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Hiro Yamamoto (born April 13, 1961) is an American bassist who was a founding member of grunge band Soundgarden, along with
Kim Thayil Kim Anand Thayil (born September 4, 1960) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he co-founded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984. Cornell and Thayil ...
and
Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...
in 1984. He left the band in 1989, and two years later, he started the
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...
rock band Truly together with Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel and Robert Roth from The Storybook Krooks. In 2016, Yamamoto co-founded the surf trio Stereo Donkey.


Soundgarden

Hiro Yamamoto ( ja, 山本 紘; ''Yamamoto Hiro'') was the founding bassist of Soundgarden. He performed with Cornell, Thayil, and
drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...
Scott Sundquist Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...
on the Deep Six compilation, and performed with Cornell, Thayil, and drummer
Matt Cameron Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each o ...
on the EPs ''
Screaming Life ''Screaming Life'' is the debut EP by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in October 1987 through Sub Pop Records. ''Screaming Life'' was later combined with the band's next EP, '' Fopp'' (1988), and released as the '' Screaming Life/Fop ...
'', ''
Fopp Fopp may refer to: * "Fopp" (song), a 1975 song by the Ohio Players from ''Honey'' * ''Fopp'' (EP), a 1988 EP by Soundgarden, featuring the song of the same name * '' Screaming Life/Fopp'', a 1990 compilation album by the American rock band Sound ...
'', and '' Loudest Love'', as well as on the albums ''
Ultramega OK ''Ultramega OK'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 by SST Records. Following the release of the EPs '' Screaming Life'' (1987) and '' Fopp'' (1988), both for the Sub Pop record label, Sound ...
'' and ''
Louder Than Love ''Louder Than Love'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on September 5, 1989, by A&M Records. After touring in support of their debut album, '' Ultramega OK'' (1988), Soundgarden ...
''. He departed the band following the spring 1989 European tour.
Jason Everman Jason Mark Everman (born October 16, 1967) is an American musician and soldier who played guitar with Nirvana and Mind Funk, and bass in Soundgarden and OLD. He later served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan with the U.S. Army as an Army Ra ...
(formerly of
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
) replaced him on the bass briefly, after which
Ben Shepherd Hunter Benedict Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Soundgarden from 1990 to 2019. Shepherd has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden. Early life Shepherd was bor ...
became the permanent bassist. After Yamamoto departed, he completed the requirements for his master's degree in
physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistica ...
at
Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a pri ...
. He is currently the Chief of
Organic Chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J ...
at Edge Analytical in
Burlington, Washington Burlington is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. Its population was recorded as 9,152 in the 2020 census. Burlington is located approximately halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. The city is included in the Mount Verno ...
. As did Cornell, Thayil, Cameron, and Shepherd, Yamamoto actively wrote songs for the band: * "Heretic" (first version on ''Deep Six,'' second on ''Loudest Love'') ... lyrics * "Tears to Forget" (first version on ''Deep Six,'' second on ''Screaming Life'') music (co-written) * "All Your Lies" (first version on ''Deep Six,'' second on ''Ultramega OK'') music (co-written) * "Kingdom of Come" (''Fopp'') credited to Soundgarden * "665" (''Ultramega OK'') music * "667" (''Ultramega OK'') music * "Circle of Power" (''Ultramega OK'') lyrics, vocals * "Nazi Driver" (''Ultramega OK'') music * "Toy Box" (''Flower'') lyrics, music (co-written) * "Power Trip" (''Louder Than Love'') music * "I Awake" (''Louder Than Love'') ... music * "No Wrong No Right" (''Louder Than Love'') ... music


Truly

In 1991, Yamamoto formed a three-piece indie band, Truly; the other members were former Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel and singer Robert Roth. Truly released two studio albums and a compilation of unreleased material before breaking up in 2000. The band reunited in 2008.


Stereo Donkey

Following a successful 2016 jam session, Yamamoto formed a surf-inspired trio, Stereo Donkey, with drummer Mike Bajuk, and guitarist Pat Wickline. Unlike most surf music, which tends to feature either the guitar or the drums, Stereo Donkey emphasizes all three instruments- with Yamamoto's bass providing a fresh, melodic sound. In November 2018, the band released an eponymous six-track EP, recorded in the old church that Wickline lives in. According to Wickline, “'The room is a fourth member of the band.'” The recording reportedly works as both surf music and exotica, yet is still rooted in, "Pacific Northwest rock history."


Other Performance

On November 8, 2021, Yamamoto performed with other noted musicians at an event in Seattle honoring th
Asian Hall of Fame's
2021 inductees, and the 35th anniversary of th
Robert Chinn Foundation
The other performers included
Jeff Kashiwa Jeff Kashiwa (born 1963) is saxophonist with the jazz fusion band the Rippingtons and one of three with the Sax Pack, as well as having recorded several albums under his own name. Life and career Jeff Kashiwa was born in 1963 in Louisville, Kent ...
,
Krist Novoselic Krist Anthony Novoselic (; ; born May 16, 1965) is an American musician and activist. He was the bassist and co-founder of the rock band Nirvana. Novoselic and Kurt Cobain formed the band Nirvana in 1987 along with drummer Aaron Burckhard, wh ...
, Ed Roth, and
Danny Seraphine Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from ...
.


Discography

;Soundgarden * ''
Screaming Life ''Screaming Life'' is the debut EP by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in October 1987 through Sub Pop Records. ''Screaming Life'' was later combined with the band's next EP, '' Fopp'' (1988), and released as the '' Screaming Life/Fop ...
'' (EP) * ''
Fopp Fopp may refer to: * "Fopp" (song), a 1975 song by the Ohio Players from ''Honey'' * ''Fopp'' (EP), a 1988 EP by Soundgarden, featuring the song of the same name * '' Screaming Life/Fopp'', a 1990 compilation album by the American rock band Sound ...
'' (EP) * ''
Ultramega OK ''Ultramega OK'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 by SST Records. Following the release of the EPs '' Screaming Life'' (1987) and '' Fopp'' (1988), both for the Sub Pop record label, Sound ...
'' * ''Flower'' (single) * ''
Louder Than Love ''Louder Than Love'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on September 5, 1989, by A&M Records. After touring in support of their debut album, '' Ultramega OK'' (1988), Soundgarden ...
'' * '' Loudest Love'' (EP) ;Truly * ''
Heart and Lungs ''Heart and Lungs'' is an EP by the American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places U ...
'' (EP) – 1991 * '' Fast Stories... from Kid Coma'' – 1995 * ''
Feeling You Up ''Feeling You Up'' is the second and most recent studio album to date by the American rock band Truly, recorded from 1995 to 1997 and released November 1997 on 12" vinyl and CD. "It's On Your Face" was used in its entirety in Francis Ford Cop ...
'' – 1997 * ''Subject to Change: Artists for a Hate-Free America'' – 1997 compilation * ''
Twilight Curtains ''Twilight Curtains'' is a rarities compilation album by Truly. It was released only in the UK, on May 22, 2000. Track listing # "Twilight Curtains" - 4:41 # "Leatherette Tears II" - 3:31 # "Aliens on Alcohol" - 4:51 # "Wait Til' the Night" - 4 ...
'' – 2000 ;Stereo Donkey *''Stereo Donkey'' (EP) – 2018


References


External links

* Officia
Stereo Donkey
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamamoto, Hiro 1961 births American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Grunge musicians American musicians of Japanese descent Living people Musicians from Seattle Soundgarden members Truly members Japanese-American instrumentalists Western Washington University alumni American alternative rock musicians Alternative rock bass guitarists Alternative metal bass guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Surf music Exotica