Hiro Yamamoto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hiro Yamamoto
Yamamoto in a 1987 promo photo
Background information
Birth name	Hiro D. Yamamoto
Born	(1961-04-13) April 13, 1961 (age 64) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Origin	Park Forest, Illinois
Genres	Heavy metal, grunge, alternative metal, garage rock, surf music, exotica
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar, vocals, guitar
Years active	1984–2006 2008–present
Labels	Sub Pop, A&M

Hiro D. Yamamoto (born April 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the founding bassist for the famous grunge band Soundgarden. He started the band in 1984 with Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell.

Hiro left Soundgarden in 1989. Later, he formed the independent rock band Truly in 1991. He started Truly with Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel and Robert Roth. In 2016, Hiro also helped start a surf music band called Stereo Donkey. In 2025, Hiro Yamamoto was honored by being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of Soundgarden.

Soundgarden: Early Years

Hiro Yamamoto was the first bass player for Soundgarden. He played with Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, and drummer Scott Sundquist on the Deep Six music collection.

He also played with Cornell, Thayil, and drummer Matt Cameron on several EPs (shorter albums). These EPs included Screaming Life, Fopp, and Loudest Love. Hiro also played on their full albums Ultramega OK and Louder Than Love.

Hiro left Soundgarden after a European tour in the spring of 1989. Jason Everman briefly took his place, and then Ben Shepherd became the permanent bassist. After leaving the band, Hiro went back to school. He earned his master's degree in physical chemistry. Today, he is the Chief of Organic Chemistry at Edge Analytical in Burlington, Washington.

Hiro's Songwriting Contributions

Hiro Yamamoto helped write many songs for Soundgarden. Here are some of the songs he contributed to:

• "Heretic" (he wrote the lyrics)
• "Tears to Forget" (he helped write the music)
• "All Your Lies" (he helped write the music)
• "Kingdom of Come" (credited to the whole band)
• "665" (he wrote the music)
• "667" (he wrote the music)
• "Circle of Power" (he wrote the lyrics and sang)
• "Nazi Driver" (he wrote the music)
• "Toy Box" (he helped write the lyrics and music)
• "Power Trip" (he wrote the music)
• "I Awake" (he wrote the music)
• "No Wrong No Right" (he wrote the music)

Truly: An Independent Band

In 1991, Hiro Yamamoto formed a new band called Truly. It was an indie (independent) rock band with three members. The other members were Mark Pickerel, who was the drummer for Screaming Trees, and singer Robert Roth.

Truly released two studio albums and a collection of unreleased songs. The band stopped playing together in 2000 but reunited in 2008.

Stereo Donkey: Surf-Inspired Music

Stereo Donkey practicing in 2016. They often use the unique sound of the old church where they record.

After a fun jam session in 2016, Hiro Yamamoto started another band called Stereo Donkey. This trio plays music inspired by surf rock. The other members are drummer Mike Bajuk and guitarist Pat Wickline.

In November 2018, the band released their first EP, also called Stereo Donkey. It has six songs and was recorded in an old church where Pat Wickline lives. Pat says the room itself is like a "fourth member of the band" because of its unique sound. Their music mixes surf rock and exotica, but it still has roots in the rock music history of the Pacific Northwest.

Other Performances

On November 8, 2021, Hiro Yamamoto performed at a special event in Seattle. This event honored the Asian Hall of Fame's new members and celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Robert Chinn Foundation. Other famous musicians like Jeff Kashiwa, Krist Novoselic, Ed Roth, and Danny Seraphine also performed.

Discography

Soundgarden Albums

• Screaming Life (EP)
• Fopp (EP)
• Ultramega OK
• Flower (single)
• Louder Than Love
• Loudest Love (EP)

Truly Albums

• Heart and Lungs (EP) – 1991
• Fast Stories... from Kid Coma – 1995
• Feeling You Up – 1997
• Subject to Change: Artists for a Hate-Free America – 1997 (a compilation album)
• Twilight Curtains – 2000

Stereo Donkey Albums

• Stereo Donkey (EP) – 2018

See also

In Spanish: Hiro Yamamoto para niños