And if you have five seconds to spare, then I'll tell
you the story of my life...
British musician, former member of The Smiths, well
known for his provoking, witty, miserable and personal lyrics.
Born as Steven Patrick Morrissey in Manchester,England,
May 22, 1958. As a young boy he had a few bands and also nourished a dream of
becoming a music journalist. He also ran the New York Dolls fan club at
this time, writing for fanzines. After a failed attempt at an audition for a
record company and a few appearances in local bands, he met Johnny Marr,
guitarist in Wythenshawe. They formed
a songwriting duo called The Smiths in 1982.
Even though The
Smiths only existed as a band for 5 years before disbanding, they’ve had a
tremendous impact and influence on the music world. The eloquent lyrics and
charismatic singing by Morrissey combined with intelligent melodies by Marr,
made the band acclaimed at the same time as they were controversial and extremely popular.
After the break-up
with the band, Morrissey started a solo career, releasing Viva Hate in
1988 and it sold well enough to top the British charts. Reviews for the album
were not as positive though. Upon that followed albums Bona Drag and Kill
Uncle, after which Morrissey went on a world tour.
Reviews for these
last albums had been fairly good both from fans and from journalists, and with
the next album Your Arsenal continued on that note. So did also his last
album as a megastar on a big record company; Vauxhall and I. The
following years included lawsuits from former The Smiths-members and problems
with bad press. Nothing unusual for Morrissey, though, who released Maladjusted in 1997.
All the time Moz has
been the inspiration for thousands of people finding comfort in his music. At
the same time he’s been involved in numerous flamed discussions with and in the
media. He’s had public arguments with many other artists and authors, and he’s always been a popular person to ask in order to get a
provocative answer. Many rumors also surround Morrissey concerning his
sexuality, his drug abuse etc etc. And we will never know why The Smiths broke
up, but it’s fairly certain that Moz wrote the song I Won't Share You about
Johnny Marr. And he’s always working on yet another album.
Discography as a solo artist
Viva Hate -1987
Bona Drag - 1988
Kill Uncle - 1991
Your Arsenal – 1992
Beethoven was deaf – 1993
Vauxhall and I – 1994
World of Morrissey –1995 (compilation)
Southpaw Grammar – 1995
Maladjusted – 1997
Suedehead – The Best of Morrissey – 1997 (compilation)
My Early Burglary Years – 1998 (compilation)
You Are The Quarry - 2004
Ringleader of the Tormentors - 2006