IGGY POP Biography - Musicians

 
 

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IGGY POP

Name: Iggy Pop                                                                     
Birth name: James Newell Osterberg, Jr.                                           
Born: 21 April 1947 Muskegon, Michigan, United States                             
                                                                                   
James Newell Osterberg, Jr. (born April 21, 1947), better known by his stage       
name Iggy Pop, is an American rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actor.       
Although he has had only limited commercial success, Iggy Pop is considered one   
of the most important innovators of punk and related styles. He is sometimes       
referred to by the nicknames "the Godfather of Punk" and "the Rock Iguana",       
and is widely acknowledged as one of the most dynamic stage performers of rock.   
Pop began calling himself Iggy after his first band in high school, The Iguanas.   
His direct influence extends to the present day: a Cadillac ad in rotation since   
February 2007 features his vocal performance on the song "Punkrocker", recorded   
in 2006 with the Swedish band Teddybears.                                         
                                                                                   
Iggy Pop was the lead singer of The Stooges, a late 1960s/early 1970s garage       
rock band who were influential in the development of the nascent heavy metal and   
punk rock genres. The Stooges became infamous for their live performances,         
during which Iggy Pop would take drugs, self-harm, and leap off the stage (being   
among the first to "stage dive"). Many subsequent performers have imitated Pop's   
antics.                                                                           
                                                                                   
Pop has had varying degrees of success in the course of his subsequent solo       
career. His best-known solo songs include "Lust for Life", "I'm Bored", "Real     
Wild Child", the Top 40 hit "Candy" (with vocalist Kate Pierson of The B-52's)     
and "The Passenger". A film about Iggy Pop's life and career titled The           
Passenger is currently in development.