VIDEO: Chris Cornell pays tribute to Whitney Houston at Obama fundraiser

Cornell sends his best to Whitney Houston
Cornell sends his best to Whitney Houston (Image credit: Brian Patterson/Corbis)

Last night (16 February), Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston with a stirring rendition of I Will Always Love You at a fundraiser for President Barack Obama in San Francisco.

During his performance, Cornell also performed Bob Marley's Redemption Song: a couple of numbers from his ex-band Audioslave, Ground Zero and Wide Awake; John Lennon's Imagine; and Nick Lowe's (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding.

But it was with his finale that Cornell truly floored the audience, belting out the Dolly Parton-penned song that Houston turned into a classic when she sang it in the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

Cornell and Soundgarden recently completed a tour of Australia. The band, reunited two years ago, is currently working on a new studio album, their first studio effort since 1996's Down On The Upside.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.