Nirvana

Nirvana were a rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987 by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, with drummer Dave Grohl joining in 1990. The most important band of the 1990s alternative rock explosion, they brought independent rock's values — noise, rawness, DIY aesthetics, a deep ambivalence about commercial success — to the centre of mainstream culture, permanently altering the landscape of popular music. Having released debut album *Bleach* (1989) on Sub Pop Records for a reported $606, they signed to DGC Records and released *Nevermind* (1991), produced by Butch Vig. The album's opening track 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' — a churning, dynamic song built on a four-chord riff and Cobain's explosive dynamic shifts — became the unlikely anthem of Generation X and one of the most important rock songs ever recorded. *Nevermind* knocked Michael Jackson from the number one position and sold over 30 million copies worldwide, single-handedly bringing alternative rock into the mainstream. *In Utero* (1993), produced by Steve Albini and deliberately abrasive in response to *Nevermind*'s commercial success, was Cobain's most honest artistic statement — raw, uncomfortable, and impossible to market, yet still reaching number one. *MTV Unplugged In New York* (1994), recorded shortly before Cobain's death, became one of the most haunting live albums in rock history. Cobain's death by suicide in April 1994, at 27, ended the band and turned him into one of rock's most mythologised figures. Grohl went on to found Foo Fighters; Novoselic remained active in music and politics. Nirvana's influence on alternative rock, their role in the grunge movement, and Cobain's status as a cultural Icon have ensured their place in rock history alongside the Beatles and Rolling Stones.