Scott Asheton of The Stooges Dies At 64

In the seventies world of progressive rock drummers with their 20 piece drum kits complete with chimes and a gong, Scott Asheton took a different path.

Blasting out the foundation of punk rock with his Detroit band The Stooges, Scott was known to give a simple beat-down to the drum kit.

His attack was less about virtuosity and more about giving proper weight and heft to the tumultuous and angry songs The Stooges made their bread and butter.

Last week Scott passed away after suffering from a stroke a few years back and a recent heart attack. That leaves frontman Iggy Pop as the only remaining original member.

Listening to Scott's work certainly gives you reason to believe he was an inspiration to the next generation hard rock drummers like Dave Grohl, Jimmy Chamberlin, Lars Ulrich and Matt Cameron.

In 2011 I had the pleasure of interviewing record engineer extraordinaire Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. We asked him who his favorite band to work with was.

Out of legends like Nirvana, Jimmy Page, PJ Harvey and Cheap Trick, he chose The Stooges.

While Iggy Pop was up in front bouncing around like the poster child of ADD, the rest of The Stooges were the perfect muscular foil. This is the stuff great bands are made from.

Scott "Rock Action" Asheton will certainly be missed.