Kurt Donald Cobain
The subject of this writing, is on a man who changed music; a man on the level of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. This individual is Kurt Donald Cobain from the revolutionary grunge/rock band, Nirvana. While some people would never consider Cobain to hold a major role in the shaping of our music and culture today, they haven’t taken the time to look around. Many people overlook the fact that music played a huge role in the lives of Americans during the 90’s. Someday history books will probably even make note of the influence this rocker had on the decade.
Kurt Cobain was born February 20, 1967 in a small town near Seattle, Washington. His family soon-after moved to Aberdeen, Washington. This
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The two jumped in and out of bands and eventually went on to form Nirvana. Even before Kurt found Krist, he tried out for the band The Melvins, but was unsuccessful. Interestingly enough, The Melvins were a big inspiration to all members of the later formed Nirvana. (Kurt Cobain Page)
Nirvana was first created in 1986, but didn’t reach its final form until 1988. They went through a variety of drummers until they stumbled upon Dave Grohl, an Ohio native. They played the local scene until 1989 when they were able to record their first CD, “Bleach” on the tiny Sub-Pop Records. The real flood and change of music came when they released the 1991 smash success “Nevermind” on Geffen Records. With the powerful opening song/single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Nirvana and Kurt were able to take the nation by storm. (The Kurt Cobain Memorial)
The energy and rebellion caught everyone’s attention and has since sold over 10 million copies making it one of the most successful albums ever. The album made the band instant millionaires. The public frenzy and grueling tours that ensued led to extreme troubles for Kurt. He soon became very involved in heroin use to battle the tension and physical problems caused by it. The pressure did benefit him in the fact that it helped him to craft ideas for new music. One event that added greatly to the stress on him involved his song “Polly.” The song was supposed to be a very powerful anti-rape song, but
Although they only had seven years together as a band, Nirvana is thought of as one of the most influential bands of all time. Before Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, the band only recorded three studio albums, Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utereo. Combined, their estimated total record sales are over 75 million worldwide, with Nevermind and In Utereo reaching Diamond status. Nirvana solidified their place in rock history by bringing alternative rock to the mainstream, expressing raw emotion in their music that had never been heard before and probably not since. (“Nirvana
Kurt didn’t drink alcohol and he didn’t use Rohypnol also known as “roofies, the date rape drug”. On March 4, 1994 he was in Rome and on the verge of leaving Courtney and the Tour his band was on he was suddenly hospitalized with these substances in his system. Mike DeWitt “Cobain’s male nanny” and Courtney were also in his hotel room. Kurt survived and brought the fact it wasn’t a suicide attempt. Dr. Galetta who treated him agreed it was an accident. Courtney had a prescription to Rohypnol. When abused they cause amnesia so Kurt didn’t remember the whole ordeal.
Kurt Cobain; one of the most famous and influential musicians in the history of rock and roll - more specifically, Grunge. Being a member of Nirvana, the most prominent band in the history of the genre isn’t the only accomplishment of the late, great musician though as he also won many awards. Kurt Cobain had an interesting upbringing, successful musical career, and a life that ended with a sudden death.
