Kim Thayil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kim Thayil
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Thayil performing with MC50 in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kim Anand Thayil |
| Born | September 4, 1960 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
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| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Kim Thayil, born on September 4, 1960, is an American musician. He is famous for being the lead guitarist of the rock band Soundgarden. He helped start Soundgarden in Seattle in 1984 with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell were the only original members who stayed with the band until Chris Cornell's passing in 2017. Soundgarden then stopped playing together in 2018.
Kim Thayil is known as a very talented guitarist. Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the top 100 guitarists of all time in 2010. SPIN magazine also listed him as one of the greatest guitarists in 2012. As a member of Soundgarden, Kim Thayil won two Grammy Awards.
Contents
About Kim Thayil
Early Life and Music
Kim Thayil was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1960. He grew up in a town called Park Forest near Chicago. His parents came from Kerala, India, to Seattle. His mother was a music teacher who studied to be a concert pianist. His father was a chemical engineer.
Kim started writing song lyrics when he was 12 years old. In 1977, he formed his first band in Chicago, called Bozo and the Pinheads. This was a punk rock band. They played their own songs, which Kim wrote, and also covered songs by bands like the Sex Pistols and Ramones. Their first show was at a school talent show for about 500 people.
In 1980, he played guitar in a band called Identity Crisis. They released a small record called Pretty Feet.
Moving to Seattle
Kim Thayil met Hiro Yamamoto in high school. After graduating, they planned to go to college in Olympia, Washington. However, they could not find jobs there, so they moved to Seattle instead. In Seattle, Kim worked as a DJ for a radio station called KCMU. He also earned a degree in philosophy from the University of Washington. In Seattle, Kim and Hiro met Chris Cornell, who was their roommate. The three of them formed Soundgarden in 1984.
Soundgarden's Success
Soundgarden was the first grunge band from Seattle to sign with a major record company, A&M Records. They released five albums, and three of them sold millions of copies. The band also won two Grammy Awards.
Kim Thayil became famous for his guitar playing. He was known for his heavy guitar riffs. Many people said he helped create the "Seattle Sound" and influenced other grunge guitarists. In 1994, Kim said he felt good about his guitar playing. He believed not many other people could play the guitar like him.
Kim helped write many songs for Soundgarden, especially in the early days. Later, all four band members started writing their own parts. Kim wrote the song "Never the Machine Forever" by himself for the album Down on the Upside.
Here are some of the songs Kim Thayil helped write for Soundgarden:
- "Hunted Down"
- "Nothing to Say"
- "Tears To Forget"
- "Little Joe"
- "Hand of God"
- "Kingdom of Come"
- "Flower"
- "All Your Lies"
- "Circle of Power"
- "Incessant Mace"
- "Hands All Over"
- "Get on the Snake"
- "Heretic"
- "Jesus Christ Pose"
- "Room a Thousand Years Wide"
- "New Damage"
- "My Wave"
- "Superunknown"
- "Limo Wreck"
- "Kickstand"
- "Never the Machine Forever"
- "Black Rain"
- "Non-State Actor"
- "By Crooked Steps"
- "A Thousand Days Before"
- "Blood on the Valley Floor"
After Soundgarden (1997–2010)
After Soundgarden broke up in 1997, Kim Thayil worked on other music projects. He played guitar for artists like Pigeonhed and Presidents of the United States of America. He also played on a song called "Blood Swamp" for the band Sunn O))) and Boris in 2006.
In 1999, Kim formed a punk band called the No WTO Combo. He played with Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys and Krist Novoselic from Nirvana. They formed the band to support protests against a big meeting in Seattle in 1999. Their show was recorded and released as an album called Live from the Battle in Seattle in 2000.
In 2004, Kim Thayil played guitar for Probot, a heavy metal project by Dave Grohl. He was featured on two songs, "Ice Cold Man" and "Sweet Dreams."
In 2009, Kim played with Soundgarden's Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd at a show in Seattle. This was the first time they had played together in public since Soundgarden broke up. They played three Soundgarden songs.
Soundgarden Reunion (2010–2017)
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On January 1, 2010, it was announced that Soundgarden was getting back together. On April 15, 2010, they played their first show since 1997 in Seattle. They used the name 'Nudedragons' for this show.
On August 5, 2010, the band played their first reunion show as Soundgarden in Chicago. A few days later, they were the main band at the Lollapalooza music festival.
In September 2010, the band released a collection of songs called Telephantasm. In November 2012, they released a new studio album called King Animal. This was their first new album since 1996.
In 2012, Kim Thayil also lent his voice to a character in an episode of the TV show Metalocalypse.
On May 18, 2017, Chris Cornell passed away. This led to the band stopping their tour. Soundgarden officially disbanded again in 2018. They did play one special tribute show for Chris Cornell in January 2019.
Other Projects (2018–Present)
In March 2018, Kim Thayil joined a tour with Wayne Kramer from the band MC5. They celebrated the 50th anniversary of MC5's first album. Kim played guitar on this tour.
In 2020, Kim played guitar solos on a song called "The Firebird" for the Barrett Martin Group. In 2021, he played lead guitar on a song called "Only Love Can Save Me Now" for The Pretty Reckless. The singer, Taylor Momsen, said that Kim's playing was amazing and that he is a "master." Also in 2021, Kim appeared on Mastodon's album Hushed and Grim, playing lead guitar on the song "Had It All."
In 2021, Kim Thayil, along with drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Krist Novoselic, formed a new group called 3rd Secret. They released their first album in April 2022. They also performed at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. Their second album, The 2nd 3rd Secret, was released in 2023.
In 2024, Kim Thayil was featured on an album called "The Singularity" by Bear McCreary.
Discography
Soundgarden
No WTO Combo
- Live from the Battle in Seattle (2000)
Probot
- Probot (2004)
Sunn O))) and Boris
- Altar (2006)
3rd Secret
- 3rd Secret (2022)
- The 2nd 3rd Secret (2023)
See also
In Spanish: Kim Thayil para niños
