Remembering Teenage Head's Frankie Venom

Today, Canadian music fans are mourning the death of punk rock legend Frank Kerr (aka Frankie Venom). Frankie was lead singer of Hamilton punk pioneers Teenage Head. Band-mate Gord Lewis announced Wednesday (October 15) that Kerr had passed away due to throat cancer after slipping into a coma. He was 51.

Teenage Head formed at Hamilton’s Westdale High School back in 1975. By the early ’80s they became one the country’s most beloved punk bands, and were often dubbed, Canada’s answer to the Ramones. Growing up in Southwestern Ontario I was fortunate to have seen Teenage Head perform a number of times. (Mostly in places I was too young to be in.) Their records, were always an important part of any “teenage beer drinkin’ party’.

In recent years, the band recorded an album with Marky Ramone, simply dubbed Teenage Head with Marky Ramone. The 2008 collection featured re-worked material from various points in Teenage Head’s career. As recently as this summer, Teenage Head were actively touring Canada and capturing the hearts of punkers young and old.