Musician. He was best known as a co-founder of the Detroit rock group Motor City Five also known as MC5 and as co-writer of their controversial song Kick Out the Jams. Wayne Kramer was born as Wayne Kambes in Detroit, Michigan. He formed MC5 in 1967 and stayed with them until they broke up in 1972. In 1975, he was convicted of drug charges and spent four years in Federal prison. In 1979, after being released from prison, he moved to New York City and worked with the band Gang Wars. He spent most of the 1980s working as a carpenter. In 1991, Kramer reunited with members of MC5 for a fund-raising concert. Kramer moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and continued recording. In 2018, Kramer announced he was doing a 50th anniversary reunion tour with MC5 that would be called MC50. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him among the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2021, Kramer recorded and played on Alice Cooper's album "Detroit Stories." Wayne Kramer died of pancreatic cancer on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75. In 2024, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of MC5 under the Musical Excellence category.
Musician. He was best known as a co-founder of the Detroit rock group Motor City Five also known as MC5 and as co-writer of their controversial song Kick Out the Jams. Wayne Kramer was born as Wayne Kambes in Detroit, Michigan. He formed MC5 in 1967 and stayed with them until they broke up in 1972. In 1975, he was convicted of drug charges and spent four years in Federal prison. In 1979, after being released from prison, he moved to New York City and worked with the band Gang Wars. He spent most of the 1980s working as a carpenter. In 1991, Kramer reunited with members of MC5 for a fund-raising concert. Kramer moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and continued recording. In 2018, Kramer announced he was doing a 50th anniversary reunion tour with MC5 that would be called MC50. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him among the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2021, Kramer recorded and played on Alice Cooper's album "Detroit Stories." Wayne Kramer died of pancreatic cancer on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75. In 2024, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of MC5 under the Musical Excellence category.
Bio by: J&R Miller
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