Punk is Black!

Punk music, as a genre, has a long and illustrious history, and most music historians list the first ‘punk’ records as The Stooges’ 1969 album, or the MC5’s ‘Kick Out the Jams’ (also released in 1969) – some go further back to the US garage scene of the mid-1960’s, either way, the frequently told history of punk music is seemingly dominated by white artists, particularly white males. A section of that history which is often ignored, forgotten or even omitted is the vital contributions of some incredible black artists. 

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, for instance, released the single ‘I Put A Spell On You’ all the way back in 1956 (a full 11 years before the Stooges even formed) and whilst the song itself isn’t outright punk music in terms of lyrical content, it incorporates many of the devices later characterised as ‘punk’, such as Hawkins strained, desperate shouting vocals and outlandish, shocking live performances. 

A Detroit three-piece called Death recorded what is, in my eyes, one of the definitive punk anthems ‘Politicians In My Eyes’ in 1975 thus pre-dating the Ramones’ first album (widely regarded as the first out-and-out punk record). The single only sold 500 copies at the time and the band was largely ignored until 2009 when Drag City Records released the demos Death had recorded back in 1975 to critical acclaim. A detail that is often not recognised in the story of Death is that ‘Politicians In My Eyes’ was self-released on their own record label, thereby making Death one of the first independent bands to exist, years before Buzzcocks self-released their EP ‘Spiral Scratch’, credited with starting independent or ‘indie’ music.

The UK punk scene, the start of which is signified by the release of ‘New Rose’ by the Damned in October 1976, was seemingly dominated by three white male bands: Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Damned. I would argue, however, that some of the greatest records of that era were created by X-Ray Spex, led by Marianne Joan Elliot-Said (better known as Poly Styrene) whose overt feminism and politically charged anthems marked her out from the more mainstream punk artists of the time as being someone with something significant to say, as opposed to The Damned whose lyrical content was often closer to love than rebellion, or the Sex Pistols who were simply manufactured by Malcolm McLaren to cause outrage and profit. 

So why were these artists so largely ignored during their time? Why are they not widely credited for the invaluable impact they had upon the genre? Is it simply due to their race? In short, yes. The music industry, and particularly white musicians have always, for want of a better phrase, ripped off a plethora of black artists for personal gain. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and a countless array of other early rock and roll musicians highjacked songs penned by black blues/soul musicians in order to further their own success, often not giving these artists credit of royalties. So, following the same logic, it makes sense that the artists included in this article were ignored in favour of their white counterparts. The facts remain, however, that without Jay Hawkins there would be no Iggy Pop, without Death there would be no Dead Kennedys, and without Poly Styrene there would be no Riot Grrl. Every great musical movement was pioneered by black artists: from jazz in the 1920’s, to rock ‘n’ roll in the 50’s, ska and reggae in the 60’s – up to the Acid House dance music of the late 80’s and 90’s. Punk music is no exception this rule, and it goes without saying that these artists deserve much more support and recognition than they currently hold. I only spoke about three main artists in this article, but there are countless other amazing black/black-fronted punk bands you should check out: Bad Brains, Negro Terror, Bob Vylan, Big Joanie, Crystal Axis and The OBGMS to name just a few. Stop the whitewashing of music. Support black artists.