Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Jack White & More Honor MC5’s Wayne Kramer
Kramer died on Friday, February 2 at age 75.
By Andy Kahn Feb 5, 2024 • 10:01 am PST
Wayne Kramer, the co-founding guitarist of the influential Detroit-based rock band the MC5, died on Friday, February 2 at age 75. Fellow Detroit natives Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper and Jack White were among the many musicians who paid tribute to the beloved rocker and activist.
According to Kramer’s social media accounts, he died from pancreatic cancer.
Kramer was born in Detroit on April 30, 1948. As a teen he befriended Fred “Sonic” Smith and the two co-founded the MC5 in 1963, solidifying the classic lineup with vocalist Rob Tyner, bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson.
“I’ve spent the last 50 years of my life playing the music of the MC5,” Kramer said. “When I started, I didn’t even have a driver’s license. But what I did have was an electric guitar, and friends who saw the world the same way I did. We would meet in the basement of my house in Detroit to play. We created this music together.”
Noted for their explosively energetic live performances and influenced by the likes of John Coltrane and free jazz, MC5 soon established themselves among the must-see acts performing in Detroit in the mid-1960s. The group was managed by noted activist/poet John Sinclair. Now considered proto-punk, MC5 created a singular sound that influenced a generation of bands in Detroit and far beyond.
The MC5 released their debut album, the landmark Kick Out The Jams, in 1969. The short-lived group lasted through two additional albums, 1970’s Back In The USA and 1971’s High Time. Internal and external conflicts led to MC5’s breakup in 1972.
Kramer spent the next several years dealing with drug addiction and alcoholism and was arrested serval times. In 1975, Kramer was sentenced to four years in prison for selling drugs to an undercover federal agent. Kramer was released from prison in 1979 and soon began working with the Detroit-based band Was Not Was. Kramer was also involved in a short-lived project with Johnny Thunders called Gang War.
Kramer’s first solo album Death Tongue, came out in 1991. Subsequent solo albums followed with 1995’s The Hard Stuff, 1996’s Dangerous Madness, 1997’s Citizen Wayne and 2002’s Adult World.
Kramer was an outspoken opponent of the Viet-Nam War and was an ardent supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. Later in life, Kramer became involved in the Jail Guitar Doors independent initiative established by Billy Bragg, who named the initiative after The Clash song referencing Kramer’s prison stint.
Kramer recently completed the fourth MC5 album, which is expected to be released soon. Acclaimed producer Bob Ezrin recorded the pending release, which features the only surviving original member of the band, drummer Dennis Thompson, on two songs.
Referencing the first track on Kick Out The Jams (“Ramblin’ Rose”), Iggy Pop – who formed The Stooges in Detroit in 1967 – memorialized Kramer, who he’d known since childhood, by stating:
“Dear Wayne, wherever you are, thanks for all the wonderful days, and all the killer music. There would have been no Stooges without your support.
“You were a ‘Ramblin’ Rose.’”
View additional tributed posted by Alice Cooper, Jack White, Tom Morello, Joe Walsh, Slash and others below:
