Joe Strummer and D. Boon

December 22nd is a dark day in the world of Punk music. On this day, 17 years apart, two it's most unique voices passed from this earth.

Dennes Dale Boon died in a car accident enroute to Arizona on December 22nd, 1985. Known to his friends as simply D, Boon had just recorded "3 Way Tie (For Last)" with his seminal Punk group The Minutemen. For Boon and the Minutemen, recording and touring were not activities taken lightly or entered into halfway. In a span of 6 short years The Minutemen spent nearly all of their time either on the road or in the studio. The group released no less than 11 full length studio LP's and Ep's during this time, starting in 1980 with the EP "Paranoid Time". A Minutemen tour was not a lavish affair. Usually consisting of Boon and fellow band mates, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, loading up the Econoline Van and hitting the road with a dizzying schedule laid out in front of them. Their touring schedule saw the group perform hundreds of shows each year (and thus coining the band mantra of "Jamming Econo", which would be the title of the 2005 documentary dedicated to the rise of the group and Boons tragic passing).

The Minutemen

Boon had been interested in music throughout his young life and, with the encouragement of his mother, pursued his musical vision in an assortment of bands formed with schoolmates and friends. It wasn't until he met and befriended a kindred spirit in Watt that his musical vision took flight. Initially the pair formed a group entitled The Reactionaries but at Boon's insistence the group broke up to become a trio. After being signed by SST records the original drummer, tired of the Punk scene, abruptly quit. Reenter Hurley, who after leaving The Reactionaries was playing with another LA band at the time. The Punk scene in the LA/So Cal area at the time was exploding with bands like Black Flag and Descendants generating a strong local following. But the Minutemen stood out from their contemporaries not only lyrically but also musically. Boon and Watt wrote songs that had a much more political bent. And with each successive release, the group tinged their sound with everything from folk to jazz, even polka. On stage, Boon was an imposing figure. Big and burly, Boon was known for constant motion on stage while playing guitar and singing the songs he, Watt and Hurley had penned.

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John Mellor was born on August 21st, 1952 in Ankara, Turkey while his father was working there for the British Foreign Office. Moves, associated with his fathers occupation, followed to such outposts as Cyprus, Cairo, Mexico and West Germany. In his teens, Mellor's musical tastes were influenced by the current wave of British rock 'n roll acts, especially Captain Beefheart (his confessed idol). Having moved to Wales, and after a failed stint in art school and jobs that ranged from gravedigger to farmhand, Mellor takes up music full time. After a short lived stint in a local band called The Vultures and, tired of the meaningless odd jobs he had employed to get by, Mellor (having now assumed the first name "Woody", as in Guthrie) decided to move back to London. Making ends meet by busking at various London mass transit stations, Mellor started his next group, The 101'ers, with fellow squatters from London's Maida's Hill community. With the new band came a new title, Joe Strummer (at left, circa 1973), based on his guitar style. Strummer and the 101'ers meet with middling success, scoring regular gigs around town and releasing two singles. The first single, inspired by Strummer's then girlfriend Paloma Romano (later to be known as Pomolive of the all girl band The Slits), was entitled Keys to Your Heart.



As the 101'ers searched for a following and record label interest in London, the Punk movement was exploding in the Bowery of New York. Having been spotted by Mick Jones a few months prior during a 101'ers gig, Strummer joins Jones as the 101'ers dissolve around the same time Jones' group London SS never gets off the ground. Along with Paul Simonon and Terry Chimes, The Clash was officially born. Chimes lasted only until 1977 when Topper Headon took over behind the drum kit.

The Clash (Mick Jones, Strummer, Topper Headon, Paul Simonon)

After The Clash officially called it quits in 1983, Strummer takes to acting and penning movie soundtracks as well as briefly reuniting with Jones in 1986 to c0-produce and co-write Big Audio Dynamites No. 10 Upping Street. In 1989 Strummer releases a solo record "Earthquake Weather" that meets with lackluster sales and reviews. After a brief stint with The Pogues in 1991, Strummer spends the remainder of the decade a drift, feuding with The Clash's old label Epic and hosting a BBC radio show.

Joe and the Mescaleros

By the end of the 90's Strummer hooks up with the band The Mescalero's after working with several of the members on a movie soundtrack. Strummer would later add violinist Tymon Dogg, an old busking mate, and the group would release "Rock Art and the X-Ray Style" in 1999. In 2001 the group released "Global A Go-Go" and while touring to support the album the group includes several Clash favorites in each nights set. In one of Strummers final live appearances, in November of 2002 at a benefit concert for striking firefighters, he was joined on stage by Mick Jones, who was attending the event. The unplanned reunion features the two performing Clash classics "Bankrobber", "White Riot" and "London's Burning". Strummer would be dead a month later from an undiagnosed heart condition. The posthumous "Streetcore" was released a year later.

Related Links:

D. Boon on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Boon

Minutemen: http://www.lardbiscuit.com/lard/minutemen.html

Mike Watts Hootpage: http://www.hootpage.com/hoot_gallery-mmen.html

We Jam Econo Documentary : http://www.theminutemen.com/

Joe Strummer Sites: http://www.joestrummer.com/ http://www.joestrummer.org/ http://www.joestrummer.us/

The Future is Unwritten Doc Site: http://www.joestrummerthemovie.com/

Let's Rock Again Documentary Site: http://www.dickrude.biz/_lets_rock/_lets_rock_intro.htm

The Clash Site: http://www.theclashonline.com/