Chris Cornell was one of grunge's 'big four' voices - and now only one remains. It wasn't so much metal's Big Four that grabbed my attention as a teenager in the late '80s, as the Stones, Ramones and another emerging Seattle outfit, Mudhoney, were filling my ears with the incredible power of rock 'n' roll. That was until I discovered Soundgarden. And Chris Cornell. Soon after the band released their Louder Than Love album, their name blazoned in bold black lettering on the cover, I bought a copy, tucked the precious vinyl under my arm and headed directly for my friend Russell's house. His stereo was bigger, louder than mine and this first listening needed some serious volume. Russell's mum was at work, so we cranked the hell out of Ugly Truth, Power Trip, Full on Kevin's Mom and every track on the album. It was the first time I'd seen windows rattling from rock 'n' roll and the first time a voice had made such a monumental impact upon my senses. Chris Cornell was only 25 years old when Soundgarden released Louder Than Love, younger still when the band's debut album Ultramega OK was released a year or so earlier, and yet he'd emerged fully formed as a musician. Take a listen to Beyond the Wheel from Ultramega OK and you'll hear a man supremely confident in the incredible range and strength of his voice.

Cornell performs with Soundgarden at Soundwave in Melbourne in 2015. Credit:Paul Rovere It was around this same time at the turn of the decade I was talking to another friend about Soundgarden. "You like Soundgarden?," he said. "Have a listen to Temple of the Dog." Temple of the Dog was a short-lived Seattle outfit, born from the ashes of Mother Love Bone, featuring Cornell, Vedder, drummer Matt Cameron (Soundgarden), plus Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, who would go on to find fame with Vedder in Pearl Jam. Still in his mid-20s, Cornell knew how to fashion his voice into a thing of amazing beauty, as well as a force of nature, on songs such as Say Hello 2 Heaven and Call Me a Dog from Temple of the Dog's self-titled album. The group reunited for a handful of US shows last year to mark the 25th anniversary of this superb album. Reaction from fans around the world to news of these shows was testament to the importance of these songs and their place in the genre. Just knowing Cornell was singing these songs again, even if you couldn't get a ticket, was enough to make a fan smile. Soundgarden's 1989 album, Louder Than Love. Credit:Soundgarden Soundgarden came to Australia in 1994 as part of the enormously popular Big Day Out, playing Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and the Showgrounds in Melbourne. Making this an even bigger event for myself was the fact the Ramones were also on the bill. Soundgarden and the Ramones. Same big day. Awesome.

Seeing and hearing Cornell punch out Jesus Christ Pose and Outshined from 1991's Grammy nominated Badmotorfinger album, along with those earlier songs that first turned me onto the band, was truly unforgettable. As Cornell left the stage, guitarist Kim Thayil remained, tearing the final notes from his strings before placing the guitar high on top of his amplifier. It's a moment etched as clear and strong into my memory as the band's name on that striking yellow and black Louder Than Love album cover. More albums followed with 1994's Superunknown debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 and delivering a couple of Grammy wins for the songs Black Hole Sun and Spoonman. Soundgarden were at the peak of their powers, winning critical as well as commercial acclaim and it was Cornell out front, as both singer and songwriter who was the focal point. In 2012, after the band reformed following a long hiatus, they returned to Australia, where they played many times. Australia was also a place Cornell enjoyed coming to as a solo performer, bringing his show to St Kilda's Palace Theatre a couple of times and leaving fans in awe. Russell Hopkinson, drummer with Australia's own You Am I, is among the many, many people around the world shocked and saddened by Cornell's death. On Facebook today, Hopkinson wrote that it was 1994, when Soundgarden were conquering the world, they took "a scruffy young Aussie band, shoved them in their tour bus and took them around America just because they liked them and they had the power to do cool shit like that. Chris was a big part of that and such a lovely bloke". My own recollections of that period are feeling enormous pride that my favourite Australian band was on tour with perhaps the biggest band in the world. The power of rock 'n' roll.

Chris Cornell went on to explore many paths in his musical and creative journey, recording and performing live for several years with Audioslave, featuring Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford, as well as releasing five solo albums. A couple of years ago he brought Soundgarden back to Australia, playing the now defunct Soundwave festival. It was a couple of years on since they release their King Animal album, their first since 1996's chart-topping Down On the Upside. On that last Australian tour they also played at Festival Hall in Melbourne, a venue they knew from previous tours. Perhaps with the exception of that first live experience when I saw Cornell fronting the band in '94, his stage presence and mindblowing howl two years ago was the best I'd ever witnessed. My colleague Jesse Hogan snapped a photo that same night that I've proudly had pasted on The Age's EG Twitter account ever since. Chris Cornell, like some of those big rockin' bands he was influenced by, was an enormous presence and unleashed the best of himself on stage. Moreover, he possessed a unique voice that will live on.

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