– Wayne Kramer co-founder of MC5 punk band
– Wayne Kramer dies at 75.
Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder of MC5 Punk Band, Dies at 75
Wayne Kramer, co-founder of the legendary MC5 punk band, passed away on Friday at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. His close friend and executive director of Kramer’s nonprofit Jail Guitar Doors USA, Jason Heath, confirmed the news, stating that Kramer died from pancreatic cancer.
A Revolutionary Spirit
In the late 1960s to early 1970s, the MC5, featuring Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith on guitars, Rob Tyner on vocals, Michael Davis on bass, and Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson on drums, embodied the revolutionary spirit of the time. Managed by White Panther co-founder John Sinclair, the band was known for their raw and uncompromising music, which they envisioned as the soundtrack for the uprising to come.
“Brother Wayne Kramer was the best man I’ve ever known,” wrote Tom Morello, guitarist of Rage Against the Machine, in an Instagram post. “He possessed a one-of-a-kind mixture of deep wisdom and profound compassion, beautiful empathy, and tenacious conviction. His band, the MC5, basically invented punk rock music.”
Although the MC5 had limited commercial success and their core lineup disbanded in the early 1970s, their legacy endured. Kramer, who faced legal battles and struggled with substance abuse, shared his story in the 2018 memoir “The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities.”
Continuing the Legacy
Kramer’s influence in the music industry continues to this day. He collaborated with other musicians on a new MC5 album titled “Heavy Lifting,” set to be released this spring. The album includes contributions from Slash, Vernon Reid, William DuVall of Alice in Chains, and Tom Morello himself.
Reflecting on the MC5’s impact, Kramer told Mojo magazine in December, “Pushing music forward, carrying a message of self-efficacy and empowerment – and just to have fun – it’s all in the MC5. Creativity is the solution for the challenges we face.”
Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson is now the sole surviving member of the band.
The Birth of MC5
Kramer and Smith had been friends since their teenage years and played with various musicians in Detroit before forming the core lineup of the MC5 in the mid-1960s. Inspired by bands like the Rolling Stones and the Who, they called themselves the MC5, short for Motor City Five.
By 1968, the band had garnered a substantial local following and embraced influences from Marxism, the White Panthers, the Beats, and other social-political movements. The MC5 stood out for their radical politics, as well as their loud and daring music. They were the only band to perform during the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where anti-war protesters faced police brutality.
Legacy and Personal Struggles
“Kick Out the Jams” remains the MC5’s most famous song, known for its rebellious lyrics and powerful energy. Their live album of the same name reached the top 40 in 1969, marking their highest-charting release. The band also released studio albums “Back in the USA” and “High Time” before disbanding in 1972.
In the following decades, Kramer led various incarnations of the MC5 and performed with other groups, including Was (Not Was). However, he also faced personal struggles and was involved in the Detroit criminal underworld for a period. In 1975, he was arrested on drug charges and served a four-year prison sentence. The nonprofit organization Jail Guitar Doors, named after a Clash song referencing Kramer’s struggles, provides musical instruments to inmates.
Wayne Kramer is survived by his wife, Margaret Saadi, and son, Francis.
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1. Wayne Kramer, co-founder of MC5 punk band, dies at 75
2. Wayne Kramer, co-founder of MC5 punk band, passes away at age 75.
