Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain was an American rock musician best known for his work with Nirvana. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he became a defining figure in grunge and alternative rock before his death in 1994.

Quick Facts

Canonical Name Kurt Cobain
Born February 20, 1967
Birthplace Aberdeen, Washington, United States
Country United States
Occupations guitarist, singer, songwriter, visual artist, composer
Instruments guitar, voice
Gender male
Genres grunge, alternative rock, seattle, united states
Associated Acts Nirvana, Fecal Matter, 27 Club
Active Years Active since 1982

Identity and Aliases

Name Type Source
Kurt Cobain Canonical Name System
Kurt Donald Cobain Alias Wikidata
Kurt D. Cobain Alias Wikidata
Kurdt Cobain Alias MusicBrainz
Kurdt Kobain Alias MusicBrainz
Kurt Donald Cobain Legal name MusicBrainz

Biography

Kurt Cobain was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer whose name is closely tied to Nirvana. He began his work period in 1982 and remained active until his death in 1994, moving between early projects such as Fecal Matter and the band that would define his career.

Raised in Aberdeen, Washington, Cobain worked with guitar and voice, and his music sat at the center of the grunge and alternative rock scenes. His catalog also connects him to a range of releases and recordings associated with his name, reflecting both studio work and home-recorded material.

Beyond Nirvana, Cobain’s name appears in association with several other musical projects and entries, including Fecal Matter and later archival material. His influence also extended into visual art, and his legacy remains tied to the Seattle alternative rock era.

Career Timeline

Year / Period Event Detail Source
1967 Born Aberdeen, Washington, United States Wikidata
1982 Career Start Active period begins Wikidata
1985–1985 Member of Electrifiedshitfuck MusicBrainz
1985–1985 Member of Brown Towel MusicBrainz
1985–1986 Member of Fecal Matter MusicBrainz
1986–1986 Member of Stiff Woodies MusicBrainz
1986–1987 Member of The Sellouts MusicBrainz
1987–1987 Member of Skid Row MusicBrainz
1987–1987 Member of Throat Oyster MusicBrainz
1987–1987 Member of Pen Cap Chew MusicBrainz
1987–1988 Member of TedEdFred MusicBrainz
1987–1994 Member of Nirvana Wikidata
1988–1988 Member of Bliss MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of 27 Club Wikidata

Musical Roles

Kurt Cobain worked as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, visual artist, and composer. His primary instruments were guitar and voice, and his work is associated with grunge and alternative rock.

Role Source
guitarist Wikidata
singer Wikidata
songwriter Wikidata
visual artist Wikidata
composer Wikidata

Bands and Projects

Band / Project Relationship Source
Nirvana Member of Wikidata
Fecal Matter Member of Wikidata
27 Club Member of Wikidata

Releases and Appearances

MusicBrainz lists several release entries connected to Kurt Cobain. These entries may include solo releases, guest appearances, live recordings, and catalogued metadata records.

MusicBrainz-listed Releases and Appearances

Title Year Type Classification Source
Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings 2015 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
And I Love Her 2015 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Cobain Unseen 2008 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The “Priest” They Called Him 1993 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
It's Closing Soon 1993 EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz
1969-11-xx: Aunt Mari's House, Seattle, WA - EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz
1993-09-08: Rock Against Rape Benefit, Club Lingerie, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA, USA - EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Catalogued Recordings

Title Year Type Classification Source
Kurt Cobain 1993 Other metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Kurt's Home Guitar Rehearsals - Other metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Recorded Performances & Appearances

MusicBrainz-listed recording entries connected to Kurt Cobain include:

Song Title Artist / Group Relationship Source
"Car Radio" Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
"Hardcore Was Dead" Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
"Never Intended" Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
"Punk Rock" Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
"The Limelight" Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
[counting to 10] / Monkees Theme Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
[Every Single Grape] Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
[gibberish] Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
[introduction] Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz
[Kurt Cobain speaks about early Nirvana, and revolving drummers] Kurt Cobain Performer MusicBrainz

Musical Style and Instruments

Cobain is associated with grunge and alternative rock, with strong ties to the Seattle scene. His work is often centered on guitar-based songwriting and vocals, and it spans both performance and composition.

