Henry Rollins

This fucked up world needs Henry Rollins – the unflinching punk from D.C. who leapt on stage during the chaos of a Black Flag concert to perform alongside the band, shocking the arena with his raw talent and undeniable nerve. After lead singer Dez Cadena relented his reigns to the band’s vocal section, Rollins formally auditioned to take over the microphone and changed the group after joining their ranks in 1981. After Black Flag’s eventual diffusion five years later, he formed the Rollins Band and started recording his own material independently. Struggling to recapture the intense spirit of Black Flag, he stumbled upon the second breakthrough of his career at the inaugural Lollapolooza headlined by Jane’s Addictionin 1991. In the wake of his new exposure, Rollins began utilizing his band to experiment with pummeling variations of jazz in hard rock. (A workaholic forever on the grind, Rollins likewise dedicated himself to poetry and performing spoken word shows when he wasn’t penning columns or acting in films.) Rollins is a legend of modern rock – like a David Byrne that refused to submit to life’s sorrow. Synonymous with resilience and pointed intelligence, he channels the trauma of existence into unparalleled displays of passion and catharsis.