Nancy Wilson Unearths Video of Chris Cornell Covering ‘Wild Horses’ to Mark His 60th Birthday
Heart’s Nancy Wilson unearthed a never-seen video of Chris Cornell covering the Rolling Stones in 1991 to mark what would have been the Soundgarden singer’s 60th birthday Saturday.
Wilson shared the VHS-quality video on social media Saturday, noting that the performance of “Wild Horses” occurred on September 22, 1991 during a Seattle concert by the Heart acoustic side project the Lovemongers, whose rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle of Evermore” appears with Cornell’s “Seasons” on the Singles soundtrack released the next year.
“Found a gem of a Lovemongers 90s rarity when Chris Cornell joined us on stage to sing Wild Horses in honor of Layne Staley,” Wilson wrote in the caption, adding that the performance was dedicated to Alice in Chains singer and fellow Seattleite.
As Ann Wilson while introducing Cornell to the stage, Soundgarden was on the verge of serving as Guns N’ Roses’ opening act on that band’s Use Your Illusion Tour that year; just weeks after the Lovemongers performance, Soundgarden also released their breakthrough album Badmotorfinger.
Two decades later, Cornell would reunite with the Wilson sisters onstage as he inducted Heart into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 2013 ceremony.
Cornell’s widow Vicky also shared a tribute to her late husband Saturday on social media accompanied by a snippet of the singer’s still-unreleased rendition of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”
“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 Cornell wrote.
“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. 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!!!”