Kurt Cobain

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Lore & Background

Cobain rose from the underground punk scene to global prominence, spearheading the shift in mainstream rock towards alternative sounds. His songwriting combined melodic hooks with abrasive textures, capturing the disillusionment felt by many young people at the time. Nirvana went through several changes of members before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990; with this final lineup of Cobain, Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the band signed with DGC and found commercial success with the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their critically acclaimed second album Nevermind (1991). Cobain wrote many other hit Nirvana songs, notably "Come as You Are", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Heart-Shaped Box", and "All Apologies". Although Cobain was often hailed as the voice of his generation following Nirvana's sudden success, he was uncomfortable with this role.

In Their Own Story

During his final years, Cobain struggled with a heroin addiction, stomach pain, and chronic depression. He also struggled with the personal and professional pressures of fame, and was often in the spotlight for his tumultuous marriage to fellow musician Courtney Love, with whom he had a daughter named Frances. On April 8, 1994, he was found dead in the greenhouse of his Seattle home at the age of 27, with police concluding that he had died around three days earlier from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

Reader's Guide

Kurt Cobain began his journey in Aberdeen, Washington, born on February 20, 1967, the son of waitress Wendy Elizabeth and car mechanic Donald Leland Cobain. His parents divorced when he was nine years old, which he later said had a profound effect on his life. He dropped out of Aberdeen High School two weeks prior to graduation. Through art and electronics classes, Cobain met Buzz Osborne, singer and guitarist of the Melvins, who introduced him to punk rock and hardcore music. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic, and after recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990, the band signed with DGC and released Nevermind (1991). Cobain was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Novoselic and Grohl in 2014. Rolling Stone included him on its lists of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, 100 Greatest Guitarists, and 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. He was ranked 7th by MTV in the "22 Greatest Voices in Music", and was placed 20th by Hit Parader on their 2006 list of the "100 Greatest Metal Singers of All Time".

Did You Know?

• Cobain believed his Irish ancestors came from County Cork, though some researchers have suggested a connection to Carrickmore near Omagh in County Tyrone, Ulster — this remains a disputed or unverified claim with no esta
• At age four, Cobain started playing the piano and singing, writing a song about a trip to a park.
• Cobain's great uncle Delbert had a career as an Irish tenor and appeared in the 1930 film King of Jazz.
• Cobain claimed that "Lithium" was about his experience while living with the born-again Christian family of his friend Jesse Reed.
• Police records show Cobain was arrested for spray painting the phrase "ain't got no how watchamacallit" on vehicles.