  Nirvana has been called the
quintessential alternative band of the 90s.
The trio, Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist
Novoselic formed in Washington and grew into
one of the most influential bands of the
decade. The formation of Nirvana started in
1985 when Cobain and Novoselic starting
playing together in various bands. Before
Nirvana, Cobain could be found in numerous
bands including The Melvins, Fecal Matter,
Stiff Woodies, Brown Cow, The Sellouts, and
Skid Row (several with Novoselic). By the end
of 1987, Nirvana was born when drummer Aaron
Burckhard was added and then replaced with
Chad Channing.
Nirvana's first recording effort
together resulted in a demo named
"Godfather Of Grunge" and the
single "Love Buzz/Big Cheese."
 Bleach was released and the
band started to tour the U.S. The LP gained
Nirvana a following on college-radio and the
gradual attention of various record labels.
The LP featured the popular Nirvana track
"About A Girl."
Grohl joined the band as drummer
and toured in England for a short time with L7.
 # 146
Singles Artist of the Year
 Nirvana signed with Geffen
Record and Nevermind was released.
The first single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," instantly hits
with alternative radio fans and the video
viewers.
Nirvana hit the Top 40 with
"Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Nirvana ended the year on a
European tour and some U.S. appearances with Pearl
Jam and Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
 # 36
Singles Artist of the Year
 Nirvana topped the Billboard LP
chart for 2 weeks with Nevermind.
Nirvana hit the Top
10
with "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nirvana spent a
majority of the year touring the U.S. and
Europe.
Nirvana were nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard
Rock Artist.
Nirvana topped the Billboard Top
Singles Sales chart for 2 weeks with "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Nirvana were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music
Performance (Nevermind).
Cobain married Courtney Love of Hole and welcomed a
daughter into their family in August.
Nirvana hit the Top 40 with
"Come As You Are."
The video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" won 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Alternative Video and Best New Artist, and was also
nominated for Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice.
 Nirvana released a collection of
b-sides and rare tracks with Incesticide.
 # 168
Singles Artist of the Year
Even with a new marriage and
baby, Cobain didn't have much to celebrate in
1993. During the year, a few accusations of
heroin use and overdoses were reported and
problems persisted with the new LP not being
satisfactory to their record label.
Nirvana was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song (songwriter) ("Smells Like Teen Spirit").
 After some retouches requested
by their label, Nirvana released In
Utero and began touring North
America. Nirvana had success with the tracks
"Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies."
The video for "In
Bloom" won a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Alternative Video.
Rolling
Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" includes "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at # 2 and "In
Bloom" at # 39.
Nirvana topped the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart for 3 weeks with
"Heart-Shaped Box."
In
Utero topped the Billboard 200 Pop
Albums chart for a week.
Nirvana could be seen on MTV
Unplugged (taped in November).
Nirvana could also be found on
the compilation, No
Alternative, with "Verse Chorus
Verse."
 # 78
Singles Artist of the Year
In Seattle, on January 7th,
Nirvana played what would be their last show
U.S. together, and then began touring Europe
in February.
Nirvana topped
the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 2
weeks with "All Apologies."
Nirvana was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music
Performance (In
Utero).
The band played their final
performance together on March 1st in Munich.
While on vacation in Rome, Cobain attempted
suicide by mixing tranquilizers and alcohol
and was in a coma for a day. After being
hospitalized, Cobain and Love returned to
Seattle where more suicide threats continued.
Nirvana hit the Top 40 with
"All Apologies."
Cobain was admitted into Exodus
Recovery Center and later escaped on April
1st and was reported missing by his mother.
On April 8th, Cobain was found
dead in Seattle from a self-inflicted gunshot
wound (that occurred on April 5th).
The video for
"Heart-Shaped Box" won 2 MTV Video Music
Awards including Best Alternative Video and Best Art Direction (Bernadette Disanto)
and was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Cinematography, and Viewer's Choice.
Nirvana hit the Top 40 with
"About A Girl."
 MTV
Unplugged In New York was released followed
by the video, Live!
Tonight! Sold Out! The band could also be
found on the Beavis And Butthead
Experience soundtrack with "I Hate
Myself And Want To Die."
MTV
Unplugged In New York topped the Billboard
Pop Albums chart for a week.
Nirvana topped the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart for a week with
"About A Girl."
Grohl went on to find success
with the Foo Fighters and Novoselic formed Sweet
75.
 # 202
Singles Artist of the Year
Nirvana won an American Music
Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard
Rock Artist.
