Best Rock Biographer

His oft-rockin' colleagues at the UW Daily and the Northwest rock magazine The Rocket were amused by Charles R. Cross' presumption—he was forever hitting up publications you're supposed to wind up at, not start at. Instantly discovered by hipster Esquire editor Adam Moss (future culture majordomo of The New York Times and New York), Cross promptly began writing for Esquire and all major music mags, bought The Rocket from his fellow anarcho- syndicalist co-founders, and batted out biographies of Springsteen and Zeppelin. Under him, The Rocket became the school paper of the grunge scene, arguably making it all possible (with help from SW's then-editor, David Brewster, who became grunge's inadvertent godfather by virtually banning pop music from SW, funneling ad dollars into Cross' rock-crazed mitts). Incredibly, Cross persuaded the stern mullahs of grunge to break their silence on Kurt Cobain, and published the definitive, prizewinning New York Times best-seller bio Heavier Than Heaven, followed by this summer's opus Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix. Cross' contribution to Northwest music is unique— he gave Nirvana its first magazine cover and erstwhile Rocket intern Ann Powers a boost en route to becoming the nation's best rock critic. He's also one of the most accomplished authors on any topic in local history. A working title for his Cobain book was The Will of Instinct. Cross has it, too. www.charlesrcross.com.