Tuesday, September 20: Rock Birthdays

Happy Birthday today (Sept. 20) to Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd. He's 48. Other rockers celebrating include Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt (50) and Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo (68).

Ben Shepherd has been the bassist for Seattle rock band Soungarden since 1990. Chris Cornell formed Soundgarden out of Seattle, Washington in 1984 with guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Drummer Matt Cameron joined the band in 1986, and in 1990 bassist Ben Shepherd became the band's permanent bassist. Soundgarden's biggest success came in 1994 with the album Superunknown and the hits “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoon Man”. The album Down on the Upside followed in 1996 and then the band broke up the following year. They reunited in 2010 and released the album King Animal in 2012. The band returned to the road for some touring and as of 2016, they are writing material for a new album.

For more on Soundgarden, check out the official band website here.