Ongoing History Daily: Did this woman invent punk rock?

You’d have to be a serious student of British punk rock to know the name Jordan Mooney, but there are those who claim she invented punk. Sort of, anyway.

Jordan was a member of the Bromley Contingent, a group that followed the Sex Pistols everywhere. She had a reputation of dressing in very flashy, very unconventional ways, complete with wild multi-colored hair. This caught the eye of Malcolm McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood.

Inspired by Jordan’s look, they began tailoring the clothes they sold in their boutique called Sex. This in turn attracted like-minded customers to the store, including the four people who would later form the Sex Pistols. They, of course, became one of the most important of all the British punk rock bands.

Would any of this happened without Jordan? Maybe. Or maybe not.

Friday’s post was about the women who bite Bowie onstage. And don’t forget to check out my podcast The Ongoing History of New Music where you listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, or wherever you get your on-demand audio.