Wayne Kramer, co-founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of the legendary Detroit band MC5, has died. The news was confirmed on Kramer and the band's social media pages. The follow-up message read: “Wayne Kramer passed away peacefully today from pancreatic cancer.” He will be remembered for starting a revolution in music, culture and kindness. Kramer was 75 years old.
Kramer was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and founded MC5 in nearby Lincoln Park with fellow guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith and singer Rob Tyner. In 1967, the band – short for Motor City 5 – became the house band at Detroit's Grande Ballroom, and was managed by John Sinclair, a poet, left-wing activist and co-founder of the White Panther Party. Combined with progressive politics, Sinclair introduced the 20-year-old Kramer to the world of free jazz, an influence they incorporated into the band's increasingly heavier sound. They protested the Vietnam War by playing out the Democratic National Convention in 1968.
MC5 signed to Elektra, and their debut album, Fire the nanniesIt was recorded live at Detroit's Grande Ballroom and released in 1969. The band released two more major label albums, 1971 Back in the USA And 1972 Peak timefor Atlantic Records, before playing a farewell show at the Grande Ballroom on December 31, 1972.
In 1975, Kramer was convicted of, among other charges, selling drugs to undercover officials, and was sentenced to four years in prison. While at FMC Lexington, he befriended Red Rooney, a jazz drummer who played with Charlie Parker. Upon his release, he briefly collaborated with Johnny Thunders in Gang War and joined Was (Not Was).
In 1994, Kramer signed with Epitaph, and released his solo debut, The hard stuff, the following year. He published a memoir of the same name in 2018. He released two more solo albums in the 1990s. Dangerous madness And Where is the citizen?, and in 2001, formed a supergroup to perform the music of the MC5 that included the likes of Ian Astbury of Cult and Lemmy of Motorhead. In 2009, Kramer, his wife Margaret Saadi Kramer, and Billy Bragg launched Jail Guitar Doors, providing instruments, workshops, and prison gigs across America. A new MC5 version was scheduled for release in the spring of 2024.
Among those who paid tribute to Kramer after his death was former Rage Against the Machine collaborator and guitarist Tom Morello, who wrote on Instagram: “Brother Wayne Kramer was the best man I ever knew. He possessed a unique blend of profound wisdom, profound compassion and empathy.” Beautiful and firm conviction.