Cobain’s quote impacted a variety of people, from outcasts and misfits, to accepted and popular people. His quote allowed people to be able to except
James Marshall Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle Washington. James faced a somewhat difficult childhood as he was faced with many
Kurt Cobain had a troubled youth, especially in his adolescent years. Born Kurt Donald Cobain on February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen Washington. “Growing up in a small logging town, Cobain showed an interest in art and music, he excelled in drawing and he enjoyed playing with a kiddie drum set” (Kurt Cobain’s Biography). Starting in kindergarten his parents and teachers could tell that Kurt had excelled far more in arts and music rather than anything else. Cobain learned to play the piano by himself, additionally he enjoyed spending his time learning how to play the drums with the kiddie drum
Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of the Seattle based grunge rock band Nirvana. As Nirvana's lead songwriter, guitarist, and singer, Cobain took the music industry by surprise and is considered the godfather of the grunge rock movement. Cobain and his band had a prevalent influence on young teenagers of the 1990s and were considered idols by numerous individuals. Nirvana took the popular music industry by storm when they were able to revamp the genre of grunge rock and cause a dramatic shift in music, away from the dominant genres of the 1980s. The success of Kurt Cobain was overshadowed by numerous of his psychological problems including drug addiction, his unstable marriage to music celebrity Courtney Love, and constant pressure from the
Hendrix was not born into stardom nor was it given to him by any means. He strived all throughout his life to be the very best. Johnny Allen Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington to Al and Lucille Hendrix, and not until four years later did his father change his son's name to James Marshall
Their single Smells Like Teen Spirit made Nevermind the first alternative rock album to acquire worldwide fame (“Kurt Cobain”). Cobain’s talent was record smashing and innovative, because he took a whole music genre to a never before seen worldwide level. This type of accomplishment was not because of some strange luck, but a result of Cobain’s creative approach to the sound of alternative rock. As a result of their breakthrough, many powerful companies started to publicize them like when Time announced, “‘It also launched the commercial vogue for grunge and made Seattle famous for something other than cappuccino, rain, and bad professional sports,’” (Latson, 1). Kurt Cobain’s success was remarkable because not only did the music industry change, but a whole unique business and trend was opened up. The fact that Kurt managed to leave a long lasting imprint in the constantly changing fashion industry displayed how successful he was. In the music industry Cobain changed the direction of contemporary rock and was compared to legends like Bob Dylan and John Lennon (Hilburn). People thought of Kurt as one of the rock legends because of his raw talent that made him extremely relatable and mighty. This was a huge deal, to be compared to other rock legends and to have changed the entire sound of a music genre. Talent, a strong work ethic, and a relatable character took Kurt Cobain to the top and
The grunge music of the 90’s might be a product of the times and changing of opinions, it still has a strong presence and legacy in the modern age. Music critics can argue about whether grunge music’s effects on rock music were positive or negative but the main point is that it did affect the music, fashion, and cultural world in a huge way. The grunge movement affected not only the music world and but the overall society of the 90’s and every decade that followed. Grunge emerged from Seattle in the late 1980s. This genre of rock and roll helped create a bridge between mainstream 1980s heavy metal–hard rock and post-punk alternative rock. Eventually, grunge faded—partly because of the death in 1994 of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, who had become a generational spokesman. Some people say that “grunge music ruined rock and roll” when in reality it gave way to new forms of the genre and helped bring harder rock songs to the mainstream audiences of the time.
One band some may know that was a popular grunge band in the 90’s was Nirvana, which consisted of lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl, and bassist Krist Novoselic. This band was most popular for their hit album “Nevermind”. “One of their most popular songs on this album, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, has been and always will be a rebellion anthem for adolescents, empowering them. This message and it’s meaning make this one of the most popular songs by this band to date.”
This trio from Seattle appeared in the public consciousness in 1991 with their single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” full with pure, raw emotions which was new that time. Nirvana was formed by Kurt Cobain singer/guitarist and Krist Novoselic bassist in Aberdeen,
All these bands contributed to the Grunge Revolution, but it was Nirvana that really took everyone on a whirlwind. Right before the Grunge Revolution, Rock music had become something of a show with all the glitz and glamour and puffed hair and make-up. At this point people were yearning for real rock music to make a comeback, people wanted something meaningful and the new 90’s generation wanted a new voice. This is what Nirvana gave the people, through music, and through Kurt Cobain’s radicalness and “I don’t care what you think about me, this is who I am” attitude, he made it known that it was ok to be who you are. No matter what you’re going through or think, there was no judgment in his music, but more rebellion and the people wanted to rebel against all that society believed was perceived as correct, even if it wasn’t. It is no secret that Kurt struggled with many things, he struggled with his fame that sky rocketed overnight, struggled with the emotions of a very harsh childhood, and then came drugs to numb it all. All these emotions though, flowed through his music, and people felt as if they knew him personally and a lot of the generation of the 90’s felt they could relate to his music. What he didn’t realize is that he was inadvertently bringing back the realness and rawness to Rock that everyone was yearning for.
As a child, Cobain’s main influence was Evel Knievel, and he was determined to be reckless and fearless like his hero. As Cobain grew older, however, his influences became primarily musical, and included Neil Young, nicknamed the “Godfather of Grunge,” the Beatles, and various alternative bands (DeRogatis, para. 8). His major accomplishments were his recordings, as Cobain was known as a lyricist more than a musician, despite his short-lived career.
He would use quite a lot of compression on Kurt Cobain’s vocals so that he could control