Originally Posted by right-track

We could go on and on about the in's and out's of a duck's arse and include Bowie and if you want The Velvet Underground and the Stooges too.
What was going on in New York bore little resemblance to how the punk movement developed, as we know it, between 76 and 79. As far as I know the U.S. didn't have such a phenomenon (even closely resembling it) until years later.
Where the foundations of Punk Rock began is a matter for those who wish to document it's roots. Personally, I think it's a pointless exercise.
Without The Sex Pistols and the British punk scene, I don't believe punk would have entered the collective consciousness at all.