Nirvana

The pioneers of the quiet/loud grunge sound that turned Seattle into the early '90s music capital of the world, Nirvana also pushed alt-rock into the mainstream with a string of seminal albums that defined Generation X. The band formed in 1987 when frontman/guitarist Kurt Cobain and former high school classmate bassist Krist Novoselic discovered they shared a love of intense punk rock, and subsequently began performing under various guises and with a rotating cast of musicians, eventually settling on drummer Chad Channing and the permanent name of Nirvana.

Inspired by the likes of Pixies, The Melvins and Mudhoney, the trio released their first single, "Love Buzz," through indie label Sub Pop in 1988, and recorded their debut album, Bleach, with local producer Jack Endino shortly after. Supported by a national tour in which guitarist Jason Everman briefly joined the fold, the record saw Nirvana become college radio favorites. But their career went stratospheric, much to the discomfort of reluctant hero Cobain, when they teamed up with producer Butch Vig, swapped Channing for ex-Scream drummer Dave Grohl and headed to Sound City Studios to record the more pop-oriented Nevermind.

Released through major label DGC Records in 1991, the album spawned a monster hit in the shape of MTV staple "Smells Like Teen Spirit," knocked Michael Jackson's Dangerous off the number one spot and went onto shift a staggering 30 million copies worldwide to become one of the best-selling LPs of all time. But the group, and Cobain, in particular appeared ill-equipped to deal with superstardom, and 1992 was plagued by disputes over royalties, a notable lack of touring due to exhaustion, and reports that Kurt and his wife Courtney Love were in the full throes of heroin addiction.

A triumphant set at the Reading Festival, widely considered one of their all-time greatest, and the Incesticide compilation kept the group in the public eye, and they eventually returned with their third studio effort, the much more abrasive and harder-edged In Utero in 1993. Produced by Steve Albini, the record entered the Billboard 200 at number one and was supported by a national and European tour which was cut short when Cobain was rushed to hospital following a near-fatal drug overdose. Just a week after escaping from a rehab program in the spring of 1994, Cobain was found dead at his Seattle home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, aged just 27, resulting in an outpouring of grief worldwide.

Although Nirvana were no longer active, they continued to add to their discography with several posthumous albums including the Grammy-winning MTV Unplugged in New York, 1997 live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah and 2002's self-titled compilation. In 2012, Grohl, Novoselic and occasional touring member Pat Smear reunited to play at a Hurricane Sandy charity gig with Paul McCartney, and two years later appeared on stage with a number of guest vocalists to celebrate Nirvana's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.