You have probably seen that shirt with the smiley face logo on it. No, it’s not a brand or a company. It’s Nirvana, a famous grunge band from the 90s.
The band first played under the name Nirvana in March 1988 in Tacoma Washington, Nirvana’s home state. Before that, they went by several names, including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, Bliss, and Ted Ed Fred. Nirvana consisted of three band members: Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar), Dave Grohl (drums, harmonies), and Krist Novoselic (bass). Dave Grohl wasn’t always Nirvana’s drummer, though. The original drummer was Chad Channing. He played on Nirvana’s album Bleach. He then left the band in June 1990, primarily because of creative differences within the band. Then, Dave Grohl joined Nirvana in that same year. In 1989, Nirvana released their album Bleach with hits like “About a Girl,” “Love Buzz,” “Floyd the Barber,” and “School.”
After releasing their debut album Bleach on Sub Pop Records, Nirvana signed with major record label DGC Records. In 1990, Nirvana started working on their album Nevermind. They also did some collaborations in 1990, and they created the songs “On a Plain” and “Stay Away.” Nirvana released their second album, Nevermind, in 1991, with hits like “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” “Something In The Way,” and “Lithium.” After they released Nevermind, Nirvana became a very famous and successful band. Radio stations everywhere played their songs. Nevermind is also credited with ending the popularity of hair metal. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is their most popular song. On April 17, 1991, Nirvana played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” live for the first time. In 1992, Nirvana performed at the Reading Festival in England and played at the MTV Video Music Awards, after they had won three awards: Best Alternative Video, Best Video, and Best New Artist. Also in 1992, Nirvana released a compilation album called Incesticide. On September 21, 1993, Nirvana released their album In Utero with hits like “All Apologies,” “Heart Shaped Box,” “Dumb,” and “Scentless Apprentice.” Also in 1993, Nirvana recorded their most popular live performance, MTV Unplugged Live in New York. Nirvana also did their other popular performance Live and Loud. In 1993, they were extremely popular and were touring all around the globe.
Sadly, the rigorous touring schedule and substance abuse issues led to Kurt Cobain committing suicide on April 5th, 1994. He had a wife named Courtney Love who is the lead singer of the rock band Hole and they had a daughter together named Frances Bean Cobain. His musical legacy has influenced a countless number of bands even to this day. Some speculate that his death was not a suicide but a plot between his wife Courtney and a man known as El Cid. Fans of Nirvana to this day mourn his loss.
Dave Grohl went on to create the popular rock group Foo Fighters, which has seen massive success but nothing like Nirvana experienced. Some of Foo Fighters’ hits are “Everlong,” “My Hero,” “The Pretender,” and “Times Like These.” Dave Grohl has three daughters and is married to Jordyn Blum. Krist Novoselic went on to pursue a career in politics in his home state of Washington. The remaining members of Nirvana reunited to play together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2014, and once again at the CowJam Festival in 2018. Recently the members of Nirvana reunited at the fire aid performance with St. Vincent, Kim Jordan, and Joan Jett in place of Kurt Cobain. They played “Breed” and “School” together. Then, Dave Grohl’s daughter, Violet Grohl, came on stage and sang “All Apologies.” Then, at the SNL 50 performance, Nirvana came on stage again with Post Malone on vocals and played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” together. I hope this article expands your musical horizons and increases your knowledge of Nirvana.
