‘Godmother of Grunge’: Seattle music icons gather to honor music pioneer Tina Bell

Tina Bell was the lead singer of Bam Bam, an early grunge band that inspired several other acts in Seattle’s grunge movement.

SEATTLE – Seattle’s music icons gathered at the Central Saloon on Friday to pay tribute to one of the grunge scene’s early influencers, Tina Bell.

Tina Bell was the front woman for Bam Bam, an early grunge band that inspired several Seattle grunge stars.

Matt Cameron, former drummer for Bam Bam and Soundgarden and current drummer for Pearl Jam, played at the event with Jenelle Roccaforte, Kendall Jones of Fishbone and Stone Gossard, lead guitarist of Pearl Jam.

TJ Martin, son of Bam Bam founders Tina Bell and Tommy Martin, said the event was meant to commemorate the band’s influence on a movement associated with white men.

“A lot of people think they were the first to hit the grunge scene,” said Martin. “In a community that consisted mostly of white male musicians, Bam Bam was led by a black woman.”

“We correct history, so to speak, to simply remember their contributions to the music,” said Martin. “I think people are losing sight of the courage it took for a young black woman with a kid to lead a punk band in Seattle, Washington.”

“Bam Bam was the band that other bands went to,” said Shane Stone, former Tommy Martin guitar technician.

“For a lot of people this will be kind of a look back or an explosion into the past, but for me this is my childhood soundtrack,” said Martin.