Iggy and the Stooges

Iggy and the Stooges, American rock band, initially active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, that helped define punk music. Both with the Stooges and in his subsequent solo career, Iggy Pop had a far-reaching influence on later performers. The principal members of the band were vocalist Iggy Pop (original name James Jewel Osterberg; b. April 21, 1947, Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.), bassist Dave Alexander (b. June 3, 1947, Whitmore Lake, Michigan—d. February 10, 1975, Ann Arbor, Michigan), guitarist Ron Asheton (b. July 17, 1948, Washington, D.C.—found dead January 6, 2009, Ann Arbor), and drummer Scott Asheton (b. August 16, 1949, Ann Arbor—d. March 15, 2014, Ann Arbor).

In 1967 Osterberg formed the Psychedelic Stooges, taking the name Iggy Stooge. In 1969, its name shortened to the Stooges, the band released its eponymic first album, produced by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale. “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “No Fun” became proto-punk classics, mixing raw, abrasive rock with insolent lyrics. Destructively energetic and furious, the debut and the band’s second album, Fun House (1970)—along with Iggy’s outrageous onstage performances, in which he smeared himself with peanut butter and rolled on broken glass—secured the band’s cult status. In 1973 the group released Raw Power, with production help from David Bowie, before disbanding the following year.

In 1977 Iggy—having renamed himself Iggy Pop—released two solo albums, The Idiot and Lust for Life, both produced and cowritten by Bowie in Berlin. The albums, which revealed a new maturity, were praised by critics and gave Iggy his first commercial success. He continued recording through the 1980s and ’90s, scoring hits with the new wave-influenced Blah Blah Blah (1986) and the unabashedly pop Brick by Brick (1990). The latter included “Candy,” a duet with Kate Pierson of the B-52s and Iggy’s first top 40 single. Iggy also made minor forays into acting, appearing in a number of independent films and lending his trademark drawl to animated characters on television and the big screen.

Britannica Quiz

Rock Music and Rock ’n’ Roll

In 2003 he reunited the Stooges at the Coachella Valley Festival, former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt filling in for Dave Alexander, who had died in 1975. The enthusiastic reception that greeted the band prompted a three-year tour of festivals in Asia, Europe, and North America. A performance in Tokyo was captured for the live album Telluric Chaos (2005). The Stooges returned to the studio for the first time in more than three decades to record The Weirdness (2007). While the album met with disappointing reviews, the supporting world tour presented the classic Stooges to a new generation of fans. Following the 2009 death of Ron Asheton, guitarist James Williamson, who had played a key role on Raw Power, rejoined the band, which subsequently issued Ready to Die (2013). The 2014 death of Scott Asheton, however, seemed to mark a definitive end to the band. Iggy subsequently released the well-received Post Pop Depression (2016) and the more atmospheric Free (2019). The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and Iggy Pop received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 2020.