Wayne Kramer, the co-founder and guitarist of the influential Detroit rock band MC5, has passed away at the age of 75 due to pancreatic cancer. His death was announced on his official social media pages on Friday.
Kramer was born in Detroit on April 30, 1948, and grew up in the suburb of Lincoln Park. He started playing guitar at the age of 10, and formed his first band, the Bounty Hunters, with his friend Fred “Sonic” Smith in 1964. The band later changed its name to MC5, short for Motor City Five, and added vocalist Rob Tyner, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson to the lineup.
MC5 quickly became a sensation in the Detroit music scene, playing at venues such as the Grande Ballroom and the Eastown Theater. The band was known for its loud, energetic, and politically charged music, which combined elements of rock, blues, soul, and free jazz.
They aligned themselves with the counterculture movement, supporting causes such as civil rights, anti-war, and anti-establishment. The band’s manager, John Sinclair, was the founder of the radical White Panther Party, which advocated for “total assault on the culture by any means necessary”.
The band’s debut album, Kick Out the Jams, was released in 1969, and captured the band’s live performance at the Grande Ballroom. However, it also caused controversy for its profane language and anti-authoritarian message, leading to the band being dropped by their label, Elektra Records.
The band then signed with Atlantic Records, and released two more studio albums, Back in the USA in 1970, and High Time in 1971. Both albums received critical acclaim, but failed to achieve commercial success. The band also faced legal troubles, drug problems, and internal conflicts, which led to their breakup in 1972.
Kramer continued his musical career, playing with various bands and artists, such as Johnny Thunders, Was (Not Was), and Lemmy Kilmister. He also pursued a solo career, releasing several albums, such as The Hard Stuff in 1995, and Lexington in 2014. He also faced personal challenges, such as drug addiction, incarceration, and divorce.
In 2003, Kramer reunited with the surviving members of MC5, Smith and Thompson, for a tribute concert to Tyner, who died in 1991. Davis, who died in 2012, was replaced by various guest bassists. The band continued to perform sporadically until 2018, when Kramer formed MC50, a new lineup featuring Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, Billy Gould of Faith No More, Marcus Durant of Zen Guerrilla, and Brendan Canty of Fugazi. The band toured to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kick Out the Jams, and planned to release new music.
Wayne Kramer was widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. He was ranked at number 92 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists in 2011.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Saadi Kramer, and his son, Francis Bean Kramer.
