The Birth of Punk

In April 1976, the Ramones from Queens, New York released a single called "Blitzkrieg Bop." Critics loved its raw authenticity and primitive sound, but it wasn't until the band went to England and met members of the Sex Pistols and the Clash that their music took off. It was the birth of a new sound and look that became known as punk rock.  

Critics and fans consider CBGB in New York City as the birthplace of punk. It was a dingy club on Manhattan's Lower East Side where bands like Blondie, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and The Ramones hit the stage.

By September 1976, the Ramones were picking up steam internationally. They crossed the border to play a concert in Toronto, which helped ignite a Canadian punk scene that introduced bands like Teenage Head, The Diodes and the Viletones. 

 American punk was loud, energetic and outrageous, but it also had a bohemian, almost beatnik feel to it. The British brand of punk was angrier, more aggressive and more frightening to outsiders. The punk look was brash and in-your-face: safety pins pierced through clothing and skin, black leather studded with metal spikes along with a permanent snarl. England's contribution to punk rock, the Sex Pistols, were hot with kids and feared by their parents.

When the girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died under suspicious circumstances, and then Vicious himself died of a heroin overdose some months later in February 1979, fans wondered if it was the end of punk rock itself. And although CBGB closed in 2006 the club kept on booking punk bands. 

Joey Ramone died in April 2001. For information on the annual celebration held in his honour in New York City, visit the CBGB website. While you're there, check out articles written about the Los Angeles Punk scene, the top 10 gigs that made CBGB famous, and Talking Heads Chris Frantz's take on the Ramones secret to punk rock success. 

For a look at "The Women of the Punk Scene 35 Years On" mounted by British photographer Anita Corbin, visit the BBC Radio website.

Music Played:
Blitzkrieg Bop- the Ramones
Red Rubber Ball- the Diodes
London Calling- The Clash
Anarchy in the U.K.- The Sex Pistols

For more on the birth of punk rock, listen to CBC Radio's Day 6.

Some of your letters:

The one report that you failed to mention was an interview with Rod Stewart where he responded to the flack thrown against the established rock and roll superstars by saying that "there are no safety pins falling off of me". It remains my favourite saying from that period as it encapsulates the two extremes of music at that point in time. As Stewart says in his autobiography, you couldn't move from one field of music to another without risking very heavy media lambasting your work. 
 Wayne K

If there was a "favourite," I really liked "The Demics" ... a band from London, ONTARIO! (how perfect was that?)
Rick G (Kitchener)

I forgot how angry punk made the parents and conservatives. But isn't that why we loved it!  A s a child of working class immigrants, we didn't fit in to the ultra white suburban landscape. Along comes this music and uniform. If you can't fit in, don't bother trying. As a 52 year old working class man, the attitude still resounds in my head. When the ruling elite completely disregard the average person.... Bring on the Punk. By the way, managed to see the Ramones 13 times. Thanks Punk Rock.
Harold F