Wayne Kramer (guitarist)

Wayne Kramer

Wayne Kramer at Road Recovery Benefit, Nokia Times Square Theater, 2009
(Photo Credit: Tracy Ketcher)
Background information
Birth name Wayne Kambes
Born (1948-04-30) April 30, 1948
Genres Punk rock, hard rock, garage rock, protopunk, blues rock, psychedelic rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, guitarist, composer, producer
Instruments Guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Years active 1964–present
Labels Epitaph Records
Alive Records
MuscleTone
Diesel Motor
Associated acts MC5
Gang War
Mudhoney
Was (not was)
Axis of Justice
GG Allin
The Dumbwaiters
Website www.waynekramer.com

Wayne Kramer (born April 30, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television composer.

Kramer came to prominence as a teenager in 1967 as a co-founder of the Detroit rock group MC5 (Motor City 5), a group known for their powerful live performances and radical left-wing political stance. MC5 broke up amid personality conflicts, drug abuse, and personal problems, which, for Kramer, led to several fallow years, as he battled drug addiction before returning to an active recording and performing schedule in the 1990s.

Rolling Stone ranked him number ninety-two on their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time".

Career

With MC5

MC5 often played at Detroit's famous Grande Ballroom and was managed by John Sinclair, a radical left-wing writer and co-founder of the White Panther Party, until 1970 when Jon Landau took over creative management of the group. After MC5's demise, Kramer spent several years involved in illicit activities due to his ongoing struggle with drug addiction.{{[1]}}

In 1975, he was caught selling cocaine to undercover federal agents and went to prison for over two years at the Lexington Federal Prison in Lexington, Kentucky. While incarcerated he met Red Rodney, the American jazz trumpeter who had played with Charlie Parker's quintet. They played together in the institution's Sunday chapel.

Post MC5

Kramer performing in concert, 1974

Upon his release from prison, he moved to New York City and briefly teamed up with Johnny Thunders. They formed the band Gang War. He also played with popular 1980 band Fats Deacon and the Dumbwaiters, making appearances on "The Uncle Floyd Show", and appearing at all the major clubs of that era. The Dumbwaiters also included drummer Paul Blaccard and bassist Anthony Lombardo.

Kramer also spent much of the 1980s working as a carpenter in the city, where he co-wrote and regularly performed the R&B musical "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz" with Mick Farren at Tramps, among other NY clubs. He recorded with and produced punk rock bands throughout his ten years on New York's Lower East Side, including the notorious singer GG Allin.

In 1979 he joined Was (Not Was) as their first guitarist. Kramer plays on the single "Wheel Me Out." He makes a guest appearance again on their 2008 release "Boo!" on Ryko Records.

Kramer, along with the other surviving members of MC5, reformed in 1991 in a memorial concert to raise money for the family of former lead singer Rob Tyner, who died from a heart attack.

In 1994, Kramer signed to Brett Gurewitz's punk rock label Epitaph Records and began a solo career. He released solo records, including 1995's self-produced The Hard Stuff, which features the band Claw Hammer on most songs, along with appearances from members of The Melvins and The Vandals. In 1996 he released Dangerous Madness. In 1997, he released Citizen Wayne, co-produced by David Was. In 1998, he played with Pere Ubu.[2] In 1999, he released the live record LLMF. In 2002, he released the studio album Adult World.

In 2001, Kramer and his wife and manager Margaret Saadi Kramer launched MuscleTone Records, an independent label. MuscleTone and Levi's Clothing partnered to produce a live performance featuring the MC5's surviving members and guests Ian Astbury (The Cult), Dave Vanian (The Damned) and Lemmy (Motorhead), which they filmed at London's 100 Club for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The event generated worldwide press coverage and prompted a world tour. The tour spanned several years and included dates in Europe, America, Australia, South America and Japan. They have performed together on and off since then with a variety of guests.

Recent events

Kramer also recorded as bassist on the song "Inside Job" for the grunge band Mudhoney for the album he produced, Beyond CyberPunk. In 2006 he was interviewed for the VH1 show The Drug Years and has been interviewed for nearly a dozen programs about the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots in Chicago (outside of which, as part of an anti-war protest, the MC5 performed), for recovery and addiction in rock and roll, and programs about social justice issues.

On August 27, 2008, Kramer made a special guest appearance at political-rock band Rage Against the Machine's protest concert, at the Tent State Music Festival to End the War, in Denver, Colorado during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He joined them on stage and gave a speech, followed by a joint performance of "Kick Out the Jams."

