Candlebox singer Kevin Martin was recently asked about Chris Cornell’s legacy on the Remembering Chris Cornell podcast.
“The biggest pain for me about all of this is, not just his family and the loss there, but I was really shocked that [Soundgarden] hadn’t been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, whatever that means to anybody. As a band who had made such an impact musically on such a small city, to be unrecognized at this point is disgraceful, and the fact that Chris watched his friend Eddie [Vedder] do it just four months ago.
That probably hurt a little bit for him, and that pains me because I know if it weren’t for Chris, Eddie probably wouldn’t have [been recognized] as a voice, that’s not to say that Pearl Jam wouldn’t have gone on and done great things with Eddie, but Chris took him under his wing and gave him a huge opportunity to launch him with the Temple of the Dog record because Soundgarden at the time was the most prolific and prominent Seattle band.
So that for me is the hardest thing, so I think in regards to his legacy, just a number of songs that the guy has written in his life. How profound, prolific, insightful, sensitive, incredibly talented human being that he was, that’s really what I hope continues when people think of Chris, not what he’s done to himself, but what he did as a musician.”
