Kurt Cobain
Nirvana – The voice of Generation X
Origins and Early Years
Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington State. Affected by his parents’ divorce at the age of 9, he turned to punk music and heavy metal. He formed Nirvana in 1987 with Krist Novoselic.
Nevermind and the Grunge Revolution
The debut album, Bleach (1989), was released on the independent label Sub Pop. Nevermind (1991) and its single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” dethroned Michael Jackson from the top of the charts and changed the course of popular music. The album sold more than 30 million copies.
In Utero (1993), more raw and abrasive, confirmed Cobain’s artistic vision.
The success of Nevermind was completely unexpected: the label DGC initially expected to sell 250,000 copies. In January 1992, the album knocked Michael Jackson’s Dangerous off the top of the Billboard chart. This meteoric rise turned alternative rock into a mass phenomenon and marked the end of the hair metal era. Kurt Cobain, deeply uncomfortable with fame, experienced this exposure as torture.
Death and Legacy
Kurt Cobain died by suicide on April 5, 1994 in Seattle, at the age of 27. A member of the “27 Club”, he remains one of the most influential figures in rock history. Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Iconic Guitars
Kurt Cobain is associated with the Fender Mustang, the left-handed Fender Jaguar, and a Martin D-18E acoustic guitar made famous by the 1993 MTV Unplugged performance.
