Iggy Pop is one of the most influential rock singers of all time and a major player in the rise of punk music. He is best known for his work with the Stooges, an influential proto-punk rock band that he co-founded in the late 1960s.
Born James Osterberg Jr. in 1947, Iggy Pop had a considerable influence on American rock music. As a kid, Iggy idolized Muddy Waters and Buddy Holly, and as a teenager, he joined a rock band called the Iguanas. After graduating high school, Iggy enlisted in the military, but he was soon discharged due to a mental breakdown. He then moved to Chicago and formed the Stooges.
Iggy Pop and the Stooges rose to prominence in 1969 with their landmark debut album, “The Stooges.” The album featured a mix of hard-edged rock, garage-style punk and really raw, experimental sounds. The album gained immediate rave reviews and started a movement that would become known as punk rock.
Throughout the 1970s, Iggy and the Stooges produced a string of classic albums and singles, such as “Search and Destroy,” “Down on the Street,” and “Raw Power.” Singles like these showed Iggy's unique ability to bridge hard- rock and punk into one powerful statement. He toured the United States and Europe, and performed with mayhem, featuring theatrical stunts like cutting himself with broken glass and jumping into the audience.
However, by the late 1970s, the Stooges had disbanded and Iggy was struggling with drug addiction. He eventually kicked his addiction and, in the 1980s, began a solo career that garnered significant critical and commercial success. He scored a Grammy nomination for the album, “Blah Blah Blah,” and continued to tour the United States and overseas in support of his solo releases.
Iggy's career, however, continues to be defined by his work in the Stooges. In 2003, Iggy reunited with original Stooges members Ron and Scott Asheton, and continued to perform together in the years following. In 2007, the Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a fitting crowning achievement for a man who has been described as one of the progenitors of punk rock.
Today, Iggy Pop is an elder statesman of rock who continues to influence a wide range of musicians with his distinct mix of raw energy and punk attitude. His legacy lives on in the many music acts he’s inspired and his work with the Stooges firmly cemented his place in rock and roll history.