While most famous musicians associated with Seattle music moved there to get in on the action, Chris Cornell was born in Seattle, which put him in perfect position for the popular music scene that sprung up there in the '80s. He attended Christ the King elementary school and Shorewood High School in Seattle. Before becoming a musician, he worked at a seafood wholesaler and later as a sous chef at place called Ray's Boathouse.
Cornell formed Soundgarden with guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984. Cornell played drums in the band but Matt Cameron from Skin Yard became the band's permanent drummer in 1986. Cameron would later join Pearl Jam.
He was good friends and a former roommate of Andrew Wood, who was lead singer of the Seattle band Mother Love Bone. On March 16, 1990, Wood overdosed on heroin and was kept alive on life support, where Cornell saw him before he was allowed to die on March 19. It was a defining moment for Cornell, who was enjoying life in a successful band amid a supportive, vibrant music scene in his hometown. "Andy was kind of like this beam of light above it all," said Cornell. "To see him hooked up to machines, that was, I think, the death of the innocence of the scene."
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