The Smiths

Genres:	Horror • Music & Radio • Music Videos & Concerts • Pop / Rock
Descriptive "tags":	indie • 80s • new wave • post-punk • alternative • rock • british • indie rock • alternative rock
Decades Active:	1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	BBC Music • Discography • Discography • Fan Page • IMDb • MusicMoz • Wikipedia

Biography

Acclaimed by many as the most important UK band of the 80s, the Smiths were formed in Manchester, England during the spring of 1982. Morrissey (Steven Patrick Morrissey, 22 May 1959, Davyhulme, Manchester, England) and Johnny Marr (b. John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963, Ardwick, Manchester, Lancashire, England) originally combined as a songwriting partnership, and only their names appeared on any contract bearing the title ‘Smiths’. Morrissey had previously played for a couple of months in Ed Banger And The Nosebleeds and also rehearsed and auditioned with a late version of Slaughter And The Dogs. After that, he wrote reviews for Record Mirror and penned a couple of booklets on the New York Dolls and James Dean. Marr, meanwhile, had played in several Wythenshawe groups including the Paris Valentinos, White Dice, Sister Ray and Freaky Party. By the summer of 1982, the duo decided to form a group and recorded demos with drummer Simon Wolstencroft and...

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