1. Cornell and Thayil remained as the original members of the band until Cornell's death in 2017, and the band's subsequent split in 2018.
15 Facts About Kim Thayil
1. 2.
Kim Thayil was named the 100th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2010, and the 67th greatest guitarist of all time by SPIN in 2012.
3.
Kim Thayil has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden.
4.
Kim Thayil's parents came from the state of Kerala in India to Seattle.
5.
Kim Thayil's mother was a music teacher who studied to be a concert pianist at the Royal Academy of Music.
6.
Kim Thayil's father earned a degree in chemical engineering, received employment in Chicago and moved there with his family.
7.
Kim Thayil played guitar in a post-punk band called Identity Crisis in 1980 and released a 7-inch EP called Pretty Feet.
8.
Kim Thayil met Hiro Yamamoto at Rich East High School in Park Forest.
9.
Kim Thayil graduated, along with Hiro Yamamoto, from the Active Learning Process School at Rich East High School in 1979, the same school Bruce Pavitt graduated from two years earlier, in 1977.
10.
Kim Thayil joined singer Johnny Cash, bassist Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and drummer Sean Kinney of Alice in Chains for a cover of Willie Nelson's "Time of the Preacher", featured on the tribute album Twisted Willie, released in January 1996.
11.
In 1999, Kim Thayil formed a punk band, the No WTO Combo, with Jello Biafra, Krist Novoselic, and Gina Mainwal.
12.
In 2004, Kim Thayil played guitar for Probot, Dave Grohl's heavy metal side-project; he was featured on the songs "Ice Cold Man" and "Sweet Dreams".
13.
In 2012, Kim Thayil voiced a character in Season IV: Church of the Black Klok's "Dethcamp" in the Adult Swim original series Metalocalypse.
14.
In 2020, Kim Thayil played guitar solos on the song "The Firebird" for the jazz fusion band, the Barret Martin Group.
15.
In 2021, Kim Thayil appeared on Mastodon's double album Hushed and Grim, playing lead guitar on the track "Had It All".