Notorious lead singer and creative force behind neo-Nazi band Skrewdriver. In 1957, Ian Stuart Donaldson was born in Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, England, though he was raised in Blackpool. As a youth he formed a Rolling Stones tribute group entitled "Tumbling Dice," but the band broke up quickly. He saw the Sex Pistols live, and he formed Skrewdriver. Skrewdriver started off as a typical skinhead band, but broke up due to their image being percieved as violent.

Soon, Stuart became more open about his white nationalist beliefs, he began writing songs expressing these beliefs, reforming Skrewdriver and releasing the "White Power" single in 1983. Later in his career he formed Blood and Honor, a neo-Nazi political organization.

He was very prolific, and when his bandmates were in prison, Ian would form other bands to keep himself occupied. In addition to Skrewdriver, he also formed the Klansmen (rockabilly group featuring members from Demented Are Go), Rough Justice, and White Diamond. He even made solo albums and recorded two folk albums with his friend Stigger: Patriotic Ballads Vol. 1 & 2.

In 1993, he died in a car accident. Some believe that the brakes to his car were fixed, but the police never looked into it.

He is considered a hero in the white nationalist movement, as can be seen with No Remorse's "Farewell Ian Stuart":

So farewell to a comrade, and farewell to a friend
You did your best, you shone above the rest
You were a white man 'till the end
Farewell Ian Stuart, a man we held so high
You will live forever, because heroes, heroes never die

Many others, however, view him as an idiot who gave rock music a bad name. Many punk bands have written songs celebrating his death, such as MDC's "Nazis Shouldn't Drive":

They shouldn't be driving day or night
They can't think left, they can only think right
The sun reflects off their bald head
Like Ian Stuart they're going to wind up dead

Though he's not remembered fondly, Ian Stuart is definitely one of the most important figures in the punk scene, as he singlehandedly created the stereotype of the neo-Nazi skinhead.

Sources

All Music Guide
Find a Grave