James Newell Osterberg, Jr. (Iggy Pop)

James Newell Osterberg, Jr., better known by his stage name Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor, and radio personality. He is considered to have helped create new genres within rock, such as punk rock, post-punk, and new wave, and is regarded as an icon who has influenced numerous musicians since the early 1970s. James Newell Osterberg Jr. was born in Muskegon, Michigan, to Louella Christensen and James Newell Osterberg, the latter an English teacher and baseball coach at Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan. Osterberg was raised in a trailer park in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He has German, English, and Irish ancestry on his father's side, and Norwegian and Danish ancestry on his mother's side. His father was adopted by a Swedish family and took the surname Österberg. Osterberg began his musical career as a drummer in several high school bands, including The Iguanas, where he received his stage name, "Iggy." He later joined the band The Prime Movers with brothers Dan and Michael Erlewine. A huge blues fan, he dropped out of the University of Michigan and moved to Chicago to learn more about the genre. There, he played in nightclubs, helped by Sam Lay, a musician who shared Iggy's musical tastes. Inspired by Chicago blues and bands like The Sonics, MC5, and The Doors, Iggy formed a band called the Psychedelic Stooges and switched from drums to vocals. The band consisted of Iggy on vocals, Ron Asheton on guitar, Scott Asheton on drums, and Dave Alexander on bass. They played their first gig at a Halloween house party in Detroit, Michigan, where some members of MC5 were in attendance. Iggy Pop defined his stage persona after seeing a Doors concert in 1967 at the University of Michigan and being surprised by Jim Morrison's charming yet unsympathetic personality.