Started by Hiawatha Bailey, a former roadie for The UP and White Panther Party Minster of Culture, Cult Heroes were a fiercely independent and political band on the late 1970s Detroit-Ann Arbor scene.

As a leader in the White Panthers, Bailey assisted with the John Sinclair Freedom Rally in 1971 that brought John Lennon & Yoko Ono to Ann Arbor, along with an impressive array of local and national acts, to advocate for Sinclair following his conviction of 10 years in prison for selling two joints to an undercover cop.

After Sinclair’s release, and the crumbling of the original Ann Arbor scene which including bands such as the MC5 and the Stooges, Bailey was busted on a drug charge in 1974. After serving time at the federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, the same place former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer was also doing time at that time; Bailey started the Cult Heroes in 1978.

The band released two singles, “The Prince and the Showgirl” b/w “Berlin Wall” in 1979 followed by “Amerikan Story” b/w “Don’t Like It” in 1981, independently before facing a fracture due to Bailey’s independent streak when it came to the record industry.

While running his own band, Bailey was also a roadie for Destroy All Monsters – traveling with the band to shows to cities such as New York, where he was able to line up gigs for the Cult Heroes through his connections.

In May 2016, a crowdfunding campaign was created to raise money for a documentary on Bailey called “The Song of Hiawatha”.

Song of Hiawatha Indiegogo Campaign from Jason Pollard on Vimeo.

As of 2017, the Cult Heroes continue to play a show or two a year around the Ann Arbor-Detroit area.

Have a story or information to share about Cult Heroes? You can do that here.

3 thoughts on “Cult Heroes

  1. two years ago i moved to ann arbor. there was a neighbor who always waved to me as i rode my bike home. i kept thinking “what a nice guy’ and “he looks like Hiawatha, the guy who sang for the Cult Heroes when id see them back in the 80’s” I finally went up to him and introduced myself and asked if he was indeed Hi. sonovabitch! I lived across the street from a bonafide local rock legend. I told him straight up I wanted to hear everything about his mingling in Detroit rock. i heard all about Sinclair and the White Panthers, the Stooges, Alice Cooper, the MC5. he was always gracious and kind, willing to share his experience.
    Paul, good luck with the search, maybe try Ann Arbor, Michigan record shops.

  2. OMG… A F*CKIN AMAZING,, I’ve been a good FienD/ acquaintance of HI since early 90’s.. I dont remember exactly when or where we met.. My guess is Nectarine Ballroom( local A2 gay bar).. Over the yrs we became good friends.. Hanging out seeing shows and stumbling around Ann Arbor’z nitelife..He is probably the Kindest Hearted❤💋 person i know today… Ill never forget bringing him a birthday cake upstair at club Heidelberg in Ann Arbor.. Us carrying a cake covered in sparklers,, as HI opens the dressing room door… He’s accepts the cake and we walk in,, to our surprise hes wearing his combat style boots and his REAL birthday suit😂😲😂..Im so Happy this documentary is being made!! He is so worthy of the acknowledgments and for us so f*cking Fun and Entertaining… I ❤ U Mz. BAILEY

Leave a Reply to Paul Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *