It couldn’t come fast enough. After 25 years, Nirvana has finally been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, appropriately landing five days after the 20th anniversary of lead singer Kurt Cobain’s death.
Nirvana, along with Peter Gabriel, the E Street Band, and the long-awaiting KISS will be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this month. The ceremony will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday.
Though it may seem like a long-overdue honor, it will actually be Nirvana’s first year of eligibility, as musicians and musician groups become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record, according to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame and Museum website.
After their first single, “Love Buzz,” released in 1988, Nirvana achieved massive success. The induction should come as no surprise to any who have listened to their music over the years.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released in 1991, kick-starting a revolution of punk rock and grunge, engraving their name into rock music.
During the height of their success in 1992, Rolling Stone writer Michael Azerrad dubbed Nirvana the “Flagship Band” of Generation X.
Lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic met in high school, but it wasn’t until three years later that the two decided to form a band.
After a series of six drummers, all of who faded away, the duo auditioned Dave Grohl and knew instantly he was the one. What followed was their signing to a major record label, DGC Records, in 1990.
The next four years were a golden age both for the band and grunge music in general. It had been Nirvana’s mainstream success that rocketed grunge into a commercially successful genre of music.
Unfortunately, their success was cut short by Cobain’s tragic death in April 1994. In the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression. The 27-year-old was found dead in his home with a shotgun blast to his head, one week after he checked out of a rehabilitation center in Marina Del Rey.
His death sparked public fascination and debate, although conclusive proof of suicide was found in his ever-present drug addiction, depression and suicide note.
Though Nirvana has long been disbanded, it certainly hasn’t been forgotten. Grohl and Novoselic have been active in music since then, forming other bands and achieving success elsewhere, but Nirvana has always been the foundation for their success.