Hüsker Dü

Hüsker Dü, American band of the 1980s that melded pop melodies and lyricism with punk music, helping to set the stage for the alternative rock boom of the 1990s. The members were Bob Mould (b. October 12, 1960, Malone, New York, U.S.), Greg Norton (b. March 13, 1959, Rock Island, Illinois), and Grant Hart (in full Grantzberg Vernon Hart; b. March 18, 1961, St. Paul, Minnesota—d. September 13/14, 2017).

Taking the name of a 1950s Scandinavian board game, Hüsker Dü (“Do you remember?”) formed in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1979, when the Minneapolis area was becoming a hotbed of pop music. They won a loyal following by touring steadily, recording frequently, and gaining college radio airplay. Although the band’s musical style on early recordings, such as their debut album, Land Speed Record (1981), was aggressively hardcore punk, their later music revealed the influence of jazz, pop, and psychedelic rock; their Zen Arcade (1984) was one of the few punk-oriented double albums. Celebrated for maintaining their artistic integrity even after moving to a major label with Candy Apple Grey (1986), Hüsker Dü disbanded in 1988 after having produced a string of critically acclaimed albums including New Day Rising (1985), Flip Your Wig (1985), and Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987). Mould later had success with solo projects and as a member of the band Sugar.