Nirvana has officially been voted into the Rock and Roll of Fame.
The 2014 ballot marked the first time Nirvana was eligible for nomination, as its debut single “Love Buzz” was released in 1988. This year was also the second time that the public had the chance to vote alongside the artists, rock scholars and music professionals that make up the RRHOF committee.
Reached for comment, Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl had the following to say:
“This is a great honor. Thank you to the people who nominated and voted for us. Thank you most of all to Kurt Cobain. And to everyone who’s kept Rock music going strong for 60 years and counting.”–Krist Novoselic
“For once… I’m speechless. From the basements, to the dingy clubs, to the broken down vans, to… the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’d like to thank the committee not only for this induction, but also for recognizing Nirvana for what we were: pure rock and roll. Most of all, thank you to all of the fans that have supported rock and roll throughout the years, and to Kurt and Krist, without whom I would not be here today.”–Dave Grohl
Nirvana was formed in 1987 by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. The band’s debut album Bleach was recorded for $606.17 and released on the Seattle-based Sub Pop label in 1989. Nirvana’s sophomore album and major label debut Nevermind was released in 1991 and elevated Cobain, Novoselic and newly recruited drummer Dave Grohl from a critically acclaimed Aberdeen, WA cult band to generational spokesmen who’d unwittingly created a cultural shift and musical touchstone. Rising to No. 1 the world over and ultimately selling over 30 million copies worldwide, Nevermind would come to be much more than one of the most successful and influential albums of its or any era. Nevermind returned unaffected rock ‘n’ roll integrity and passion to the top of the charts, proving a singular inspiration for fans and musicians for generations to come. To say that Nirvana’s third and ultimately final studio album In Utero was 1993’s most polarizing record would be the understatement of a decade. In Utero‘s unadorned rawness laid bare every primal nuance of the most confrontational yet vulnerable material Cobain, Novoselic and Grohl would ever record. And the massive success of Nevermind meant that In Utero was essentially the first record Nirvana would make with any expectations from the public. As such, In Utero was the sound of the most incredible yet conflicted band of the era at the peak of its powers coming to terms with a mantle they’d never seen coming–and ultimately surmounting these struggles to make the record they needed to make. Since Cobain’s untimely death in 1994, posthumous Nirvana releases have included MTV Unplugged In New York (featuring the recorded debut of live guitarist Pat Smear, originally recruited for the In Utero tour), the Live, Tonight, Sold Out video, the live From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah, the With The Lights Out box set, and expanded 20th anniversary reissues of Bleach, Nevermind and In Utero.
