Nirvana

Nirvana was an American grunge band founded in Aberdeen, Washington in the mid 80s by lead guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic. After going through a succession of drummers, Cobain and Novoselic were introduced to Dave Grohl, former drummer of the D.C. punk band Scream. Nirvana signed to DGC records in 1990 and began recording its first major label album Nevermind. The bands first single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a huge hit and led to Nirvana's burst into fame. In January of 1992 Nevermind was number one on the Billboard album charts. After the bands Pacific Rim tour, Cobain married Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. The band did not undertake another tour in support of Nevermind, however they did play at the Reading Festival in England and at the MTV music awards. In 1992 they released Incesticide, a collection of rare recordings and B-sides. In 1993 Nirvana began recording In Utero. They brought in Steve Albini ,famous for his work with The Pixies, because they wanted a more raw and less polished sound. In Utero was released in september of 1993. A journalist writing a review of the album said "Despite the fears of some alternative-music fans, Nirvana hasn't gone mainstream, though this potent new album may once again force the mainstream to go Nirvana." Though it's sucess was not as widespread as Nevermind, it quickly rose to the top of the Billboard album charts. The band went on a tour of the U.S. over the fall. In November 1993, Nirvana taped a live acoustic appearance on MTV Unplugged. In early 1994 the band went on a European tour. Cobain's heroin addiction became a problem and an intervention was organized. Kurt checked himself into rehab, but left less then a week later. On April 8, 1994 Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home, by an apparently self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. There is much evidence to prove otherwise, however the final police report labeled it as a suicide. Many websites have been founded to bring "Justice for Kurt." After Cobain's death the band was effectivly dissolved. Grohl and Novoselic both remain musically active figures. Dave Grohl went on to found the popular band Foo Fighters, as a frontman rather then a drummer. Novoselic went through a number of bands and is now retired. He wrote a book titled Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy. Nirvana is one of the few bands to actually grow fame after it's end. To date they have sold over fifty million albums worldwide and the remain a consistent presence on radio stations. They brought the Grunge genre into mainstream allowing bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden to follow in thier footsteps. They were the spokesmen of an entire generation and will forever be famous.