June Carter Cash
Musical Monikers
Madonna
Justin Bieber
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Kurt Cobain
- OCCUPATION: Singer
- BIRTH DATE: February 20, 1967
- DEATH DATE: April 05, 1994
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Aberdeen, Washington
- PLACE OF DEATH: Seattle, Washington
- Full Name: Kurt Donald Cobain
Best Known For
A talented, troubled grunge performer, Kurt Cobain became a rock legend with his band Nirvana in the 1990s and committed suicide at his Seattle home in 1994.
Videos see all videos
-
-
-
Kurt Cobain - In Utero (2:18)
-
Kurt Cobain - Becoming a Father
When Courtney Love gave birth to Frances Bean Cobain, Kurt Cobain began to see a reason to turn his life around.
Kurt Cobain - Death and Legacy
On April 5, 1994, in the guest house behind his Seattle home, Kurt Cobain committed suicide.
Kurt Cobain - In Utero
An inside look into the release and reception of Nirvana's third album, "In Utero."
Kurt Cobain - Smells Like Teen Spirit
The release of Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became a humongous success in a very short period of time.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowKurt Cobain. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:55, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179.
Kurt Cobain. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Kurt Cobain." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 06:55 http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179.
"Kurt Cobain," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Kurt Cobain," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Kurt Cobain [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179.
Kurt Cobain, http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Kurt Cobain. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179. Accessed May 22, 2013.
Despite their antiestablishment and punk tendencies, Nirvana made the leap to a major label in 1991 when they signed with Geffen Records. That same year, they released Nevermind, which spearheaded a music revolution. With the raw edges of punk and the blistering guitars of metal, their sound was labeled “grunge” for its murky and rough qualities.
Contents
Rapid Rise
The single "Smells Like Teen Spirit"—like many Nirvana tracks—modulated between the soft and the thrashing. And Cobain was equally convincing as he sang the song’s mellow chorus and as he screamed its final lines. It proved to be the group’s biggest single and helped take the entire album to the top of the charts.
Soon, Cobain was being called one of the best songwriters of his generation. This along with the rapid rise of the group put pressure on the talented and sensitive 24-year-old. Cobain began to worry about how his music was being received and how to regain control of a seemingly uncontrollable future. He had started using heroin in the early 1990s. The drug provided an escape as well as some relief for his chronic stomach problems.
Before Nevermind’s release, Cobain met up again with Courtney Love, now the lead singer and guitarist with Hole, at an L7 concert in Los Angeles. She was friends with Jennifer Finch, a member of the band who was also dating Dave Grohl at the time. Later that year, Cobain and Love started a whirlwind relationship that included letters, faxes, and numerous phone calls as the two were traveling with their respective bands. In February 1992, they got married and welcomed their daughter Frances Bean Cobain in August of that year. Both Cobain and Love were into drugs and often used together. They found themselves being investigated by social services after Love told Vanity Fair that she had taken heroin while pregnant. After a costly legal battle, Cobain and Love were able keep custody of their daughter.
Always volatile, Cobain’s relationship with Love was becoming more strained. The Seattle police came to their house after the two had been in a physical altercation over Cobain having guns in the house in 1993. As a result, he was arrested for assault. The police also took the guns from the home.
Struggles with Drugs
While his personal life was in turmoil, Cobain had continued success professionally. Nirvana's highly acclaimed album In Utero was released in September 1993 and went to the top of the album charts. Full of highly personal lyrics by Cobain about his many life struggles, the recording featured a fair amount of hostility toward people and situations that Cobain reviled. He took on the recording industry with “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter.” It also had some more tender moments with “Heart-Shaped Box,” which is supposed to be about his marriage to Love. Guitar Player magazine described the album as having “a startling level of anger, energy, and jaded intelligence.”
While the band earned raves for the new album, Cobain had become more distant from the other members.
profile name: Kurt Cobain profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
_30x30.jpg)
The 27 Club
View groupThe 27 club is a group of artists who died tragically at the young age of 27. They were some of the most talented minds of their generation, and in their short lives each made an enormous impact. Sadly, many led hard-partying lifestyles, abusing drugs and alcohol. These are the musicians and artists who make up the 27 club.
The 27 Club 8 people in this group
presented by The 27 Club -
Mysterious Deaths
View groupAn unsolved crime never fails to fascinate us, especially when it involves the death of a celebrity. Over the years many famous individuals, from movie stars to politicians to rockers, have died in mysterious circumstances. Conspiracy theories and accusations of foul play abound, but we may never know fact from fiction. Here's a look at some of the most famous mysterious deaths.
Mysterious Deaths 28 people in this group
-
Famous Lefties
View groupLeft-handed people are a rare breed—only 10 percent of the general population is a lefty. There isn't a definite scientific explanation of why people are left-handed, and although it might be an inconvenience for some, it's actually an advantage in sports. Legendary lefty athletes include baseball player Babe Ruth and basketball star Larry Bird. They're in good company with a wide variety of famous faces from President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey to composer Wolfgang Mozart and entrepreneur Bill Gates.
Famous Lefties 91 people in this group
