Soundgarden is a
rock band that formed in
Seattle,
Washington in
1984. Along with fellow Seattle bands like
Nirvana,
Pearl Jam, and
Alice in Chains, they became one of the most commercially successful groups of the
grunge movement in the early '90s. Though they were one of the first bands of this class to secure a major label deal, it was the overnight success of
Nirvana's
Nevermind that opened the door for Soundgarden to hit the mainstream, allowing their album
Badmotorfinger to gain momentum. This was followed by their greatest commercial and critical success,
1994's
Superunknown, which included such hit songs as "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman." This led to multi platinum sales and two
Grammy awards (not to mention two additional nominations, including Best Rock Album). Their
1996 follow up,
Down on the Upside, found the band at odds creatively and failed to recapture the success of its predecessor. It would be their last, and Soundgarden broke up in
1997 due to creative differences.