Peter Cornell (singer)

Peter Cornell ( Boyle; born April 19, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.

Peter Cornell
Cornell in 2021.
Born
Peter Boyle

(1961-04-19) April 19, 1961 (age 63)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Years active1993–present
RelativesChris Cornell (brother)
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Formerly ofInflatable Soule, Somnambulist, Black Market Radio

Biography

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Cornell was born Peter Boyle on April 19, 1961, in Seattle, Washington, where he was raised. His parents are Edward F. Boyle,[1] a pharmacist of Irish Catholic descent,[2][3] and Karen Cornell,[1][3] an accountant of Jewish background and self-proclaimed psychic.[4][2][5][6]

Cornell was one of six children; he had two brothers and three younger sisters. He was musician Chris Cornell's older brother. After his parents' divorce when he was a teenager, he and his siblings adopted their mother's maiden name, Cornell, as their surname.[5][7] With his brother Chris, he listened to The Beatles, The Who, The Guess Who, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. "We both listened to the Beatles and Zepp. I think he liked Rush more and I was a Bowie fan."[8] At the age of 20 he learned to play guitar. "I had desire to learn how to write a song [...]. I learned every Beatles song I could."[9]

In the nineties, he sang with his sisters Suzy (percussion/vocals) and Katy (flute/vocals) Cornell in a band called Inflatable Soule; the band was managed by Chris' wife Susan Silver (Soundgarden, Alice in Chains).[10][11][12] In 2001 he moved to New York City. With bassist Keith Mannino, he created hard rock band Black Market Radio. "When I wrote BMR I listened to only three things; The Complete Zepp catalogue, the first Cars record, and Alice Cooper's greatest hits."[9]

In 2014, he released his first solo album Champion, featuring Pearl Jam's drummer Dave Abbruzzese on drums. For this bluesy rock album he "listened to a ton of Curtis Mayfield (didn't influence the sound of my record) Chris Cornell's solo records, Alain Johannes, STP, and all things Zepp [...]. I built my own studio and wrote and played everything myself (except for drums which came later)."[9] Two songs appeared in The Vampire Diaries: "Madman" (episode 19, season 6) and "Wash" (episode 4, season 8).[13][14]

After the death of his brother Chris in 2017, Peter Cornell started a campaign to raise awareness on depression and suicide prevention.[15]

In 2021, he co-wrote, with Kevin Martin, the single "Let Me Down Easy" and produced the acoustic version of the song "Riptide" for Candlebox's new album "Wolves".[16][17][18] He became an entrepreneur and opened the Cornell Brothers Coffee Espresso Bar in Nolensville, Tennessee, in memory of his late grandfather and three uncles.[19][20]

Personal life

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Cornell is married to veteran music industry executive and former Soundgarden manager Amy Decker.[21]

Discography

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Inflatable Soule

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  • 1993: Inflatable Soule
  • 1994: So Sad
  • 1996: Golden Boy

Somnambulist

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  • 2001: The Paranormal Humidor

Black Market Radio

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  • 2006: Suicide Parlour
  • 2007: Better than a Killer

Solo

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  • 1998: Grace, EP[22]
  • 2014: Champion

Collaboration

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References

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  1. ^ a b "King County Marriage Records, 1855-Present - Edward F Boyle - Karen R Cornell". Washington State Archives - Digital Archives. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Paula Ann Mitchell (November 7, 2013). "Chris Cornell to play at UPAC in Kingston". The Daily Freeman. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Chris Cornell Biography (1964–2017)". biography.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "Chris Cornell on the Howard Stern Show 6-12-07 (1/6)". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Chris Cornell, who helped reignite hard rock in the 1990s with Soundgarden, dies at 52". Los Angeles Times. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Medium with a Message". Seattle Weekly. October 6, 2006. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  7. ^ "Chris Cornell obituary". The Guardian. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  8. ^ Peter Cornell, lets get to know him better, music.festival.gr, 2013, retrieved September 18, 2020
  9. ^ a b c Peter Cornell, maximumink.com, October 2014, retrieved September 18, 2020
  10. ^ Inflatable Soule Is Band That Is On Its Way Up, archive.seattletimes.com, August 19, 1994, retrieved September 18, 2020
  11. ^ Chris Cornell With His Sisters Will Melt Your Heart, And Their Voices Will Blow You Away, alternativenation, June 16, 2017, retrieved September 18, 2020
  12. ^ Unsigned, Inflatable Soule Happy To Be Going On Its First Tour, spokesman.com, October 6, 1955, retrieved September 18, 2020
  13. ^ The Vampire Diaries - S6E19 Soundtrack, what-song, retrieved October 28, 2020
  14. ^ The Vampire Diaries - S8E4 Soundtrack, what-song, retrieved October 28, 2020
  15. '^ Chris Cornell's Brother Is Being 'Threatened' And 'Bullied, alternativenation, June 27, 2017, retrieved September 18, 2020
  16. ^ INTERVIEW: Candlebox's 'Wolves' has a little bit of everything, hollywoodsoapbox.com, September 9, 2020, retrieved September 18, 2021
  17. ^ PETER CORNELL & CHRIS CORNELL'S TOURING CELLIST REUNITE FOR CANDLEBOX SONG, bravewords.com, September 2, 2021
  18. ^ Candlebox Unplug For 'Riptide' With Chris Cornell's Brother Peter, antimusic.com, November 20, 2021
  19. ^ Bringin' it Backwards: Interview with Peter Cornell, americansongwriter.com, September 18, 2021
  20. ^ New coffee bar, Cornell Brothers, gives Nolensville drink snobs and novices a new taste, eu.tennessean.com, September 18, 2021
  21. ^ Blistein, Jon (August 28, 2019). "Soundgarden Lawyer Shrugs Off UMG's Request for Band to Drop Vault Fire Lawsuit". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  22. ^ GRACE featuring peter cornell EP (drums & arrangements) Seattle, WA 1998, reverbnation.com, retrieved April 15, 2021
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