Apprendre à jouer: Soundgarden

Soundgarden is an American alternative metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, as well as guitarist Kim Thayil, who are the only original members. Subsequently, bassist Hiro Yamamoto joined them. In 1985, Cornell moved to rhythm guitar, and Scott Sundquist took over as drummer, followed by Matt Cameron in 1986. In 1990, Yamamoto left the group, leaving his place to Jason Everman, who was quickly replaced by Ben Shepherd. After a first separation in 1997 and a reformation in 2010, the group faced a new dissolution in 2018 after the death of Cornell.

Soundgarden played a crucial role in popularizing grunge, a genre of alternative rock emerging in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1980s, alongside other iconic Seattle bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, forming the Big Four of Seattle. They were the pioneers to sign with the Sub Pop label, based in Seattle, releasing two EPs in 1987 and 1988. Despite modest sales, their first album, “Ultramega OK,” released by the Californian label SST Records, was praised by the critically and received a Grammy nomination in 1990. Their move to A&M Records in 1989 marked the beginning of their career with a major label.

Soundgarden found success with the album “Badmotorfinger” in 1991, propelled by singles such as “Jesus Christ Pose,” “Outshined,” and “Rusty Cage.” Their peak came with the album “Superunknown” in 1994, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned hit singles such as “Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun,” both of which won Grammy Awards. Despite internal tensions, the group continued to explore new sounds on 1996's "Down on the Upside," which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and produced popular singles like "Burden in My Hand."Black hole sun“and “Blow Up the Outside World.”

After a hiatus in 1997 due to artistic differences and touring exhaustion, Soundgarden reformed in 2010. In 2012, their final studio album, “King Animal,” was released by Republic Records. The group has received eight Grammy Award nominations, winning two. Their album sales exceed 10 million in the United States and 25 million internationally.