Chris Cornell‘s wife Vicky has shared a clip of the late singer covering Tracy Chapman‘s ‘Fast Car’ on what would have been the Soundgarden frontman’s 60th birthday.
Yesterday (July 20), Vicky Cornell took to Instagram to share a snippet of Cornell covering Chapman’s 1988 hit, alongside a montage of candid videos of him through the years, and a written tribute.
“Chris would have turned 60 today. Although everyone that loved him is sad that he’s no longer here, it’s all of you, the fans who made him, whose love has continued to keep his legacy alive. I’m so grateful to you all for that,” Vicky wrote.
She continued: “While I remember him best as the wonderful husband, father and human being he was – I’d like to celebrate his whole life and everything he gave us. On his 60th we can all celebrate his genius as an artist who redefined music, but also the incredible man who touched and changed lives.”
Vicky also teased that the track may receive a formal release, writing: “He’s an icon, and he gave us all so much – his unique voice, his poetry, his creativity… his life was a gift to so many. And as you can hear – there’s more to come!!!”
She added: “Sharing this to thank you all for your love and support and come together in celebrating. We love you Chris – happy birthday!”
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In 2021, the Chris Cornell estate released ‘No One Sings Like You Anymore: Volume One’, a collection of cover songs handpicked by the late Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman and sequenced to celebrate artists and songs that inspired him.
At the time, Vicky revealed that there was still a lot of music remaining in the vault and that there were plans to release a second volume.
The first volume of ‘No One Sings Like You Anymore’ was recorded in 2016 – a year before Cornell’s death – and features renditions of songs by John Lennon, Prince, Harry Nilsson, Janis Joplin and more.
It also featured a cover of Guns N’ Roses‘ ‘Patience’, which earned Cornell his first ever solo Billboard Number One.
As of November last year, a dispute between Soundgarden and Cornell’s estate was still ongoing. Earlier in 2023, the band and Vicky shared that they had settled their long-standing legal dispute and would be releasing the band’s final recordings. They released a joint statement that said they had “reached an amicable out-of-court resolution”.
It added: “The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on.”
However, while appearing as a guest on The Vinyl Guide podcast in November, Matt Cameron, Soundgarden’s drummer, revealed that the band are still dealing with Cornell’s estate and that the chances of the band releasing the final songs with him on them are slim.
“We’re still in the middle of a dispute with the estate,” he said. “Everything is on hold right now. As of right now, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen next year. Hopefully soon. I’m not giving up hope.”
In February, Chapman‘s ‘Fast Car’ saw a 241 per cent increase in streams after her Grammys performance with country singer Luke Combs. Combs had given the track a modern resurgence after he released a cover version in 2023.