These Folks Are The Greatest American Rock Bands Ever

Soundgarden

Tony Woolliscroft/WireImage

The rock band Soundgarden was formed by musicians Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, and Hiro Yamamoto in Seattle, Washington in 1984. the band was joined by the full-time drummer Matt Cameron in 1986 and Ben Shepard replaced Yamamoto as the group’s bassist in 1970.

Although the band disbanded in 1997, they re-formed in 2010 until Chris Cornell’s untimely death in 2017. While active, Soundgarden became the first grunge band to ever sign to a major label, although they did not achieve commercial success until the 1990s along with bands such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and more.