Michael Davis (06/05/1943 - 02/17/2012)
After replacing Pat Burrows in 1964 to become the bass player for legendary and über-influential proto-punk act the MC5, Michael Davis would run a career's gamut that took him to another bastion of underground influence. This included Destroy All Monsters (of which member, artist Mike Kelley passed this past February 1 of an apparent suicide), as well as a stint in Lexington Federal Correctional Institution for a narcotics violation.
But it was while in jail and on the road with some of the most extreme and harsh bands of their respective eras, that Davis would find the impetus to return to his original passion of the visual arts.
Born on June 5, 1943, Davis' still maintained an active social calendar for both his visual and musical arts. Wife Angela Davis, their three sons, and a daughter from a previous relationship survive him.
From the Ramones to Rage Against the Machine, the influence of the MC5 is undeniable; they were contemporaries of The Stooges, Death, Alice Cooper, and the Velvet Underground. They were instrumental in laying the foundations of punk rock, hip-hop, and metal - in short, all the musical styles that dared challenge the droning and pussyfication of the American airwaves in the '60s and '70s.
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Davis took his experience as a member of this era and continued it through life. He linked with diverse artists like Shepard Fairey as well as musicians like Handsome Dick Manitoba (The Dictators) and Randy Bradbury (Pennywise) to form the Music is Revolution Foundation, dedicated to supporting music education in schools. He'll be joining ex-band mates Fred "Sonic" Smith (d. 1994), Rob Tyner (d. 1991), Mike Kelley (d. 2012). and Ron Asheton (d. 2009). Imagine the motherfucking jams these fuckers are about to kick out. Eh? Yah!
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