Ron Asheton

As a founding member of the legendary Stooges, guitarist Ron Asheton forever changed the face of rock and roll, his raw, primordial riffs presaging the rise of punk by a decade. Born July 17, 1948 in Washington, D.C., he first surfaced in the teen band the Dirty Shames before joining the Iggy Pop-led Stooges in 1967; the Ann Arbor, MI-based group made their live debut on Halloween of that year, earning immediate notoriety for their frighteningly intense live presence and blistering, primitivist sound. Although celebrated in certain underground circles, the band -- also comprising Asheton's drummer brother Scott and bassist Dave Alexander -- was otherwise almost universally reviled, but still they were signed by Elektra to record their self-titled 1969 debut LP; the album sold poorly, as did its successors (1970's Fun House and 1973's Raw Power), but the Stooges' long-term impact was incalculable -- in effect, their aggressive, take-no-prisoners approach laid the groundwork for the emergence of punk.

Read More