Frankie Venom (Born Frank Kerr)
1957 – October 15, 2008
Frankie Venom was the lead singer of Ontario, Canada punk band, Teenage Head which he helped form while still in high school. Formed in 1975, the band was one of Canada’s first wave of punk, and was often called “Canada’s Ramones.” The band signed to Epic Records and released their first album Teenage Head, in 1979. By the time their second album came out in 1980, the band were bonafied stars across Canada and beginning to break through in the U.S. It was not unusual for their concerts to break out into riots by the end. ’80s movie fans may recognize the band from their appearance in the Michael J. Fox film, Class of 1984. In 2003, they teamed up with Marky Ramone to re-record a collection of their old songs entitled Teenage Head with Marky Ramone. 51-year-old Frankie Venom died of throat cancer on October 15, 2008.