Born James Osterberg in Muskegon, Michigan, Iggy Pop is considered one of the pioneers of punk music. He formed his first band in the early 1960s and went through several groups and musical styles before forming the Psychedelic Stooges in 1967 (later known as the Stooges). While not wildly successful in the commercial sense, the Stooges had an influence on later punk and grunge recording artists and the punk music scene of the late 1970s and 1980s. Osterberg became the band’s lead singer and soon renamed himself Iggy Pop. During live performances, Pop engaged in outrageous behavior, often appearing shirtless covered in blood and had been known to cut himself in front of audiences and jump into the crowd from the stage. The band released its first self-titled album in 1969. The band’s second album was Fun House (1970). While both of these albums are thought to be punk classics today, they weren’t selling at the time, and the band was dropped by its record label. With the help of David Bowie, Pop rebuilt the Stooges. Bowie acted as a producer on the group’s third album, Raw Power (1973). Pop went on to tour with Bowie several times during the 1970s and released several solo albums, including The Idiot (1977) and Lust for Life (1977), which Bowie helped to write and produce. With his 1986 album Blah Blah Blah, Pop had his first real taste of mainstream success with the song “Real Wild Child.” Brick by Brick (1990) proved to be a commercial breakthrough for Pop. He scored his biggest hit to date with the song “Candy.” It reached the Top 30 of Billboard’s pop charts in 1991. His 2003 album, Skull Ring, featured appearances by Stooges Ron Asheton and Scott Asheton on four songs. Pop even did a short tour that year as part of a Stooges’ reunion. Where the Faces Shine was released in 2006. More recently, Iggy released Post Pop Depression in 2016. Iggy Pop continues to perform like a mad man. He’s one of the most outrageous and enthusiastic performers out there. Definitely a must see.