Dale Crover

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Lore & Background

Crover's relationship with Kurt Cobain began long before Nirvana's fame, starting when he joined Melvins in 1984 after being recruited from an Iron Maiden cover band. In late 1985, he formed Fecal Matter with Cobain and Greg Hokanson; after Hokanson left, the pair recorded 'Illiteracy Will Prevail' on a 4-track at Cobain's aunt's home in Burien, Washington, during Easter 1986. Crover played both bass and drums on this demo, which included 'Spank Thru,' later appearing on Nirvana's compilation 'Sliver: The Best of the Box.' When Cobain needed a replacement for his own band after moving to San Francisco in late 1988, it was Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne who recommended Dave Grohl, noting that Grohl was 'almost as good as Dale Crover.' Despite this, Crover briefly rejoined Nirvana in August 1990 for a west-coast tour with Sonic Youth. Later, in April 1991, he played drums on a demo version of 'Drain You' alongside Cobain and bassist Dave Grohl.

In Their Own Story

On the night of January 23, 1988, the original incarnation of Nirvana featuring Crover on drums performed a 14-song show in Tacoma, Washington. That same day, they recorded their ten-song demo at Reciprocal Recording Studios in Seattle. Nine songs from this session were officially released across various albums: 'Floyd the Barber,' 'Paper Cuts,' and 'Downer' appeared on 'Bleach'; 'Beeswax,' 'Hairspray Queen,' 'Mexican Seafood,' and 'Aero Zeppelin' surfaced on 'Incesticide'; while 'If You Must' and 'Pen Cap Chew' were released on 'With the Lights Out.' Three cuts from the Tacoma show—'Downer,' 'Floyd the Barber,' and 'Raunchola'/Moby Dick—are also preserved on 'With the Lights Out.' Years later, in April 2014, when Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Crover was not officially inducted with the band. However, during Dave Grohl's acceptance speech, he singled out Crover for his work with them. It is also noted that a high proportion of substantive entries in Kurt Cobain's published journals consist of unfinished letters started to Dale Crover.

Reader's Guide

While known for Nirvana, Crover's primary career has been with Melvins, where he and Buzz Osborne are the two constant members since 1984. In 1993 and 1994, Melvins toured every state in the contiguous United States and released their first major label record on Atlantic, nominally produced by Kurt Cobain. They opened for Nirvana's 'In Utero' world tour, including a show in Munich that became Nirvana's final performance before Cobain's death. After other scheduled European shows were canceled due to Cobain's rehab stint, Melvins used their payment to book studio time in London, recording two albums in one week: 'Stoner Witch' and 'Prick.' The latter was originally intended to be titled 'Kurdt Cobain' but the idea was shelved after his suicide. Crover also founded Altamont in 1994 with Joey Osbourne and Dan Southwick, produced Acid King's debut that year, and has toured with Fantômas (filling in for Dave Lombardo), Off!, Redd Kross, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, and Faith No More. He is credited on nearly 400 releases according to Discogs.

Did You Know?

• Dale Crover played both bass and drums on Fecal Matter's 1986 demo recorded at Cobain's aunt's home.
• Buzz Osborne recommended Dave Grohl to Kurt Cobain, stating he was 'almost as good as Dale Crover.'
• Crover co-founded Altamont in 1994 and produced Acid King's debut release that same year.
• Rolling Stone listed Crover as the 69th greatest drummer of all time in 2016.
• A high proportion of Kurt Cobain's published journals consist of unfinished letters started to Dale Crover.