Fronted by Courtney Love, and co-founded by Eric Erlandson, Hole formed in Los Angeles way back when in 1989 - a year that was on the verge of grunge domination. Hole had two purposes: to set themselves apart from their grunge counterparts - Pearl Jam, Babes In Toyland, L7, and even Love's future husbands band Nirvana - and conquering mainstream success which a lot of grunge bands never had the chance to see. Most bands also didn't have as many lineup changes as Hole did. And that was not necessarily a bad thing. New members can bring about a new sound, and a new perspective making for a better listening experience for the fans. In Hole's case they had several different shifts, starting with bassist Jill Emery leaving the band and drummer Caroline Rue being fired after the first release "Pretty On The Inside," leaving room for Leseley Hardy and Patty Schemel to pick up where the first two had left off. Hardy didn't last very long with the band, in fact she only recording one song with them. Schemel on the other hand stuck around for another 8 or so years.

When Hardy's replacement Kristen Pfaff died of an overdose, the bassist most Hole fans are familiar joined the band for its duration: Melissa Aufder Maur. Finally Schemel left the band as their drummer and left the position to Samantha Maloney. By the time Hole disbanded, leaving each member on their own, they had released a total of six solid records. All were grunge, all were
different, and all were amazing. Their first "Pretty On The inside" was released on September 17, 1991 and spawned such singles as "Teenage Whore" and "Garbadge Man". Setting up the foundation of who they were and what their sound was was key on this album. And Love - the front woman and the embodiment of what Hole was - knew that. So much that she had no problems gargling a certain alcohol (whiskey) to give her voice that rough edged, grunge sound.

Following this was the 1994 release of "Live Through This." It's the album that most fans started out with, that most fans loved and listened to for days on end. It landed them a spot on Spin Magazine's 100 Best Albums list ("Live Through This" appeared as number 19 on the list), it was home to not one or two singles but five ("Violet," "Doll Parts," "Miss World," "Asking For It," and "Softer, Softest.") The next three albums released by Hole included two EPs called "Ask For It" and "The First Session" and a full album of rarities, besides, live performances, and demos called "My Body, The Hand Granade." These three albums were not as pivotal in Hole's career as "Pretty On The Inside," "Live Through This" and their last release "Celebrity Skin" but if you were a Hole fan, you have them, and you treasure these. The last album Hole released before they disbanded was 1998's "Celebrity Skin" which made Hole a household name - having several singles played on the radio and several accompanying videos ("Celebrity Skin," "Malibu," and "Aweful.")

Since then Hole has disbanded, each member taking a step in their own direction, on their own musical paths. Front woman Courtney Love has been busy raising daughter Francis Bean, making several court and rehab appearances, has released a solo album titled "America's Sweetheart" and is prepping for the release of her second solo "Nobody's Daughter" due out this October. Erlandson has bounced around from project to project helping fellow musicians like Melissa Auf der Maur and has started his own project, PRIICCEE, which has toured both the US, Canada, and even Japan. Auf der Maur has also had many musical experiences since leaving Hole. She has also played and toured with the Smashing Pumpkins, Rufus Wainwright, and more. As an accomplished musician she has also released her solo album in 2004.

Finally, drummer Samanthan Maloney has played for famed Motley Crue, and has even since worked with Courtney Love on Love's solo album "America's Sweetheart." Recently she has contributed to Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna's book Cherry Bomb along with other entertainers Dita Von Teese, Tori Amos, Terri Nunn, Lisa Loeb, and Betsey Johnson. Hole will always be remembered for their front woman's antics, but more importantly will be remembered for the fans they collected, for the stellar albums, and for the music that they made!

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