Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog
landscape =
Early promo shot of Temple of the Dog. Top: Matt Cameron, 2nd row from left to right: Jeff Ament, Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, bottom from left to right: Chris Cornell, Mike McCready
Background information
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
GenresGrunge · alternative rock
Years active1990–1992, 2016
(One-off reunions: 2003, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019)
LabelsA&M
Spinoff ofMother Love Bone, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Green River
Past members
Websitetempleofthedog.com

Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of the bands Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. The lineup included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of Mother Love Bone and future members of Pearl Jam), Mike McCready (later Pearl Jam) on lead guitar, and Matt Cameron (Soundgarden and later Pearl Jam) on drums. Eddie Vedder appeared as a guest to provide some lead and backing vocals and later became lead vocalist of Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, was released four months after Temple of the Dog's only studio album.

The band released its only album, the self-titled Temple of the Dog, in April 1991 through A&M Records. The recording sessions took place in November and December 1990 at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington, with producer Rakesh "Rick" Parashar. Although earning praise from music critics at the time of its release, the album was not widely recognized until 1992, when Vedder, Ament, Gossard, and McCready had their breakthrough with Pearl Jam (causing Temple of the Dog to sometimes be (retroactively) considered a supergroup). Cameron would later join Pearl Jam, serving as drummer since 1998, following Soundgarden's initial break-up in 1997, making the five members of Pearl Jam after that point identical to the members of Temple of the Dog other than Chris Cornell.

The band reformed and toured in 2016 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album. It was the only tour they ever undertook.


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