Temple of the Dog is an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington. He was formed in 1990 by Chris Cornell (Soundgarden singer) to pay tribute to his roommate and friend Andrew Wood (singer of the band Mother Love Bone) who died of an overdose during the year. He was joined by Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament (both members of Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden drummer), Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready (future singer and guitarist of Pearl Jam). The band has only one album, Temple of the Dog, on April 16, 1991. The single from this album was Hunger Strike, a song Eddie Vedder sings with Chris Cornell. This song will also be the subject of a video clip and became one of the first hits of the grunge movement. The name of the band comes from the lyrics of a song by Mother Love Bone, Man of Golden Words. The death of Andrew Wood, due to a heroin overdose, on March 16, 1990 deeply affects his friend Chris Cornell, who writes two songs, Reach Down and Say Hello 2 Heaven in honor of the deceased >>. To record them, he naturally thinks of Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, two friends and former members of Mother Love Bone. They were setting up a new band called Mookie Blaylock, including Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready. At that time, Pearl Jam did not exist yet and Soundgarden did not have the success it will know later. It quickly becomes clear during rehearsals, that a single would not be enough and the musicians decide to record a studio album. It only takes a couple of weeks to record at the London Bridge Studios in Seattle, the band produced it with Rick Parashar, owner of the place. On November 30, 1990, the band (without Vedder) gave its only full concert at Seattle's Off Ramp Cafe . The album, the eponymous Temple of the Dog, was released on April 16, 1991 on the A & M Records label, and originally sold 70,000 copies in the United States. Ament recalls that A & M wanted to put a Pearl Jam sticker on the cover, but the group will refuse. The album is well received by the specialized press, but does not reach the rankings. AllMusic's reviewer Steve Huey credits the album with four out of five stars explaining that "looks like a bridge between Mother Love Bone's' 70s rock and hardcore seriousness. Pearl Jam Rock ". David Fricke of Rolling Stone writes, with hindsight, that the album "deserves immortality" . Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron find Soundgarden for the album Badmotorfinger and Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder with drummer Dave Krusen enter the studio as Pearl Jam to record their first album, Ten.
