Morrissey(I)
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Davyhulme,
Manchester, England, UK. At a very early age, he took an interest in
writing. His top priority was poetry, though he would have his
biography on James Dean, "James Dean
Is Not Dead", published by his early 20s. His literary influences
ranged from Oscar Wilde to
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, though he
was also an avid fan of pop music and film. Some of his primary musical
idols were David Bowie,
Ray Davies and
Marc Bolan.
In 1982, Morrissey was approached
by local Mancunian guitarist and songwriter
Johnny Marr. Marr asked him to
collaborate, and so began possibly the greatest songwriting duo of the
1980s. Morrissey's witty and morbidly sentimental lyrics were a perfect
match with Marr's odd chord progressions and unusual tunings. They soon
added Marr's schoolmates Andy Rourke (bass)
and Mike Joyce (drums). The duo
became a quartet and dubbed themselves
The Smiths. The Smiths released six studio
albums and several catchy three-minute singles from 1983 to 1987. The
band found critical acclaim in both their native England and the U.S.
They never broke into the mainstream in the U.S., though they became
college radio legends, mainly due to Morrissey's intelligent but often
controversial themes.
The band broke up in 1987 over a conflict of
musical interest between Morrissey and Marr. Morrissey found solo
success after The Smiths, achieving a far
greater status in the U.S. than The Smiths
ever had. His greatest triumph was
1992's "Your Arsenal", which was
nominated for a Grammy for best alternative album. The album was
produced by former
David Bowie
guitarist Mick Ronson.
In 1997, former
The Smiths drummer
Mike Joyce successfully sued
Morrissey and Marr over songwriting royalties. The chance of a "Smiths"
reunion seems bleak, but their music will continue to be played by
devoted, intelligent fans everywhere. To put it simply, the music of
Steven Morrissey and The Smiths was "as smart
as pop music gets".
Manchester, England, UK. At a very early age, he took an interest in
writing. His top priority was poetry, though he would have his
biography on James Dean, "James Dean
Is Not Dead", published by his early 20s. His literary influences
ranged from Oscar Wilde to
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, though he
was also an avid fan of pop music and film. Some of his primary musical
idols were David Bowie,
Ray Davies and
Marc Bolan.
In 1982, Morrissey was approached
by local Mancunian guitarist and songwriter
Johnny Marr. Marr asked him to
collaborate, and so began possibly the greatest songwriting duo of the
1980s. Morrissey's witty and morbidly sentimental lyrics were a perfect
match with Marr's odd chord progressions and unusual tunings. They soon
added Marr's schoolmates Andy Rourke (bass)
and Mike Joyce (drums). The duo
became a quartet and dubbed themselves
The Smiths. The Smiths released six studio
albums and several catchy three-minute singles from 1983 to 1987. The
band found critical acclaim in both their native England and the U.S.
They never broke into the mainstream in the U.S., though they became
college radio legends, mainly due to Morrissey's intelligent but often
controversial themes.
The band broke up in 1987 over a conflict of
musical interest between Morrissey and Marr. Morrissey found solo
success after The Smiths, achieving a far
greater status in the U.S. than The Smiths
ever had. His greatest triumph was
1992's "Your Arsenal", which was
nominated for a Grammy for best alternative album. The album was
produced by former
David Bowie
guitarist Mick Ronson.
In 1997, former
The Smiths drummer
Mike Joyce successfully sued
Morrissey and Marr over songwriting royalties. The chance of a "Smiths"
reunion seems bleak, but their music will continue to be played by
devoted, intelligent fans everywhere. To put it simply, the music of
Steven Morrissey and The Smiths was "as smart
as pop music gets".