Author: Celia S

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Prayer For John Sinclair (Allen Ginsberg)

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In Loving Memory

Please check back for further details and links.

We love big chief!

–Fly

https://radiofreeamsterdam.org/

https://www.instagram.com/johnsinclairfoundation/


  • Prayer For John Sinclair (Allen Ginsberg)
    Guitar Army by Allen Ginsberg
  • In Loving Memory
    Please check back for further details and links. We love big chief! –Fly https://radiofreeamsterdam.org/ https://www.instagram.com/johnsinclairfoundation/
  • John Sinclair Interview: Turning People On
    Thanks to Detroit Artists Workshop [dot] com. John Sinclair Interview: Turning People On Turning People On The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Dave Brinks and John Sinclair which took place on the evening of Saturday, February 28, 2009 above the Gold Mine Saloon in the French Quarter, New Orleans] Brinks: There’s about… Read more: John Sinclair Interview: Turning People On
  • We Love Big Chief
    Let's Go Get Em' by John Sinclair & His International Blues Scholars
  • John Sinclair Gallery
  • The Last Word On The MC5
    “Against all odds, a new oral history about the influential Detroit rock band is finally here“ You couldn’t tell this story without Big Chief John Sinclair, and he offers his perspectives not just as the manager of the MC5, but also as a major cultural arbiter of the place and the time. They also make… Read more: The Last Word On The MC5
  • John At Legends Plaza – Detroit Historical Society
    Detroit’s rich heritage lies with the men and women who’ve always called Detroit “home,” even as they went on to help shape our nation’s cultural landscape. We cheered their accomplishments on the field, welcomed them into our lives through television and radio and were thrilled to see them perform on stage. Their championships became our… Read more: John At Legends Plaza – Detroit Historical Society
  • MC5 – Hall Of Fame
    “The Motor City 5 kicked out the jams and politicized every bystander in sight. Their powerful sound was a unique combination of R&B, psychedelia, and garage rock with dominant political messages. Invited by Abbie Hoffman to play to the masses of young protestors outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, MC5 were the only… Read more: MC5 – Hall Of Fame
  • Please join us to Celebrate the Life and Times of John Sinclair
    Detroit Tonight Live Celebrates the Life & Times of John Sinclair ML Liebler & The Magic Poetry Band, Bill Harris, Ed Sanders, Peter Werbe, Robin Eichele , Melba Joyce Boyd, Ra Rishikavi Raghudas, Mark James Andrews, Sunfrog aka Andrew Smith
  • John Sinclair Is Free
    A Celebration of Life, Poetry, Music and Film May 17, 2024. Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center 6621 St. Claude, Ave., Arabi, LA. Thanks to James Reuter / Bearcat Cafe, Renee Broussard, Dennis Formento, Carlo Ditta, Bill Lynn, Jerry Brock and the family and friends including Penny, Celia, Sonny, Beyoncé and Leni Sinclair. Photo Credits – Leni… Read more: John Sinclair Is Free
  • Celebration Of Life – Saturday Four Twenty
    Poster By Karl Lundgren 2024
  • Evening Of Celebration
  • Memorial Service Program
    WhenTuesday April 9, 2024: 1:00pm to 5:00pm (EDT)  Add to Calendar /   Add to Google Calendar WhereDowntown Library: 1st Floor Lobby DescriptionAt the request of John Sinclair’s family and friends, the live stream of his funeral will be available for public viewing.These details were provided by the family:The venue for the funeral in Downtown Detroit has… Read more: Memorial Service Program
  • Memorial For John Sinclair
    To be streamed live by Richard Blondy @ https://www.facebook.com/RichardBlondy/ 13.00 Hours (Easter Daylight Time) Tuesday 9th April. “The Hardest Working Poet in Show Business” “Look on each act as future history”— John Sinclair
Johnsinclair.us
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The Last Word On The MC5

“Against all odds, a new oral history about the influential Detroit rock band is finally here“

You couldn’t tell this story without Big Chief John Sinclair, and he offers his perspectives not just as the manager of the MC5, but also as a major cultural arbiter of the place and the time. They also make sure that there’s enough space for other key voices, like Gibb, poster artist Gary Grimshaw, or the late Ron Asheton of the Stooges. — https://www.metrotimes.com/music/the-last-word-on-the-mc5-37549801

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John At Legends Plaza – Detroit Historical Society


Detroit’s rich heritage lies with the men and women who’ve always called Detroit “home,” even as they went on to help shape our nation’s cultural landscape.

We cheered their accomplishments on the field, welcomed them into our lives through television and radio and were thrilled to see them perform on stage. Their championships became our championships and their hit songs formed the soundtracks of our lives.

In 2011, the Detroit Historical Society began memorializing the handprints of some of these living legends for the creation of an outdoor experience at the Detroit Historical Museum. The Museum will continue adding legends to the Plaza indefinitely. https://detroithistorical.org/detroit-historical-museum/exhibitions/signature-exhibitions/legends-plaza

Legends Plaza

Throughout Legends Plaza are the handprints and signatures of some of the men and women who’ve helped shape the culture of our region, state, and nation, including:

https://detroithistorical.org/search/node/john%20sinclair

Sinclair, John

John Sinclair was a poet, performer, author, and activist who influenced the counterculture movement in Detroit and the United States in the 1960s.  

Sinclair was born in Flint, Michigan on October 2, 1941. He graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint in 1964, and then spent some time at Wayne State University. It was then that he became involved with the Detroit underground paper Fifth Estate. Sinclair was also a jazz critic, being a longtime fan of the genre. This also informed his poetic work, composing most of his pieces in the jazz poetry style. An advocate for his art form and the surrounding culture, Sinclair co-founded the arts collective Detroit Artists Workshop in 1964. 

Serving as the manager of the Detroit proto-punk band MC5 from 1966-1969, Sinclair influenced the group’s leftist political leanings and activism. During this time, he co-founded the White Panther Party, a counterpart to the Black Panther Party dedicated to revolutionary anti-racism.  

In 1969, Sinclair was sentenced to 10 years in prison for offering marijuana to an undercover agent. This arrest and the severity of the punishment incited a great deal of support for his release. This included several high-profile protests that drew the support of many in Sinclair’s community and big names including Stevie Wonder, Allen Ginsberg, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon, who recorded a song called “John Sinclair,” lamenting the situation. Sinclair was released after serving a little over two years, following the state legislature’s revision of drug laws.  

Beginning later in his life, Sinclair recorded many albums of his poetry, backed by musical accompaniment by an expansive list of musicians. In 2004, the John Sinclair Foundation was established in Amsterdam, the Dutch city where he eventually relocated. The foundation is dedicated to the preservation of Sinclair’s material. Sinclair passed away on April 2, 2024, at the age of 82.

https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/sinclair-john