Music of Tennessee - Punk Rock

Punk Rock

Punk rock has had an active scenes in Tennessee, such as the scenes in Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis's River City Hardcore scene in the 1980s and 1990s. A few hardcore punk bands gained a following, including His Hero Is Gone (Memphis), Love Is Red (Nashville, TN), Committee for Public Safety (Nashville), From Ashes Rise (Nashville), and bands like Johnny Fives, The Malignmen and STD (Knoxville).

Knoxville's punk scene began in the late 1970s with Terry Hill's Balboa, and took off around 1981-83 with the more notable early bands including the Five Twins, The Real Hostages, Candy Creme and the Wet Dream, and the hardcore bands Koro and UXB. During that era the scene was based in a series of short-lived nightclubs such as The Place, Hobos, Uncle Sams and Bundulees. Later in the 1980s several Knoxville bands such as the Judybats and Smokin' Dave and the Premo Dopes emerged to wider acclaim not limited to the local Knoxville scene. The scene again reached a peak during the mid-1990s, at that time tied closely to The Mercury Theatre, a popular all-ages venue where many Knoxville bands, such as Superdrag, got their start. After the close of the Mercury, another venue The Neptune opened for a short time under the same management. In 2006, punk began to resurface across the state. Bands Stuck Lucky and The Pigs are actively playing shows. Most bands associated with punk rock in Tennessee drew upon the state's musical heritage as an additional influence to some extent.

The early 1970s power pop band Big Star, cited as a primary influence by many grunge and alternative rock groups since, was from Memphis.