Music of Michigan - Rock

Rock

Further information: Music of Detroit

Detroit was a center of the 1960s garage rock scene, with such legendary bands as The Amboy Dukes (featuring guitarist Ted Nugent), The Bob Seger System, ? and the Mysterians, the MC5, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. In the 1970s, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, and Grand Funk Railroad (from Flint, Michigan) were popular rock stars.

The Hideout teen clubs in the Detroit suburbs in the mid-1960s were a hotbed for such influential groups as the Fugitives, The Pleasure Seekers/Cradle, and the Underdogs.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, punk rock pioneers like the MC5 and The Stooges (with lead singer Iggy Pop, born in Muskegon, MI) came from southeastern Michigan. These performers had incendiary lyrics and outrageous, highly physical live shows. ? and the Mysterians, who had a Billboard #1 hit in 1966 with "96 Tears," are widely credited as influencing many later garage-punk bands; the Mysterians' sound melded Tex-Mex influences and James Brown-style soul.

The "new wave" original rock scene of the late 1970s included vinyl record releases by the film-influenced Cinecyde, whose label Tremor Records released singles, EPs, and LPs by the group and many other local, like-minded artists. The Ann Arbor-based group Destroy All Monsters began as an art-oriented experimental group but soon evolved into a hard rock band with a psychedelic edge, prominently due to the presence of Ron Asheton (The Stooges) and Michael Davis (MC5). Vocalist Niagara, a founding group member, would also gain notoriety for her film noir-influenced graphic pop art in later years.

In the 1990s, East Lansing band The Verve Pipe rose to brief stardom with the hit "Freshmen," and Sponge had moderate national success with a dual-guitar sound reminiscent of the MC5. Romeo, MI native Kid Rock gained national prominence in 1999 with his album "Devil Without A Cause," which melded his background as a rapper with other influences from Detroit-based musicians and genres (e.g., Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, and Motown).

The first decade of the 21st century has seen a further revival of the Detroit garage rock sound, typified by bands such as The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, and The Detroit Cobras.

Notable post-hardcore bands include Drawing Mountains of Sterling Heights, Chiodos of Flint, and La Dispute (band) of Grand Rapids.

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Famous quotes containing the word rock:

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