Stooges

The Stooges are an American rock band that was first active from about 1967 to 1974, and then reformed in 2003.

The Stooges - like their contemporaries The Velvet Underground - sold rather few records in their original existence and often performed for indifferent or hostile audiences. And again as has been said about The Velvet Underground, the rather small numbers of people who first bought The Stooges' records were often inspired to form bands of their own.

Nevertheless, The Stooges are often regarded as hugely influential both on the then-nascent heavy metal music and on later punk rock (see protopunk). Singer Iggy Pop and his wild onstage antics were often the focus of attention.

Iggy Pop (b. James Osterberg) played in several Ann Arbor, Michigan-area bands as a teenager, including The Prime Movers and The Iguanas. Iggy was inspired to form The Stooges after witnessing a Doors concert in Ann Arbor. Ron (guitar) and Scott Asheton (drums), two brothers, joined up along with their friend Dave Alexander (bass guitar). The band's debut was at a Halloween concert at the University of Michigan in 1967. The Stooges were originally billed at the Grand...