John Sinclair

John Sinclair (1941 –2024) was an American poet, writer, and political activist from Flint, Michigan.

Sinclair's defining style is jazz poetry, and he released most of his works in audio formats. Most of his pieces include musical accompaniment, usually by a varying group of collaborators dubbed Blues Scholars.

In 1972, Ann Arbor's annual marijuana celebration and Toke and Smoke Fest in the Diag began. This was four months after the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, who was at the time still serving time on his ten-year sentence for possession of two joints. John Lennon had come to that rally and penned a song.

Sinclair made a career of being a poet and promoter. He also promoted concerts and festivals and helped to establish The Detroit Artists Workshop and Detroit Jazz Center were among his promoted events, as were other concerts and festivals. At Wayne State University he taught Blues history and hosted radio programs in Detroit WDET, New Orleans, and Amsterdam.