SOUNDGARDEN
MISCELLANY

SUSAN SILVER

"I'm sure I've been the butt of a lot of sexist jokes, especially since I got involved with major labels, being a woman with no experience, living in Seattle, managing her boyfriend's band. It was prime material for jokes, but I didn't get in the middle of those sort of cocktail conversations or listen to that whispering. I was up here with my dream that people would care about what Seattle has to offer musically."

Susan Silver was both Soundgarden's manager and the wife of lead singer Chris Cornell. She began her managing career in 1983 with the legendary U-Men. Soon after, she was also in charge of First Thought. During this time Silver kept a regular job, since promoting bands wasn't a way to earn a living.

In 1985, she met Soundgarden -- she began working with them in 1986. At this time, Silver was also managing Screaming Trees, which she did for three years, and in 1988, met Kelly Curtis. At the time, Curtis and his friend Ken ran a production company. Ken managed Alice In Chains, and when Curtis got interested in working with Mother Love Bone, he decided he didn't want to manage them any more. Silver and Curtis became Alice In Chains' co-managers. Silver is still AIC's manager; Curtis now manages Pearl Jam.

In 1990, Silver married Chris Cornell. The couple managed to avoid the media scrutiny typically applied to celebrity relationships, with their marriage rarely mentioned in the context of their professional relationship. Silver and Cornell were divorced in 2003.

Silver retired in 1998, closing her longtime Seattle office and moving a scaled-down personnel roster a few miles away, where it continues to run the Soundgarden Fan Club, among other things.

Related Articles:
Rip, January 1996
Zen and the Art of Silver Management

Related Images:
Rolling Stone, with Soundgarden (6/16/94) [JPG: 58,659]
Los Angeles Times (8/28/94) [JPG: 5,123]
Request, with Chris Cornell (10/94) [JPG: 52,403]
RIP Magazine (1/96) [JPG: 63,019]
RIP Magazine, with Alice in Chains (1/96) [JPG: 86,006]
Barcelona, Spain, 9/21/96 (photo by Vikki Anselmo) [JPG: 11,888]