Chris Cornell

. "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" served as the basis of two hit hip hop singles: Lauryn Hill integrates the chorus into the chorus for The Fugees' 1996 hit "Ready or Not", and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland sampled the ominous string/horn intro for Elliott's hit 1997 "Sock It to Me". While in Soundgarden, he recorded an album with members of Pearl Jam as Temple Of The Dog, in tribute to his friend Andrew Wood. Their music enjoyed a mild renaissance in the mid-1990s when Quentin Tarantino used "La La Means I Love You" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" in a pivotal role in the film Jackie Brown. Audioslave's first self-titled album spawned hits such as "Like a Stone" and "Cochise". However, in the absence of Thom Bell, the Delfonics' career declined sharply, and the band was effectively over by 1975. After Soundgarden split up, and before joining Audioslave, he collaborated with Alain Johannes and Natasha Shneider of the band Eleven to release a solo album, Euphoria Morning. The Delfonics swiftly produced another album, Alive and Kicking, produced by Stan Watson.

He is currently the vocalist in Audioslave, backed up by three of the four former members of Rage Against The Machine. Randy Cain left the group in 1971, to be replaced by Major Harris; by then, however, Thom Bell had moved on to produce the first album for The Stylistics. Christopher Cornell (born July 20, 1964, Seattle Washington) is a singer/songwriter most well-known as the lead singer of Soundgarden, in which he was a member from the mid 1980s until 1996. Philadelphia soul was smoother than traditional soul, strongly influenced by Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, but solidly based in the doo-wop sounds of the 1950s. Fan page at fluttergirl.com (first such hit on Google) (http://www.fluttergirl.com/chriscornell/). Four more Bell-produced albums appeared in the next few years: The Sexy Sound of Soul, The Delfonics Super Hits, The Delfonics and Tell Me This is a Dream. Among the Delfonics' popular hits were "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "Lying to Myself", and "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)". VH1 artist page for Cornell (http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/cornell_chris/artist.jhtml). Bell dreamed of creating a Phildelphia version of Motown and struck gold with the Delfonics, whose first album, released on Watson's own Philly Groove label, featured the hit "La La Means I Love You", in 1968.

All Music Guide artist page for Cornell (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:28320roac48n). At Cameo, Stan Watson introduced them to the man who made them famous, producer Thom Bell, then working with Chubby Checker. IMDB page for Cornell (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0180225/). Soon, they became known throughout the Philadelphia area, signing with Cameo Records. Thorough biography at a comprehensive Soundgarden fan site (http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/misc/chris.shtml). Brothers William and Wilbert Hart formed the group with Randy Cain in high school in the early 1960s. Official site with biography, discography, images, tour dates, etc. (http://www.chriscornell.com/main.html). The Delfonics were a quintessential Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Download sample "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)".