MC5

For MC5, the fifth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization, see World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2003.
MC5
MC5 in 1968. From left to right: Wayne Kramer, Dennis Thompson, Michael Davis, Fred "Sonic" Smith, and Rob Tyner.
MC5 in 1968. From left to right: Wayne Kramer, Dennis Thompson, Michael Davis, Fred "Sonic" Smith, and Rob Tyner.
Background information
Also known asBounty Hunters
Motor City Five
MC50
OriginLincoln Park, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1963–1972
  • 1974–1975
  • 1992
  • 2003–2011
  • 2018–2019
  • 2022–2024
Labels
Past membersWayne Kramer
Fred "Sonic" Smith
Rob Tyner
Michael Davis
Dennis Thompson
Leo LeDuc
Billy Vargo
Bob Gaspar
Patrick Burrows
Steve "Annapurna" Moorhouse
Derek Hughes
Ray Craig
Ritchie Dharma
Frank Lowenberg
Bob Schultz
Mark Manko
Tim Schafe
Handsome Dick Manitoba
Gilby Clarke
Marcus Durant
Kim Thayil
Doug Pinnick
Billy Gould
Matt Cameron
Don Was
Brendan Canty

MC5 was an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963.[5][6] The classic line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson. MC5 were listed by Parade as one of the best rock bands of all time[7] and by VH1 as one of the greatest hard rock artists of all time.[8] The band's first three albums are regarded by many as staples of rock music, and their 1969 song "Kick Out the Jams" is widely covered.

"Crystallizing the counterculture movement at its most volatile and threatening",[1] according to AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, MC5's leftist political ties and anti-establishment lyrics and music positioned them as emerging pioneers of the punk movement in the United States.[citation needed] Their loud, energetic style of back-to-basics rock and roll included elements of garage rock, hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello described MC5 as having "basically invented punk rock."[9]

MC5 had a promising beginning that earned them a January 1969 cover appearance on Rolling Stone and a story written by Eric Ehrmann before their debut live album was released.[10] They developed a reputation for energetic and polemical live performances, one of which was recorded as their 1969 debut album Kick Out the Jams. The band released the albums Back in the USA and High Time before disbanding in 1972.

Vocalist Tyner died of a heart attack in late 1991 at the age of 46 and was followed by Fred Smith, who also died of a heart attack, in 1994 at the age of 46. The remaining three members of the band reformed in 2003 with The Dictators' singer Handsome Dick Manitoba as its new vocalist, and this reformed line-up occasionally performed live over the next nine years until Davis died of liver failure in 2012 at the age of 68.

In 2022, Kramer announced that a tour under the banner of We Are All MC5 would take place that spring, and that a new MC5 studio album with producer Bob Ezrin would also be released later that year[11] with original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson playing on two tracks.[12] In 2023, Kramer announced that the album would be released in the spring of 2024.[13] Kramer died February 2, 2024, leaving Thompson as the only surviving original member of the band. In 2024, the MC5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical excellence category. On May 8, 2024, Thompson died at the age of 75. Heavy Lifting, their final album, was released on October 18, 2024.[14]

  1. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "MC5". AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  2. ^ Pinnock, Tom (July 27, 2012). "The Making Of… MC5's Kick Out The Jams". Uncut. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  3. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (March 3, 2014). "John Sinclair: 'We wanted to kick ass – and raise consciousness'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  4. ^ Hann, Michael (June 28, 2008). "MC5/Primal Scream". The Guardian. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  5. ^ Pappademas, Alex (August 22, 2018). "Wayne Kramer, Rock Legend And Failed Outlaw, Assembles A Supergroup In The Rearview". NPR. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "5 Things You Might Not Know About The MC5". Rhino Entertainment. June 21, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Sager, Jessica (October 4, 2021). "The 100 Best Rock Bands of All Time for When You Want to Rock and Roll All Night". Parade. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  8. ^ "VH1: 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists: 1–50". Rock on the Net. February 22, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  9. ^ Baetens, Melody (February 2, 2024). "MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer has died at age 75". The Detroit News. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "1969 Rolling Stone Covers Pictures - RS025". Rolling Stone. January 12, 1969. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  11. ^ McCollum, Brian (May 5, 2022). "MC5 name, legacy get redeployed by Wayne Kramer as he launches tour". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Wayne Kramer Unveils ‘We Are All MC5’ Spring Tour - Yahoo!. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  13. ^ York, Alan (December 27, 2023). "WAYNE KRAMER CALLS NEW MC5 ALBUM 'HEAVY LIFTING' A "GUITAR EXTRAVAGANZA" IN NEW INTERVIEW". Dig!. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  14. ^ Breihan, Tom (June 6, 2024). "MC5 Announce Posthumous 'Heavy Lifting', Their First Album In 53 Years". Stereogum. Retrieved June 6, 2024.