Sign In
 
 
 
Close Window

Temple of the Dog

Photo Gallery

  • Genre: Grunge
  • Hometown: Seattle

About

Formed in 1990 and conceived as a one-off, posthumous tribute to fallen Seattle singer Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog were made up of members of Soundgarden and what would eventually become Pearl Jam. Faced with the news of his roommate's death from a heroin overdose, Chris Cornell wrote a pair of songs for Wood, "Reach Down" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven," and approached surviving members of Mother Love Bone ostensibly to record and release a single in his honor. The single became an entire album. Eddie Vedder was in town auditioning for the band that would become Pearl Jam, and he provided backing vocals during the sessions and also performed a duet with Cornell on the song "Hunger Strike." The self-titled album was released in 1991 to no fanfare, but a year later both Cornell and Vedder were megastars. A&M smelled a huge payday, and the album was re-released and billed as a collaboration between Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. "Hunger Strike" was released as a single and reached No. 4 on the charts. As a result, and with the heavy rotation of the attendant video for "Hunger Strike," Temple of the Dog -- with only one single from one album -- remains one of the most widely recognized acts of the grunge era.

- Mike McGuirk

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Similar Artists

 
 
 
 
 

Filed Under

 
 
 
 
 

Tracks

10 Available

 
 
 
 
maintain a column
 

Albums

1 Available

 
 
 
 
 

Electronics

Check out the latest Rhapsody compatible
home audio systems and portable players.

Software

Download Rhapsody Software to manage all your digital music.
AMG - Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2001-2009 Listen.com, a subsidiary of RealNetworks