Sid McCray, original frontman of hardcore punk heroes Bad Brains, has died

Original Bad Brains vocalist Sid McCray passed away on September 9

Sid McCray, the man who introduced the members of Bad Brains to punk rock, and fronted the Washington DC hardcore legends from 1977 - 1978, has passed away.  

McCray died on September 9. A cause of death has yet to be revealed. 

Bad Brains were originally a jazz-fusion band called Mind Power before McCray, their vocalist, introduced bandmate Darryl Jennifer to punk.

Bassist Jennifer recalled his punk rock epiphany in a 2005 interview with Classic Rock’s Greg Prato.

“Sid McCray came over my house,” said Jennifer. “He had safety pins and stuff all over him, and he had records – Ramones, Dead Boys, Generation X – I found to be kind of interesting. The cats couldn’t really play, but they had something to say.” 

McCray was subsequently replaced in Bad Brains by vocalist H.R., aka Paul Hudson.

The news of McCray’s death was shared by a family member on the band’s Facebook page, along with a link to a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a memorial service.