Punk rock bands emerged in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States between 1974 and 1976. The musical origins of the genre stretched out to include garage rock, surf rock, pub rock, glam rock and protopunk music. A typical punk rock band would usually include a drummer, bassist, electric guitar player and vocalist. Today, punk rock bands are divided into many sub genres including gothic rock, Christian punk, art punk, crust punk, Anarcho-punk, glam punk, skate punk, scream and hardcore punk.
Before punk rock bands emerged, many early 60s garage rock bands began building the foundation for the genre. These included the Portland, Oregon based Kingsmen who gained popularity with their cover of Louie, Louie. Many believe that this one song would go on to define the nature and style of future punk rock bands. In 1964, the Kinks hits All Day and All of the Night and You Really Got Me would further develop punk rock. I Don’t Want by the Ramones is directly influenced by the three chord sound of the Kinks. The Who, another product of Kinks influence, would later debut with I Can’t Explain.
The mid 70s precursors to punk rock bands are often referred to as part of the protopunk genre. They were highly influential in the punk rock movement. Protopunk bands like the Detroit-based MC5 caught the eye of the music industry and were also featured in popular publications like Rolling Stone. In 1969, a band called the Stooges emerged with their self-titled album. The Stooges, along with the band’s lead singer Iggy Pop, worked with producer John Cale, formerly of the Velvet Underground, a New York experimental rock group. The Velvet Underground is often considered the “first underground rock band.”
Iggy Pop, who was born James Newell Osterberg, Junior, is considered one of the most influential and innovative members of the punk rock genre. He adopted his name from his first high school band, the Iguanas. He later went on to a solo career and has appeared with famous music industry figures including Madonna and Slash. Iggy Pop is often referred to as the godfather of punk.
The term “punk” was around long before it was used to describe punk rock bands. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the word was often used to refer to prostitutes. It even appeared in The Merry Wives of Windsor as well as Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. Later, the word punk was used to label young male hustlers, gangsters, hoodlums or ruffians. Punk rock bands were given the label after the March 22nd, 1970 edition of the Chicago Tribune published it in reference to the genre.
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