10 Musicians Who Decided To Quit Huge Bands
3. Hiro Yammamoto - Soundgarden
Out of all the grunge bands that were emerging in the early ‘90s, Soundgarden seemed to be the one most poised for stardom. Starting off as a punk-tinged rock band, the amazing shrieks of Chris Cornell gave the band an added depth that was able to cross over to the hard rock crowd. All signs seemed to point towards the top, but the thought of making millions was a little too much for Hiro Yamamoto.
Originally joining the band with guitarist Kim Thayil, Yamamoto came onto the project wanting to play the more dissonant punk sounds that other Seattle bands like Mudhoney and Skin Yard were doing. Though things seemed to be perfectly balanced on the band’s debut Ultramega Ok, Louder Than Love’s move toward more metallic passages led Yamamoto to question his place in the band.
By the time the band was ready to do promotion for the record, Yamamoto announced that he would be leaving the band to pursue other interests. After a brief stint with former Nirvana guitarist Jason Everman, Soundgarden finally found their groove once Ben Shepherd came into the picture. Yamamoto may be considered crazy for turning down the gig of a lifetime, but sometimes the idea of going for broke doesn’t sit well with everyone.