Which singer was the original lead vocalist of Soundgarden?

Chris Cornell was Soundgarden’s original lead vocalist.

Cornell co-founded Soundgarden in Seattle in 1984 with guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. He initially played drums as well as singing, before Scott Sundquist became the band’s drummer. Cornell’s powerful, wide-ranging voice became one of Soundgarden’s defining features.

He remained the band’s lead singer through albums including Ultramega OK, Louder Than Love, Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, and Down on the Upside. His songwriting helped shape Soundgarden’s combination of heavy guitar, unusual time signatures, and darker lyrical themes.

Cornell temporarily left the band in the late 1990s and later formed Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine. Soundgarden reunited in 2010, releasing the album King Animal in 2012. Cornell died in 2017, but his work with Soundgarden remains central to the history of grunge and alternative metal.