Nirvana were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group and Cobain was nominated for Best Rock Song ("All Apologies").
Nirvana won a Grammy
Award for Best Alternative Music
Performance (MTV
Unplugged In New York).
 A live Nirvana LP, From
The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah, was released
containing concert performances from 1989 to
1994.
From
The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah topped the
Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for a week.
Rock
'N Roll Hall Of Fame's 500
Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll includes "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
 
Ranked # 42 on VH1: Greatest
Artists of Rock & Roll (and
# 6 on Rock On The Net's
Poll).
Novoselic, talked to a Senate
committee in defense of controversial music
lyrics. He stated, "We have to move
beyond the grainy, black and white approach
of blaming lyrics. We need to move forward
and apply full-spectrum, high-definition
solutions to the challenges facing our nation
and especially youth. On Marilyn
Manson, who was one of the musicians
being scrutinized at the hearings, Novoselic
said the he doesn't "...misrepresent
himself... he's saying 'I'm gross, I'm icky,
I'm nasty'... and he is... if young people
are looking for truth, maybe they're finding
it in Marilyn
Manson."
When Spin magazine
named "The 90 Greatest Albums of the
90s" Nirvana's Nevermind topped the list.
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos includes
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" at # 3.
VH1: 100
Greatest Rock Songs includes: # 41: "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Nirvana came in at # 6 on VH1: 100
Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Rolling Stone
& MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at # 3.
VH1: 100
Greatest Albums includes Nevermind at # 2.
VH1: 100
Greatest Videos includes
# 4 -
"Smells Like Teen Spirit."
 # 160
Singles Artist of the Year
A court fight developed between
the remaining members of Nirvana and Cobain's
widow, Courtney Love, over the rights of
Cobain's final recordings before his death.
Cobain ranked #
49 on VH1: 100
Sexiest Artists.
 Nirvana returned to the top of
the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 4
weeks with "You Know You're Right."
The video for "You Know You're Right" topped the MTV
Video Countdown.
A Nirvana
collection, Nirvana, was released.
Nirvana hit the Top 40 with
"You Know You're Right."
Nirvana topped the Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 4 weeks with
"You Know You're Right."
Nirvana was certified
platinum.
VH1: 100 Best
Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at # 1.
Novoselic announced he was no
longer pursuing a career in music after his
last band Eyes Adrift failed
to hit it big.
 Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 17:
Nevermind, # 311:
MTV
Unplugged In New York, # 439:
In
Utero.
Rolling Stone:
The Immortals - The 100 Greatest Artists of
All Time included Nirvana at # 27.
 The box set With
The Lights Out was released. The 3-CD set will
include over 60 previously unreleased tracks
and also have a DVD of footage of the band.
With
The Lights Out was certified platinum.
 The single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was certified
gold.
The box set compilation Sliver:
The Best Of The Box was released.
Entertainment Weekly:
100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included MTV
Unplugged In New York at # 11.
|
Bleach
Released: June, 1989
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 89
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Blew"
- "Floyd The Barber" - "About A Girl" -
"School" - "Love
Buzz" - "Paper Cuts" -
"Negative Creep" -
"Scoff" - "Swap Meet"
- "Mr. Moustache" -
"Sifting" - "Big
Cheese" - "Downer" |
|
Nevermind
Released: September, 1991
US: 10x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 2 weeks)
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Smells Like Teen
Spirit" - "In
Bloom" - "Come As Your
Are" - "Breed" -
"Lithium" - "Polly" -
"Territorial Pissings" -
"Drain You" - "Lounge
Act" - "Stay Away" -
"On A Plain" - "Something
In The Way" |
|
Incesticide
Released: December, 1992
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 39
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Dive"
- "Sliver" - "Stain"
- "Been A Son" -
"Turnaround" - "Molly's
Lips" - "Son Of A Gun" -
"(New Wave) Polly" -
"Beeswax" - "Downer"
- "Mexican Seafood" -
"Hairspray Queen" - "Aero
Zeppelin" - "Big Long Now"
- "Aneurysm" |
|
In Utero
Released: September, 1993
US: 5x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 1 week)
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Serve The
Servants" - "Scentless
Apprentice" - "Heart-Shaped
Box" - "Rape Me" -
"Frances Farmer Will Have Her
Revenge On Seattle" -
"Dumb" - "Very Ape" -
"Milk It" - "Pennyroyal
Tea" - "Radio Friendly Unit
Shifter" - "Tourette's" -
"All Apologies" |
| | 
