Composer
Kurt Donald Cobain
American rock musician, singer and songwriter (1967–1994)
1967–1994
29 works in the index
- Born
- 1967
- Died
- 1994
- Birthplace
- Aberdeen
- Place of death
- Seattle
- Citizenship / historical state
- United States
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Contemporary
Biography
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establishment persona, he widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock music. He was heralded as a spokesman of Generation X, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock music.
Nirvana went through several changes of members before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990; with this final lineup of Cobain, Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the band signed with DGC and found commercial success with the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their critically acclaimed second album Nevermind (1991). Cobain wrote many other hit Nirvana songs, notably "Come as You Are", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Heart-Shaped Box", "All Apologies" and "Something in the Way". Although Cobain was often hailed as the voice of his generation following Nirvana's sudden success, he was uncomfortable with this role.
During his final years, Cobain struggled with a heroin addiction, stomach pain, and chronic depression. He also struggled with the personal and professional pressures of fame, and was often in the spotlight for his tumultuous marriage to fellow musician Courtney Love, with whom he had a daughter named Frances. On April 8, 1994, he was found dead in the greenhouse of his Seattle home at the age of 27, with police concluding that he had died around three days earlier from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.
Cobain was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Nirvana bandmates Novoselic and Grohl, in their first year of eligibility in 2014. Rolling Stone included him on its lists of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, 100 Greatest Guitarists, and 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. He was ranked 7th by MTV in the "22 Greatest Voices in Music", and was placed 20th by Hit Parader on their 2006 list of the "100 Greatest Metal Singers of All Time".
Biography excerpt from Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting and reference markers have been removed; the introduction may be shortened. View contributors and article history.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- guitarist; singer; songwriter; visual artist; composer; rock singer; musician
- Education
- Aberdeen High School
- Recorded memberships
- Nirvana; Fecal Matter
- Genres
- grunge; alternative rock
- Notable works
- Smells Like Teen Spirit; Nevermind
- Pseudonym
- Kurdt Kobain
- Native languages
- English
- Languages used
- English
- VIAF ID
- 66668107
- ISNI
- 0000000110685005
- GND ID
- 119167735
- Library of Congress ID
- n94074027
- MusicBrainz ID
- 3c9b356d-d1db-4f4e-a7a3-2d00c1d70255
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Piano, Vocal
- Works with composition dates
- 0 of 29
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Works
Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.
| Work | Year composed | Catalogue / opus | Key in title | Listed instruments | Genre | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Come As You Are | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Smells Like Teen Spirit | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| All Apologies | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Lithium | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| About A Girl | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Heart Shaped Box | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Penny Royal Tea | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| New Wave) Polly | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Rape Me | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Dumb | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| In Bloom | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| You Know You're Right | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Been A Son | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Sliver | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Very Ape | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Aneurysm | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Blew | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Breed | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Downer | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Drain You | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Floyd The Barber | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Lounge Act | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Mexican Seafood | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Mr. Moustache | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Negative Creep | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| On A Plain | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Something In The Way | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Stain | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Stay Away | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. Authority record: VIAF 66668107. Portrait: P.B. Rage from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.