Jayne County

Jayne County is an American punk frontwoman, activist, actress and producer, known as one of the first transgender rock stars. While not the most mainstream figure of ‘70s punk, she is cited as a big influence to many bands and artists of the time, and has a strong cult following.

She started her career in theater, becoming friends with the likes of Andy Warhol and Jackie Curtis, which led her into the New York punk scene. There, she formed the band Queen Elizabeth, which is said to have been a huge inspiration for David Bowie. Later, she moved to England and formed The Electric Chairs, the band that would be her big breakthrough.

In the years since, she has continued making music with a number of different projects, as well as continued acting, creating visual art and writing, remaining an important cult figure in the punk and queer scenes.

Her original stage name was Wayne County, named after the Michigan county where Detroit is the seat, as a tribute to the Detroit proto-punk scene. Later, she changed it to Jayne County to match her real name after transitioning, Jayne Rogers.