# 3 Forgotten 70s Rock Bands That Inspired Grunge

> Bay City Rollers, Cheap Trick, and Sir Lord Baltimore shaped 90s grunge through 70s rock experiments.
- Title: 3 Forgotten 70s Rock Bands That Inspired Grunge · VICE
- Summary: Bay City Rollers, Cheap Trick, and Sir Lord Baltimore shaped 90s grunge through 70s rock experiments. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden credited 70s bands…
- Keywords: bay city rollers, cheap trick, sir lord baltimore, grunge, nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, 70s rock, 90s alternative, VICE
- Source: VICE — https://vice.com/en/article/3-forgotten-70s-rock-bands-that-directly-inspired-the-grunge-movement-of-the-90s
- Author: Dan Milam
- Published: 2026-11-04T21:54:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: bay city rollers, cheap trick, sir lord baltimore, grunge, nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, 70s rock, 90s alternative, news, culture
## Bay City Rollers
Scottish bubblegum pop rock band Bay City Rollers influenced grunge bands through catchy songwriting.

> All in all, I think we sound like Bay City Rollers after an assault by Black Sabbath
## Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick's 1970s rock anthems inspired grunge bands with lyrics about world war ii kamikaze pilots.

> Auf Wiedersehen
## Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore's 1970 debut album Kingdom Come predicted grunge's heavy metal sound.

> Kingdom Come
## Key takeaway

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden credited 70s bands like Bay City Rollers and Cheap Trick for influencing grunge's raw sound.