18 interesting facts about Chris Cornell on his birthday

We all knew Chris Cornell of his amazing solo music and his time with Sound Garden, Audioslave, And Temple of the Dogbut he had a lot more to offer. On the occasion of his 58th birthday, here are 18 things you may not have known about the late singer:

1. Chris’ real name was Christopher John Boyle.

2. Chris’ father was a pharmacist and his mother was an accountant.

3. Cornell had five siblings: two older brothers and three younger sisters.

4. Chris was a loner. Although rock music helped him overcome his anxiety around other people, he suffered from severe depression during his teenage years, dropped out of school and rarely left the house.

5. Before becoming a rocker, Chris worked for a fish wholesaler and was a sous-chef at a seafood restaurant.

6. In the early 80s, Chris was part of a cover band called The sheep who played in Seattle. At one point in time, the group also included the future Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil.

7. From 1986 to 1987, Cornell was a member of the satirical western swing band Center for Disease Control Boys.

8. 1992 Chris and Temple of the Dog members Michael McCready, Jeff Ament And Matt Cameron recorded the song “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)” under the name MACC for the 1993 album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi HendrixThe band name was an acronym for the surnames of its members.

9. Chris contributed vocals to Alice Cooper’s songs “Stolen Prayer” and “Unholy War”, which he also wrote, from the shock rocker’s 1994 album The last temptation.

10. In 1999, Chris started his solo career with the release of Euphoria Morning.

11. Chris was the first American male artist to write and perform the theme song to a James Bond film. The song was called “You Know My Name” and accompanied the opening credits of the 2006 film “James Bond 007: The Return.”Casino Royale.

12. In 2007, Chris was involved in a motorcycle accident in LA when he was struck from behind by a truck. He said he was thrown 20 feet in the air, but luckily survived the accident with only cuts and bruises.

13. “The Keeper,” the song Chris wrote for the 2011 film Machine Gun Preacherwas nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

14. Chris was co-author American Idol winner David Cook‘s first single “Light On”.

15. Chris had a cameo in the 1992 film singles.

16. A decade ago, Cornell owned the Paris restaurant Black Calavados, but it has since closed.

17. Chris was an avid reader. One of his favorite authors was Sylvia Plath.

18. Chris has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.