Kim Thayil

Born: September 4, 1960 Seattle, WA, USA

There is a certain intelligence that surround Kim Thayil's music. It is no wonder that a diverse person such as Kim, who was born in Seattle by East Indian parents, would go on after obtaining a degree in philosophy to form rock and roll phenom Soundgarden. Only wanting to be loud and in your face, he has been listening to heavy music since he was able to pick his own albums. Thayil was instantly addicted to the heavy, pounding sounds of Kiss and Iggy and the Stooges. Kim graduated from an alternative high school in Illinois (where he initially met Yamamoto, the bassist for Soundgarden) and then from the University of Washington, supporting himself as a radio DJ while in school. After college, Kim joined local Seattle band The Shemps, where he met Chris Cornell. After the demise of The Shemps, Cornell and Thayil formed Soundgarden. Soundgarden enjoyed many years of success, especially after the early 90's. Grunge became popular and thrust Soundgarden into the spotlight. The monster album Superunknown, received worldwide recognition and critical acclaim. In the late 90's, however, Soundgarden decided to burn out instead of fade away, and they broke up for good. Thayil has gone on to help with other group's projects, such as the Presidents of the United States of America. He has side plans as well, including Jeff Gilbert's Dark Load project.

Instruments Played / Skills: Guitar Songwriter Genres: Grunge 1990's Alternative Guitar Masters

Bands That Kim Thayil Has Played For: Soundgarden

Kim Thayil Has Worked With: Chris Cornell Hiro Yamamoto Matt Cameron

Kim Thayil Was Influenced By: Iggy Pop Gene Simmons Paul Stanley

Artists That Were Influenced By Kim Thayil: Stephen Carpenter