Happy birthday to the man, the god, the four-octave scream that opened the floodgates for a wave of angry kids straight into the heart of the mainstream, changing music history and the lives of many, me included. 

Chris Cornell was born on July 20, 1964, in Seattle as Christopher John Boyle and by the time he was done with this earth he had somehow fronted Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog and had a solo career. If it wasn’t all so amazing I would say it’s too much.

I’m going to say something today and I need you to sit down for it. Chris Cornell is the greatest grunge artist who ever lived. Not «one of the greatest.» The greatest. I know Kurt gets the poetry credit and Eddie gets the «guy your dad respects» energy but neither could hit the notes Cornell hit on «Face Pollution,» «Outshined,» or «Cochise»without their vocal cords filing a restraining order. Layne is up there with him, though.

This isn’t a hot take. This is a cold hard fact served with a side of «fight me!»