The beginnings Punk are often furiously debated. This is partially because everyone has a different definition of punk-rock, and partially because its foundation stones are found several places.

Punk rock was originally used to describe the garage musicians of the 60s. Bands the Sonics were starting up and playing out with no musical or vocal instruction and often limited skill. Because they didn't know the rules music, they were able to break the rules. The mid to late 60's saw the appearance of the Stooges and the MC5 Detroit. They were raw crude and often political. Their concerts were often violent affairs and they were opening the eyes the music world. The Velvet Underground is the next piece the puzzle. The Velvet Underground, managed Andy Warhol, were producing music that often border on noise; they were expanding the definitions of music even realizing it. The final primary influence is found the foundations of glam rock. Artists David Bowie, and the New York Dolls were dressing outrageously, living extravagantly, and producing loud trashy rock-and-roll. Glam would end up splitting up its influence strolling out portions to hard rock, hair metal, and punk rock.

The first concrete punk rock scene appeared the mid 70s in New York. Bands The Ramones, Television, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Blondie, and Talking Heads were playing regularly in the Bowery district most notably CBGB’s. The bands were unified their location, camaraderie, and shared musical influences. They would all go on to develop their own styles and many would shift away punk rock.

While the New York scene was reaching its heyday, punk was undergoing a separate creation story London.

England's punk scene had political and economic roots. The economy in the United Kingdom was poor shape, and unemployment rates were an all-time high. England's youth were angry rebellious and out work; they had strong opinions and a lot of free time. This is where the beginnings of punk fashion we know it emerged and they sent it up one shop. The shop was simply called Sex and it was owned Malcolm McLaren. Malcolm McLaren had recently returned to London the US where yet unsuccessfully tried to reinvent the New York Dolls to sell his clothing. He was determined to do it again but this time looked to the youth who worked and hung out his shop to be his next project. This project would become the Sex Pistols and they would develop a large following very quickly.

the fans of the Sex Pistols was an outrageous bunch young punks known as the Bromley contingent named after the neighborhood they all came . They were at the first Sex Pistols shows and quickly realized they could do it themselves. Within a year the Bromley's had formed a large portion of the London punk scene including: The Clash, The Slits, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Generation X fronted a young Billy Idol, and X-ray Specs. The British punk scene was now in full swing. By the late 70s punk had finished its beginning and emerged as a solid musical force. With its rise in popularity, punk began to split numerous these wee musicians embrace the DIY movement and began to create their own individual scenes specific sounds. Some the offshoots of punk that exists today include Anarcho-punk Celtic punk Emo, Street Punk, Gypsy Punk, Hardcore, Pop Punk, Psychobilly Riot Girl and Ska punk.

I hope you enjoyed this brief history of the origins of punk rock and that you were inspired to check out some of the seminal bands who started it all almost 40 years ago.