Death, “Politicians In My Eyes”
In the early 1970s, years before punk rock exploded in the U.S., three brothers from Detroit started a band called Death. David Hackney and his siblings Bobby and Dannis played blistering rock, a faster version of The Who and MC5. It all sprouted from David’s imagination — he loved rock music, though his family and neighbors didn’t understand why three young black men would want to play it.
Death turned out to be a hard sell. They recorded a demo, but record companies pressured the band to change its name. David refused. After years of rejection, Death split in 1977. Dannis and Bobby relocated to Vermont, starting families and new musical projects. They put their old rock band behind them, telling few friends about their days in Death. Back in Detroit, David struggled with alcoholism and other ailments, and in 2000, he died of lung cancer. Before he passed, he told his brothers to take care of Death’s recordings — the world would want to hear them one day, he said.
In 2016 the Smithsonian will open the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and there are many, many reasons to be excited for it, but their musical acquisitions are PARTICULARLY exciting. Their collection of materials from Death, widely considered to be the first punk band in the United States, includes their instruments and art; we should all take a field trip to go see it. Bandwidth has an interview with the remaining members of the band here.