Back in December 2009, Cornell played his first acoustic “Songbook” show in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe to overwhelming response - the show sold out instantly. A second performance soon followed at the city's famous Troubadour.

 

Now, live audiences across the US & Canada will also have the chance to see Chris perform unplugged, up close and personal - an event many fans have been eagerly anticipating for years. Within this alternative setting, Cornell can easily interact with the audience and share insights about his music. Familiar songs emerge in a new context, showing that great songwriting translates to any idiom.

Chris Cornell has the ability to connect with listeners like few others of our time. He has maintained his own unique identity over more than two decades as a singer, songwriter, and lyricist. He has been heralded as one of the pioneers of the grunge era for writing a string of hits for Soundgarden, including the Grammy award-winning “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman.” In 1991, Chris formed Temple of the Dog, writing classic song “Hunger Strike” featuring a duet with Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. In 2000, Cornell joined former Rage Against the Machine members (Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk) in Audioslave and wrote a series of the band’s hits including “Like a Stone,” “Be Yourself” and “Doesn’t Remind Me”. Cornell continued to shine as a solo artist writing songs such as “Can’t Change Me,” and “Mission”, which was included on the soundtrack to the film Mission Impossible II.

 

His songs have been recorded by diverse artists from Johnny Cash to Alice Cooper, and his movie soundtrack credits include hit theme song “You Know My Name” for James Bond thriller Casino Royale, one of the most successful installments of the spy franchise to date. It was just announced that Cornell will be co-producing and writing music for the upcoming directorial debut for James Franco, Beyond Good and Evil.

 

Chris Cornell's Spring 2011 tour is only the beginning. Keep looking for audio, visual and live updates on the “Songbook” series on www.chriscornell.com.