Which band formed around singer Mike Ness in Fullerton, California?

Social Distortion formed around singer and guitarist Mike Ness in Fullerton, California.

Ness founded the band in 1978, when he was a teenager. Social Distortion became one of the key groups in Southern California punk, combining punk’s directness with rockabilly, country, and classic rock influences.

The band’s first studio album, Mommy’s Little Monster, appeared in 1983. Its later records, including Social Distortion and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, brought the group a much wider audience while retaining Ness’s distinctive songwriting and vocal style.

Mike Ness has remained Social Distortion’s central member through substantial lineup changes. The band is sometimes grouped with pop-punk or cowpunk, but its core identity comes from the Southern California punk scene and Ness’s roots-oriented approach.