The Foo Fighters have paid tribute to Kurt Cobain on the 20th anniversary of his passing.
Led by Nirvana bandmate Dave Grohl, the group posted an image of Cobain (above) on their social media sites along with a link to a YouTube stream of The Beatles’ classic “In My Life”, one of the late rockers’ favorite tunes and a song that was played at his funeral.
Nirvana was formed in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington by Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic; the pair recruited Bob McFadden on drums, but he was let go after a month and Aaron Burckhard was brought into the lineup. A move from Aberdeen caused Cobain and Novoselic to lose touch with Burckhard, and after a pair of short-term drummers, Chad Channing joined the band in early 1988.
Nirvana released their first single, a cover of the Shocking Blue’s “Love Buzz”, in November of 1988. Jason Everman joined Nirvana in February 1989 as a second guitarist; he is credited on the band’s debut album, “Bleach” (issued in June of 1989), because he funded the recording while not actually playing on it. Everman toured with with the band that summer and was out before the group released the EP, “Blew”, in December of that year; Channing and the group mutually parted ways soon thereafter.
Following the breakup of hardcore Alexandria, Virginia band Scream, Dave Grohl connected with Cobain and Novoselic through mutual friend Buzz Osborne of The Melvins and joined the group in the fall of 1990 after an audition.
Grohl was on hand for the recording of Nirvana’s 1991 major label debut, “Nevermind”, which was released in September of 1991. Spurred by the success of the single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, the record dominated radio and video airplay on its way to selling more than 30 million copies worldwide, including 10 million in the U.S. alone.
Nirvana’s third album, “In Utero”, was released in September of 1993, eventually selling 15 million copies worldwide, including 5 million in the States.
Cobain’s addiction issues surfaced on while on tour in Rome, Italy when he overdosed on a combination of pills and alcohol on March 4, 1994, and the “In Utero” tour was cancelled. Following an intervention, Cobain was admitted to a Los Angeles rehab center where he stayed less than a week before climbing over a wall and flying back to Seattle.
A week later, Kurt was found dead at the age of 27 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Seattle home on April 5, 1994; his body was discovered three days later by an electrician who had arrived to do some work on the property.
This coming Thursday, April 10, Nirvana will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe; other honorees include KISS, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, and The E Street Band.
See also:
Nirvana: Seattle police release photos of Kurt Cobain death scene
R.E.M. singer to induct Nirvana into Rock Hall
Nirvana: Kurt Cobain comic book biography to be released
John Lennon, Kurt Cobain and Elvis featured in Dutch beer commercial
Search Nirvana at hennemusic
