Chris Cornell is one of those rare gems in the music industry. He's connected to the spirit of old rock and roll, but has a knack - and the courage - for pushing his songwriting abilities forward.

He has a strong enough sense of self to create the things that will fulfill his own aspirations without going so far off the map as to completely repel his diehard fans. (With one notable exception which, due to the all-encompassing nature of this list, had to be included.)

Out of this rare blend of sensibilities came one of the defining bands of the 90s. Taking punk's energy-over-precision ideology and tossing it into a blender with all of their Black Sabbath CDs and a lone copy of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band vinyl, the guys in Soundgarden placed themselves on a separate - but parallel - path from fellow grunge music icons Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

They were the first to shed the stigma of signing to a major label, and used their newfound exposure to sneak heavy metal riffs and freaky, dissonant rhythms onto mainstream radio.

Over time, Cornell stretched his wings even further, seeking to gain some personal satisfaction with disjointed solo albums and various supergroup excursions, with results ranging from "incredible" to "why are you doing this to us?"

But no matter the vessel he's operating, Chris Cornell has made some of the greatest music of his generation. Let's see how it all stacks up against itself.