Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog formed in Seattle in 1990 as a tribute to Andrew Wood, the late Mother Love Bone frontman, uniting members of what would become Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Chris Cornell wrote and sang the majority of the material, with a then-unknown Eddie Vedder contributing the duet vocal on Hunger Strike that launched his career. The guitar work split between Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, whose contrasting gear approaches created the same dynamic tension that would define Pearl Jam. McCready's Gibson Les Paul through a Union Jack amplifier and Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer delivered the singing, sustain-rich lead work on Say Hello 2 Heaven and Hunger Strike, while Gossard's Fender Stratocaster through a Marshall JCM800 provided the crunchy rhythmic foundation. The self-titled album, recorded in fifteen days at London Bridge Studio, captured a moment when Seattle's musical community was still small enough that its best musicians could converge around a shared loss and produce a record that, while initially overlooked, would be recognized as one of grunge's most soulful achievements.