrics of Cornell has taught me is to have a strong mind in everything that I do.
