History has always been marked by great music. Every generation has it's own unique genre; from classical to swing, people have always found a song or a melody that seemed as if it was written just for them. However, truly great music is created by a certain type of genius. It takes more than the average guy to forge a classic like "Stairway to Heaven." Two men in the late twentieth century were such masterminds: Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. While both will live forever in musical infamy, they will remain legends for different reasons. One of the most important factors in becoming a rock legend is bringing about a revolution, opening people to something bold and new. Kurt Cobain, along with his band, Nirvana, changed rock music forever. In a time when music was becoming mass-produced, emotionless muck, Cobain brought about something that was repulsively beautiful and alive. He introduced grunge rock to the world: music filled with screaming distortion, tremendous angst, and overwhelming passion rarely seen from the generation that invented the term "whatever." Nevertheless, let us not forget a similar revolution, which took place over a decade earlier. In an era when hippies wandered free and drugs were just "mind expanding," another such musical phenomenon occurred. A young black man caught the ear of millions with his awe-inspiring guitar tunes. This man was Jimi Hendrix. Unlike Cobain, Hendrix wrote music to support and inspire his followers, as opposed to creating a method of shock treatment through music. Hendrix created brilliant melodies along with lyrics that touched the hearts of all who would listen. One habit that both musicians shared was the ability to excite and invigorate listeners, especially live audiences. Cobain had the ability to make thousands of slackers stand up and scream for more. Throughout his many tours, Cobain always arrived to a packed venue filled with fans, many of which had probably spent the night in line waiting for tickets and the chance to see something momentous.
