Chris Cornell has been heralded as one of the pioneers of the grunge era for
writing a string of hits for Soundgarden, including the Grammy award-winning
“Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman.” In 1991, Chris formed Temple of the
Dog, writing the classic song “Hunger Strike” featuring a duet with Pearl
Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. In 2000, Cornell joined former Rage Against the
Machine members (Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk) in Audioslave and
wrote a series of the band's hits including “Like a Stone,” “Be
Yourself” and “Doesn't Remind Me.”
Cornell's career as a songwriter for film has included such songs as
“Can't Change Me,” and “Mission”, from the soundtrack to ‘Mission
Impossible II’ as well as hit theme song “You Know My Name” for James Bond
thriller ‘Casino Royale’, one of the most successful installments of the spy
franchise to date. His songs have been recorded by diverse artists from Johnny
Cash to Alice Cooper. ‘Songbook’ is an excellent live album, highlighting
the songs Cornell has written throughout his illustrious career.