Wayne Kramer

Wayne Kramer
Kramer in 2018
Kramer in 2018
Background information
Birth nameWayne Stanley Kambes
Born(1948-04-30)April 30, 1948
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 2, 2024(2024-02-02) (aged 75)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • bass
  • vocals
Years active1964–2024
Labels
Formerly ofMC5
SpouseMargaret Saadi[1]
Websitewww.waynekramer.com

Wayne Stanley Kramer ( Kambes; April 30, 1948 – February 2, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and film and television composer. Kramer came to prominence in the 1960s as the lead guitarist of the Detroit rock band MC5.

Kramer and guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith co-founded the MC5 in 1963, with vocalist Rob Tyner, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson joining shortly after. The MC5 became known for their powerful live performances and radical left-wing political stance. The group broke up amid government harassment, poverty, and drug abuse. For Kramer, this led to several fallow years as he battled drug addiction before returning to an active recording and performing schedule in the 1990s. Kramer also founded the independent initiative Jail Guitar Doors, USA with Billy Bragg and Margaret Saadi Kramer in 2009. The project was named after a song by The Clash, which the band had written as the 'B' side of Clash City Rockers in dedication to Kramer and to raise awareness of his term in prison.The song opens with the lines "Let me tell you 'bout Wayne and his deals of cocaine", which is a reference to Wayne Kramer's internment. [2]

Rolling Stone ranked him among the "100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time".

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Wayne Kramer on Jail Guitar Doors: 'We have no shortage of prisons'". Digital Spy. July 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2015.