On November 8, 2008, Kramer made a special guest appearance at progressive-rock band Coheed and Cambria's Neverender event in Hollywood, California. He was brought out during the encore act to perform with the band to Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," and added a third guitar part during the solos of Coheed's song, "Welcome Home."

On May 1, 2009 Kramer attended a sold-out benefit where he was honored for his work with the nonprofit Road Recovery at NYC's Nokia Theatre. The following day, on May 2, 2009 he along with fellow musicians Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell, Billy Bragg, Perry Farrell, Gilby Clarke and Don Was among others, played for inmates at Sing Sing prison.

Following the Sing Sing concert, Kramer felt compelled to continue the work of Jail Guitar Doors in the United States. Kramer, Billy Bragg and Margaret Saadi Kramer founded Jail Guitar Doors, USA in 2009. Since that time Kramer has been providing instruments, workshops, and prison concerts across America.

On February 21, 2011 Kramer played with Tom Morello, and The Street Dogs at a free show to support the ongoing pro union rallies at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. 5,000 wrist bands were given out for the free show at the Monona Terrace.

On June 17, 2011 Kramer was part of an all-star Detroit music celebration, led by fellow Detroit-native Marshall Crenshaw, at Chicago Orchestra Hall. This event was part of a series of six concerts called "United Sounds of America," all taking place at COH in June. Other artists who were scheduled to appear on the concert were Bettye LaVette, Brendan Benson, Amp Fiddler, Mick Collins, Regina Carter, Louis Hayes, Ralphe Armstrong and GayeLynn McKinney.[3]

On March 16, 2012 Kramer made a guest appearance with Danish surf trio The Good The Bad at Roky Erickson's Ice Cream Social showcase at Threadgill's World Headquarters, Austin, Texas as part of SXSW festival. Together the quartet played an extended version of "Kick Out The Jams."[4]

On October 23, 2015 Kramer played at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa, at a campaign event for Bernie Sanders, Democratic candidate for president, which also featured Marshall Crenshaw and numerous other performers.

For his work with Jail Guitar Doors USA, Kramer was honored with an Artistic License Award by California Lawyers for the Arts on June 30, 2013 at the William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. Since it was founded in 2009, Jail Guitar Doors has provided guitars and music lessons for inmates at more than 50 penal institutions throughout the United States. Kramer closed the evening playing "Back When Dogs Could Talk," "Jail Guitar Doors," "Sing Me Back Home" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."

Selected discography

With the MC5

Albums

Solo albums

Composer

Kramer's song "Stranger in the House" was featured on the May 16, 1997, Season 1 finale of Millennium, titled "Paper Dove".

Highlights from his scoring work can be heard in the Will Ferrell comedies Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers. Kramer's solo track "Edge of the Switchblade" runs at Talladega's end title credits. He co-composed the score for HBO's controversial 2006 documentary Hacking Democracy, which also featured his song "Something Broken in the Promised Land" as its title track.

Kramer scored the ITVS/PBS documentary The Narcotics Farm about America's decades-long drug war, as well as the accompanying soundtrack album entitled Lexington. He also was narrator for the documentary.

Kramer also composes music for television, including themes for Fox Sports Network's 5-4-3-2-1, Spotlight, In My Own Words and Under the Lights; and E!'s Emmy-nominated series Split Ends as well as the "Unlabeled" Jim Beam commercial.

He scored for the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down, starring Danny McBride and executive produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, which premiered in February 2009.

Influence

The Clash refer to Kramer's drug troubles in their 1977 song "Jail Guitar Doors", whose title has been adopted for an initiative set up by Billy Bragg to provide prison inmates with musical equipment:

Let me tell you 'bout Wayne and his deals of cocaine
A little more every day
Holding for a friend till the band do well
Then the D.E.A. locked him away

The 1996 EP Eno Collaboration by Half Man Half Biscuit includes the song "Get Kramer", which begins:

We've got Kramer
Coming over to produce us
So that we can show off to our specialist friends

and ends:

"I’ll give you Kick Out The Jams"

Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine often cites Kramer as a major influence and now performs with him at Axis Of Justice shows.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.aceweekly.com/1995/08/bang-bang-on-the-jail-guitar-doors-an-ace-interview-with-the-mc5s-wayne-kramer-about-his-time-at-lexingtons-federal-correctional-institution/
  2. ↑ http://ubuprojex.net/faqs/timeline.html
  3. ↑ http://www.absolutelylive.net/event/united-sounds-america-detroit
  4. ↑ https://vimeo.com/39597356
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