Wayne Kramer (guitarist)
Wayne Stanley Kramer (né 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.
Wayne Kramer
Wayne Stanley Kambes
February 2, 2024 (aged 75)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Musician
- songwriter
- producer
- Guitar
- bass
- vocals
1964–2024
Margaret Saadi[1]
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.[2]
Rolling Stone ranked him among the "100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time".
Background[edit]
Wayne Stanley Kambes was born in Detroit on April 30, 1948.[1] His parents divorced when he was young, and he was thereafter raised by his mother and stepfather. He was abused by his stepfather, and turned to music as an outlet from the situation.[1] When he was a teenager, he began performing with Fred "Sonic" Smith as MC5.[1] He used the surname Kramer as part of an effort to form an independent identity.[1]
Career[edit]
With MC5[edit]
In 1967, the MC5 were designated "House Band" at Detroit's famous Grande Ballroom and were managed by John Sinclair,[1] a radical left-wing writer and co-founder of the White Panther Party, until 1969 when Sinclair was sentenced to nine and a half years in the Michigan Department of Corrections for giving two joints to an undercover police woman. Sinclair became a mentor to then 20-year-old Kramer and introduced him to the world of free jazz, poetry, and progressive political awareness. They remained close friends.
The MC5 recorded three major label albums including Kick Out The Jams (1969) on Elektra records before moving to Atlantic Records for Back in the USA (1970) and High Time (1971).[1] The MC5 toured the United States extensively and ultimately faced insurmountable challenges both from being banned from the radio and government police agencies for their militant political stance. Unable to tour or sell records and after a last-ditch effort by Ronan O'Rahilly that included a move to London, England, by 1972, the original group disbanded.
Death and tributes[edit]
Kramer died from pancreatic cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75.[1][13][14] His death was announced by the official social media accounts for the MC5, with a statement reading: "Wayne S. Kramer 'PEACE BE WITH YOU' April 30, 1948 – February 2, 2024."[15]
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who cited Kramer as a major influence, wrote: "His band the MC5 basically invented punk rock music... Wayne came through personal trials of fire with drugs and jail time and emerged a transformed soul who went on to save countless lives through his tireless acts of service."[15]
Vernon Reid of Living Colour also paid tribute to Kramer, who he described as both a "punk rock pioneer" and "guitar badass".[16] Slash posted a tribute stating "My life was forever changed for the better when I met this man."[17]