MC5

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• Genre: Punk Pioneers
• Hometown: Detroit

About

Along with Iggy and the Stooges, the hyper rock 'n' roll freak-beat of Detroit's Motor City Five helped inspire the English Punk rock movement of the late 1970s. Their empathy with the Black Panther political party found them forming the White Panthers with the help of revolutionary John Sinclair, who got them signed to Elektra. The amazing thing about the music of the MC5 is that it's saturated in soul. Even though their fans associate them with the roots of Punk, the band grew up listening to the rich cornucopia of soul music coming out of Motown radio, and it found a way into their songs. Just listen to the doo-wop harmonies on "Kick Out the Jams" and "Teenage Lust" or their cover of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and you'll understand that this strange juxtaposition of Punk and soul actually makes a lot of musical sense. Although they never achieved much commercial success, the MC5's cult following continues to grow like untamed afros in the wind.

- Eric Shea