The Smiths' Morrissey and Johnny Marr are one of the most respected songwriting duos of the '80s. A veteran of several Manchester bands, guitarist Marr, through a mutual friend, met Morrissey, a would-be music writer and president of the English chapter of the New York Dolls Fan Club. The two recruited Andy Rourke on bass and drummer Mike Joyce and gathered a small fan base. Marr's groundbreaking guitar playing mixed elements of rockabilly and glam and provided the jangling hook to Morrissey's profound lyrics, filled with wry humor, sexual innuendo and a dose of teenage self-loathing. The group's albums dominated U.K. charts throughout the '80s and garnered a modest U.S. following, but by 1987 fighting between Morrissey and Marr caused the group to split upon completion of Strangeways Here We Come. Morrissey has continued to pursue a successful solo career. Marr worked as a sideman for several British groups, appearing on The The's 1993 album, Dusk, and Electronic's albums Raise the Pressure and Twisted Tenderness. In 2003 Marr released Boomslang, the debut album from his latest group, Johnny Marr & the Healers.

Reviews

• The Sound of the Smiths
• The Smiths
• The Queen Is Dead
• Meat Is Murder
• Rank
• The World Won’t Listen
• Hatful of Hollow
• Strangeways, Here We Come
• Very Best of the Smiths

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