I agree with Trondi. Punk began in the States in Detroit and NYC with the Stooges, MC5, and the CBGB's scene and Max's Kansas City in the late '60's and early '70's. It didn't really get a name until the British movement in the later '70's with the Pistols , the Clash, etc.
Hopefully some of the earlier stuff I put up is still available in this thread:
http://www.drunkenstepfather.com/for...ead.php?t=2709
It has some of the early influences and I took it up to about 1984-85, before I lost interest / ran out of available time.
As for the West Coast stuff, it came much later and was more hardcore thrash than what came before. The important part is it finally closed the coffin on disco, or so we thought. In any case it has kept the concept of music as an art form alive despite the best efforts of music moguls to kill that idea forever.
just my $.02, feel free to flame away!