Artist 999

999 may not be the most famous or influential group from the English punk-rock explosion of 1977, but that’s a pretty august group by any measure, and 999 has earned respect for its longevity and passion. Singer/guitarist Nick Cash was one of the first musicians to recognize the then-new possibilities punk offered, and left the Ian Dury-led pub-rock group Kilburn And The High Roads to form 999. (Among the prospective drummers he rejected was a young Chrissie Hynde.) Leaning toward the poppier side of the punk movement, comparable to the Buzzcocks or the Undertones, 999 never quite broke big despite catchy singles like “Homicide”—but even today, its fan base is worldwide, and it continues to release solid new albums, most recently 2007’s Death In Soho.

Updated 07/16/2009