Category: Press

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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

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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 band brazen enough to play onstage. They became the soundtrack to a cultural tipping point, played over scenes of tear gas and police brutality.”

MC5

“Before the Ramones, before the Sex Pistols, before the Clash, there was the MC5, inventing the template of raw power and irreverent attitude that became punk rock.” — https://ultimateclassicrock.com/mc5-rock-hall-of-fame/



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Please join us to Celebrate the Life and Times of John Sinclair

This Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m.

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

Jun. 13 | 7PM

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

https://www.jazzcafedetroit.com/events/June-2024/Detroit-Tonight-Live-Celebrates-the-Life-Times-of-John-Sinclair

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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 Sinclair, Pat Jolly, Lynn Abbott and others with all rights reserved by photographer.

https://johnsinclair.us/ The John Sinclair Foundation

“Friday, May 17 @ 7:00 pm

“JOHN SINCLAIR IS FREE”

A tribute in poetry, music and film

Free admission

John Sinclair, poet, activist, concert & record producer, bandleader and scholar of the blues.  A celebration in words and music for the poet, bandleader, & performer, record and concert producer who passed away in Detroit on April 2, 2024.   

Poets:  Valentine Pierce, Megan Burns, Timeless***, Bill Lavender, Chuck Perkins, Dennis Formento, David Kunian of WWOZ, etc.

Music by Carlo Ditta and band; Second line with the Treme Brass Band

Video selections from John’s career in New Orleans curated by Rene Broussard

https://www.zeitgeistnola.org

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John Sinclair 1941 – 2024

Big Chief has left the building
let the love flow
x

Instead, this Saturday’s 53rd annual Hash Bash will partially be a de-facto remembrance event for Sinclair. Event coordinator Jamie Lowell said there was already a portion of the Bash earmarked to pay homage to other legalization activists who have recently died, including Rick Thompson, Brad Lemke, Gersh Avery and Rhory Gould. Several politicians and cannabis activists, including John’s ex-wife, photographer Leni Sinclair, are scheduled to speak Saturday.
https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/people/2024/04/02/obit-john-sinclair-marijuana-activist-detroit-radical/73178795007/

“You got to/live it not just/say it or/play it that’s what this is/all/about,” Sinclair wrote in a 1965 poem.
Upon the dissolution of the White Panther Party in 1971, Sinclair formed and chaired the Rainbow People’s Party, which embraced Marxism-Leninism and promoted the revolutionary struggle for a “communal, classless, anti-imperialist, anti-racist, and anti-sexist … culture of liberation.”
Sinclair proudly and aggressively fought for progressive policies as part of the burgeoning “New Left” movement.
“In those times, we considered ourselves revolutionaries,” he said in 2013. “We wanted equal distribution of wealth. We didn’t want 1 percent of the rich running everything. Of course, we lost.”
Sinclair often kept a toehold in the world of music, managing for a time Mitch Ryder and perhaps most notably MC5, a Detroit-based quintet known for “Kick Out the Jams” and as a hard-rocking forerunner to the punk movement.
https://apnews.com/article/john-sinclair-dies-82a88b0420656561e708ea36c4050a21

“He’s an incredibly persuasive and charismatic person,” Kramer told Rolling Stone. “He’s this great big cat and he’s got all this energy, you know, and he just turns it on you. There is something to John’s father-figure effect on the group. I had just left home, and here was this older cat who could explain all these things that I didn’t understand about the world. And he did have a strong effect on everyone else, philosophically strong spiritual attitudes that he instilled in us.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/john-sinclair-dead-obit-1234997977

John was my mentor in the 70s self-determination music,” says Detroit musician and label operator RJ Spangler, whose Planet D Nonet collaborated with Sinclair on the Viper Madness album in 2008. “John really turned us onto New Orleans music and culture; we had grand times together in the Big Easy. It will not be the same without him.”

Gross — who like many in Sinclair’s circles refers to him as “The Chief” — adds that, “If you could hang out with the guy, it was incredible. To experience his love for jazz and what he could teach you in an hour was amazing.” And, Gross notes, “He never for one second veered of his path of pushing back against The Man. John stood up for the downtrodden, as cliché as that might sound. He would champion black culture and blues and jazz music, and anybody who seemed oppressed, John was in their corner.”

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/john-sinclair-dead-mc5-manager-dies-obituary-1235647609

John Lennon read “The Entrapment of John Sinclair,” and decided to do something about Sinclair’s very very unjust sentence, “Ten Years for Two Joints.”–Ed Sanders, The Entrapment of John Sinclair.

Long before social media’s instant impact, Sinclair helped spawn the pointedly politicized alternative newspaper movement as a fast fount of information about the “underground,” as the counterculture was termed at the time, with Detroit publications such as Fifth Estate (which still exists), the Ann Arbor Sun, the Detroit Artists Workshop Press and its offshoot Work Magazine. Later in life, he worked as a spoken-word performer and recording artist with an eye toward what he called “jazz poetry,” recording more than 30 albums with different band names, including the Blues Scholars which included his longtime friend Wayne Kramer, the MC5 guitarist and cofounder who passed away in February this year.
https://variety.com/2024/music/news/john-sinclair-former-mc5-manager-dead-1235958404/