10 Most Important Acts That Shaped Punk Rock Music
4. MC5
The full story of punk can not be told without the inclusion of Detroit's '60s band, MC5. Their tale is a swirling mess of political activism, drug running, Black Panther affiliation and no nonsense guitar music. Although, the band had dissolved by 1972, they released three records that became the proto sound of the punk bands to follow.
The group were prominent during the late '60s, drawing large crowds with their anti-racist, anti-Vietnam War sentiments. Often performing at rallies, they were proponents of the White Panthers, a political group offering support and solidarity to the Black Panther movement.
Their first album Kick Out The Jams, was widely acclaimed at the time, helping push the bands popularity; their second record, Back In The USA, radically altered their sound, with far punchier guitar parts that would be emulated by punk groups to follow. By the time their third album came out, the group was falling apart with members becoming consumed by drug abuse and alcoholism. The band slowly drifted out of relevance and dissolved in 1972.
Guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, would go on to form several other bands and eventually married Patti Smith, helping push her career.