"Creating the soundtrack to the alterna-wave of the 1990s, the Billy Corgan-led Smashing Pumpkins exerted their grunge-injected style of alternative rock music to a drooling American audience, surpassing rock heavyweights Nirvana and Pearl Jam to become the longest-lasting and most successful alternative band of the early ‘90s.Named after an angsty teenage pastime in autumn, the Chicago-based Smashing Pumpkins have relied on frontman Billy Corgan from the band's conception. The son of a jazz guitarist, Corgan grew up around the music business, learning to play the guitar at age 14 before striking up his own goth metal group the Marked in 1985. After the Marked failed to create any sort of buzz, Corgan went back to his Chicago roots, meeting guitarist James Iha at a used-record store in 1988. The two started playing music together, and eventually bassist D'Arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin joined the band to make it a quartet. Dubbing themselves the Smashing Pumpkins, the musicians had earned a loyal local following in the late ‘80s before going big with their debut single ""I Am One"" in 1990. Making their way to Virgin Records, the Smashing Pumpkins had a rocky takeoff before soaring into mainstream success.Eventually, the band struck superstar status with the hit single ""Today"" in 1993, headlining the Lollapalooza festival in 1994 before crafting their wildly successful album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in 1995. Jam-packed with smash singles ""1979,"" ""Bullet with Butterfly Wings,"" ""Zero"" and ""Tonight, Tonight,"" Mellon Collie instantly rose to the number one slot on the charts, selling more than four million copies in the U.S. and going platinum eight times. Just when everyone thought the Smashing Pumpkins were on top of the world, however, the group's touring keyboardist died from a heroin overdose and drummer Chamberlin was fired for his involvement. The rest of the ‘90s were filled with uncertainty, and eventually the Pumpkins launched their farewell tour in 2000, dividing into individual projects thereafter."
