Soundgarden and Bad Company are among the bands set to be inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November. To Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, the honor is a meaningful, if belated, success for the group's late singer, Chris Cornell.
“This is important, especially for the legacy of Soundgarden, and for Chris’s legacy,” Thayil tells Billboard. “It’s really important now to understand this from the perspective of the fans and to understand Soundgarden as both a current enterprise as well as a posthumous exercise.
“It is very bittersweet,” he adds. “He would be pleased with it. I know from Chris attending one or two [induction ceremonies] and inducting Heart that he saw the significance of it and saw how important it was to the fans and to the bands being inducted. He said, ‘Yes, this is very important and it’s cool,’ so he would be very excited.”
Chris Cornell took his own life after a Soundgarden show at the Fox Theatre in Detroit in 2017. The remaining members have made only two appearances together since: with Brandi Carlile in 2021, and at a benefit concert late last year, where Duff McKagan and Bearaxe vocalist Shaina Shepherd filled in on vocals.
The White Stripes are also in the class of 2025, marking Jack White’s first induction, alongside OutKast, Cyndi Lauper, and Chubby Checker. That means Oasis have been snubbed for a second time, with Billy Idol and the Black Crowes also missing out.
It’s a feeling Soundgarden knows all too well, having been overlooked in 2020 and 2023. Once cynical toward the institution, Thayil says his outlook changed because of Cornell. He confirms the band will perform at the event, as is customary for inductees, with a new vocalist.
The Rock Hall honors have seen some show-stopping moments over the years, including Prince's statement-making “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” solo. More recently, Wolfgang Van Halen put his father's rivalry with Randy Rhoads aside to perform “Crazy Train” in front of Ozzy Osbourne.
There’s no word on who will sing with Soundgarden, but Thayil recognizes the size of the task awaiting whoever will take it on.
“It’s a high bar, not just technically but emotionally,” he says. “There has to be a reverence for the missing brother and founder, and there also has to be reverence for the legacy — both for Chris’s work and Chris’s creativity, as well as the regard and reverence we have for ourselves collectively and for each other.”
Soundgarden’s breakthrough album came with 1994’s Superunknown, a record created through adversity. It's also an album laced with “insane chaos psychedelia” guitar solos.
Original bass guitarist Hiro Yamamoto, who played in the band during its first five years together, is also set to be included.
“I definitely want Hiro to attend and participate in this,” Thayil confirms. “He was a founding member and very significant in crafting and establishing our sound and our style.”
Elsewhere, Paul Rogers told Billboard that Bad Company's induction is a “pretty amazing and very cool” moment for the band, while guitarist Mick Ralphs is said to be “elated." A host of big names, from Robert Plant to Ronnie Wood, Alice Cooper and Sammy Hagar had canvased for the band to get the nod.
November’s ceremony will also recognize two more artists, with the late Warren Zevon and rappers Salt-N-Peppaset to be recognized in the Musical Excellence category. Peter Frampton was inducted in 2024’s celebrations.
In related news, it’s been confirmed that Chris Cornell held secret jam sessions with Alex and Eddie Van Halen before he died. Had he not, a full project would have likely materialized.
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