Genres

grunge alternative rock seattle united states

Instruments

guitar voice

Collaborations and Guest Relationships

Artist Relationship Source
Witchypoo Instrumental supporting musician MusicBrainz
Tracy Marander Involved with MusicBrainz
Courtney Love Married MusicBrainz
Frances Bean Cobain Parent MusicBrainz

External Identifiers & Authority Control

External profile identifiers are associated with Kurt Cobain across major music and reference platforms, including MusicBrainz, Discogs, Spotify, IMDb, VIAF, ISNI, GND, and the Library of Congress.

Platform Identifier Purpose Source Confidence Link
MusicBrainz 3c9b356d-d1db-4f4e-a7a3-2d00c1d70255 Music metadata Wikidata High View Profile
Discogs 275118 Discography database Wikidata High View Profile
Spotify 6pAuTi6FXi6qFQJ1dzMXQs Streaming profile Wikidata High View Profile
IMDb nm0001052 Film/media profile Wikidata High View Profile
VIAF 66668107 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
ISNI 0000000110685005 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
GND 119167735 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
Library of Congress n94074027 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile

Semantic Graph Data (Knowledge Graph)

Subject Predicate Object Source Confidence
Kurt Cobain citizenship United States Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain date_of_birth February 20, 1967 Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain family_name Cobain Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain gender male Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain given_name Kurt Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain place_of_birth Aberdeen, Washington, United States Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain member_of Nirvana Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain member_of Fecal Matter Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain member_of 27 Club Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain instrument guitar Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain instrument voice Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain occupation guitarist Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain occupation singer Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain occupation songwriter Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain occupation visual artist Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain occupation composer Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain genre grunge Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain genre alternative rock Wikidata high
Kurt Cobain genre seattle MusicBrainz medium
Kurt Cobain genre united states MusicBrainz medium
Kurt Cobain member of band Electrifiedshitfuck MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Brown Towel MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Fecal Matter MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Stiff Woodies MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band The Sellouts MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Skid Row MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Throat Oyster MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Pen Cap Chew MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band TedEdFred MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Nirvana MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain member of band Bliss MusicBrainz high
Kurt Cobain sameAs MusicBrainz Artist ID: 3c9b356d-d1db-4f4e-a7a3-2d00c1d70255 Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs Discogs Artist ID: 275118 Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs Spotify Artist ID: 6pAuTi6FXi6qFQJ1dzMXQs Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs IMDb Artist ID: nm0001052 Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs VIAF Artist ID: 66668107 Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs ISNI Artist ID: 0000000110685005 Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs GND Artist ID: 119167735 Wikidata High
Kurt Cobain sameAs Library of Congress Artist ID: n94074027 Wikidata High

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who was Kurt Cobain best known for working with?

A: He was best known for his work with Nirvana. He is also associated with Fecal Matter.

Q: What instruments did Kurt Cobain play?

A: He worked primarily with guitar and voice.

Q: What genres is Kurt Cobain associated with?

A: He is associated with grunge and alternative rock.

Q: Where was Kurt Cobain born?

A: He was born in Aberdeen, Washington, United States.

Q: When was Kurt Cobain born?

A: He was born on February 20, 1967.

Q: When did Kurt Cobain die?

A: He died on April 5, 1994.

Q: What was Kurt Cobain’s main area of work?

A: His work centered on music, especially singing, guitar performance, and composition.

Q: What other roles did Kurt Cobain have?

A: Alongside music, he is also identified as a visual artist.

Data Quality and Sources

Quality Score
86/100
Last Updated
May 11, 2026
Entity Stats
43 Facts
8 Identifiers
45 Relationships
Primary Sources
Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Discogs, GuitarRank Editorial