Seattle is the undisputed epicenter of grunge music, a subgenre of rock characterized by its combination of heavy metal, distorted guitar and punk characteristics. Millions of fans listen to Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains each year, crediting the leaders of the ‘90s West Coast scene with jump-starting the genre.
Although those groups certainly propelled grunge into the mainstream of musical culture, they were not the founders of the genre. Bam Bam, the original grunge group, contrasts greatly with the typical masculine and white makeup of the most famous grunge groups — lead singer Tina Bell was a Black woman who stood at 5 feet, 2 inches and adorned herself in a messy blonde wig.
Bell, dubbed the “Godmother of Grunge,” has unfortunately flown under the radar as a pioneer of grunge. Mark Yam’s acclaimed oral history of grunge, “Everybody Loves Our Town,” credits Bam Bam as a founder of the musical movement but never mentions Bell, who fronted the band with her husky yet versatile singing capabilities.
The group’s first EP, “Villains (Also Wear White),” was recorded in the early ‘80s in Reciprocal Recordings, the same studio Nirvana’s “Bleach” and “Incesticide” were recorded. Chris Hanzsek, owner of Reciprocal Recordings and a producer who worked with Mudhoney and Screaming Trees, later told Billboard magazine Bam Bam was the first band he ever recorded.
Additionally, alumni of the band have gone on to make huge contributions to grunge. Matt Cameron, the band’s original drummer, would later play in Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Kurt Cobain was an early fan and roadie for Bam Bam.
With a resume as stacked as Bam Bam’s, it may seem impossible that the group has stayed underground since its inception. The group was even voted the Best Seattle Band twice by local radio stations KEXP and KCMU.
However, the erasure of Black artists is a repeat issue in the city of Seattle and the genre of rock. Jimi Hendrix, easily one of the best — if not the best — guitarist to ever live, had to move out of the famed city in order to become a famous rockstar. Other bands in rock-adjacent genres, like Death and Pure Hell, were early pioneers in their music but weren’t given the credit they deserved until long after they began.
Despite Bam Bam’s local success, Bell quit music fully in 1990, with the remaining members (including Bell’s husband, Tommy Martin) staying on to create an instrumental trio. A planned reunion of the original Bam Bam lineup was set to take place in 2012, but Bell’s sudden death due to cirrhosis of the liver eliminated those plans. All of her writings — diaries, lyrics and poems — as well as original Bam Bam music and videos were thrown out of her Las Vegas apartment without her remaining family’s notice.
But listeners aren’t too behind the curve to credit the influence Bell and Bam Bam had on one of the most consequential musical movements of all time. Efforts by original Bam Bam bassist Scotty Ledgerwood for Bam Bam to gain more recognition led to a 2019 repressing of “Villains,” increasing interest in the band decades after the seminal album was recorded.
It is never too late to honor the founders of a genre. Increasingly, people are acknowledging the contributions of Black musicians in rock, and fans are getting a truthful window into the true origins of grunge and rock.
Jackson McCoy is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts? Let Jackson know by emailing or tweeting him at jm049122@ohio.edu or @_jackson_mccoy_.
