Kurt Cobain
If The Sonics defined the Seattle garage rock sound in the sixties, Kurt Cobain updated it for the nineties, and in the process made alternative rock part of the cultural mainstream. Born in 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington, Cobain failed to fit into the bullying, constrictive culture of his high school, and dropped out shortly before graduating. He sought refuge from this and an equally abusive home environment in the writings of authors such as William S. Burroughs and Charles Bukowski, and in the music of local punk rock bands. Teaming up with Krist Novoselic, the two put together the band that would make Cobain famous: Nirvana. Their first album, Bleach, sold only 6,000 copies at its debut. However, it was enough to land them a contract with Geffen Records. Producer Butch Vig worked closely with the band on their next album to produce a rich, heavy sound, and on September 24, 1991, Nevermind was released. By January 1992, Nevermind had risen to the top of the Billboard charts, and its lead single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", had become an anthem for a new generation. The followup album, In Utero, returned to a grittier, simpler sound that Cobain felt was closer to the band's roots and message. While the band's success continued unabated, Cobain was haunted by the dual specters of drug abuse and a feeling that he might have "sold out". On April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide in his Seattle home.
