John Sinclair

- NOTE: Please do NOT use Myspace to contact John. You can reach him through his website: johnsinclair.us
John Sinclair: "Please visit my website with poetry, writings, music & radio shows." johnsinclair.us
John Sinclair Travel Blog: travelpod.com/johnsinclair
John Sinclair (born October 2, 1941 in Flint, Michigan) was a Detroit poet, one time manager of the MC5 and leader of the White Panther Party, from November 1968-July 1969. He was jailed in 1969 after selling two joints to undercover narcotics officers. In 1971 his case received international attention when John Lennon performed at a benefit concert on his behalf.
Sinclair was managing the MC5 at the time of their free concert outside the Democratic National Convention of 1968. The band was the only one to play before the police broke up the rally, calling it a riot.
Prison Sentence
In July 1969 Sinclair was sentenced to prison for 9 1/2 to 10 years for giving two joints to undercover narcotics officers. While in prison he wrote the books Guitar Army and Music & Politics, the latter of which he co-wrote with Robert Levin. On December 10, 1971 John Lennon and Yoko Ono headlined the Free John Now Rally in front of 15,000 people at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan. John and Yoko sang the song "John Sinclair." Three days after the concert, the Michigan Supreme Court released Sinclair and later overturned his conviction. The series of events was one factor in the adoption of Ann Arbor's famously lenient "five-dollar pot law" in the early 1970s (see Marijuana laws in Ann Arbor, Michigan).
Sinclair was involved in the formation of the underground newspaper Fifth Estate in Detroit as well as the Artist's Workshop Press which published five issues of Work magazine. Information on Sinclair is available in the John & Leni Sinclair Papers at the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan.
In February 4, 2003, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, at the urging of Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, voted to honor Sinclair with a resolution congratulating him for his "multi-faceted lifetime of poetry, music, activism, and inspiration."
The Blues Scholars
John Sinclair has released several albums as leader of the Blues Scholars (named after Professor Longhair's band). The music typically features Sinclair's poetry recited over jazz and blues accompaniment. The band first came together in Detroit in 1982.
Sinclair moved to New Orleans in 1991 and assembled a new edition of the Blues Scholars. He also joined the staff of WWOZ radio, winning Offbeat Magazine's reader's poll as the city's most popular DJ five years in a row (1999-2003).
The Blues Scholars have on occasion been joined on stage and in the recording studio by former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer. Alive Records released the Blues Scholars recordings.
In 2004, John Sinclair moved to Amsterdam. He continues to tour and record with the Blues Scholars, and hosts a weekly radio show, The John Sinclair Show, which is streamed live and is also available as a podcast.
Since 2005 John has been the opening act at the annual Grass-a-matazz, an event related to the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam.
In Italy, John Sinclair received the prestigious Premio Matteo Salvatore in November 2006.
In May of 2007 John Sinclair's infamous book, Guitar Army, was rereleased to the public.