Iggy Pop: biography and career

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Iggy Pop is a rock singer who is not in vain called the godfather of punk rock, the grandfather of grunge, a living legend of hard rock. Over a career spanning more than half a century, he has greatly influenced the development of all alternative music and to this day sets the pace for contemporary representatives of the genre.

Early years

Iggy Pop (real name James Newell Osterberg Jr.) was born on April 21, 1947 in Muskegon, Michigan, USA. His mother, Louella, was an English teacher and his father, James Sr., was a baseball coach. Parents earned little, so the family lived in a trailer. Despite being poor, the elder Osterberg owned a 1949 Cadillac. In this car, little Iggy heard Frank Sinatra for the first time - at that moment he decided that he would become a musician.

Music career

Iggy James Jr. got his nickname from the name of his first rock band The Iguanas, in which he was the drummer. The musician himself decided to supplement the new name with the surname Pop. Later, after moving to Chicago, he played drums in blues clubs. There he created the Psychedelic Stooges, where he took on the role of vocalist. The performance of The Doors, which he visited in 1967, helped reinforce the formation of the image of the newly minted soloist. The extraordinary behavior of Jim Morrison influenced Iggy's style. And so, at a concert in Detroit, which was given by his new band, the young rocker ran up and jumped into the crowd of fans. At the following concerts, he already bared his torso, took off his pants, fell off the stage, as a result of which he finished the performance all smeared with his own blood.

The group's name was shortened to The Stooges, the concerts gathered an ever larger audience, the boundaries between the stage and the hall were blurred, and the punk rocker gained more and more scandalous fame. In addition to style, the musician also worked on the content of the songs. The Stooges released their self- titled debut album in 1969. The first single is I wanna be your dog ("I want to be your dog" - literal translation). Iggy Pop has created a source of inspiration for a large number of aspiring rockers with this creation. The song is still the musician's most famous, as well as one of the most beloved songs among rock music fans. They learn to play the guitar from her, other groups perform it, and even in the movies you can often hear this hit. Iggy Pop's live performance of I wanna be your dog can be seen below.

In 1970 The Stooges released their second album, Fun House. Despite poor sales at the time, Fun House was later recognized as a cult punk record, like its predecessor. Soon the group broke up for a while due to drug addiction.frontman dependencies.

A great influence on the creative and life path of Iggy Pop was provided by David Bowie - at the time of their acquaintance, already a famous and popular rock musician. The friendship that began between the two rockers gave impetus to the creation of a new Iggy album and the reunion of The Stooges. So, in 1973, the third album was released, called Raw Power. The record did not receive critical acclaim, but became part of the "foundation" of punk rock in general. Eminent bands such as Nirvana, The Smiths and the Sex Pistols have noted the album's importance to their work. Due to unsuccessful tours and poor sales of the third album, Iggy once again disbanded his group for a long time. From 1976 to this day, he has been engaged in solo work, periodically reuniting with The Stooges.

Private life

Iggy Pop married three times, but the only child of the punk rocker was born out of wedlock - his son Eric was born in 1970. His mother is Paulette Benson. In 2008, Iggy married flight attendant Nina Alu. Their marriage is valid to this day.