Morrisey
Biography
Morrissey was born in the Park Hospital in Davyhulme, on 22 May 1959 , to Irish Catholic immigrants Peter Morrissey, a hospital porter, and Elizabeth Dwyer, a librarian. His parents had moved to England just before Morrissey's birth and brought him up, with his elder sister Jackie, in Harper Street in Hulme, Manchester. In 1965 the family moved to Queens Square in Hulme near Moss side where they moved to 384 Kings Road in the more salubrious suburb of Stretford in 1969, when many of the old terraced streets were being demolished. Morrissey has maintained a strong attachment to his mother throughout his life. However, his relationship with his father suffered much strain over the years and was, eventually, largely nonexistent.
As a child, Morrissey developed a number of interests and role models that marked him out among his peers, including '60s girl groups, and female singers such as Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Cilla Black, and Timi Yuro. He was also interested in the kitchen sink dramas of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner, as well as the playwright, novelist, and poet Oscar Wilde. The Moors Murders of the early 1960s had a large impact on him as a child, and he later responded with the controversially received debut album track "Suffer Little Children".
In adolescence, Morrissey's athletic ability saved him to a large degree from bullying. Nevertheless, he has described this period as a time when he was often lonely and depressed. As a teenager, he began taking prescription drugs to help combat a depression that would follow him throughout his life.[2] He left school early after passing only a few of his O levels, and worked briefly for the Inland Revenue, but ultimately decided to "go on the dole," sequestering himself in his room in his mother's home to concentrate on writing, reading, and listening to music. Around this time Morrissey wrote novella-like publications concerning two of his greatest heroes: James Dean and The New York Dolls.
An early convert to punk rock, Morrissey briefly fronted The Nosebleeds, writing several songs and garnering a New Musical Express review before the band broke up less than a year later. In 1978 Morrissey briefly replaced Slaughter & the Dogs singer Wayne Barrett, recording four songs with the band before moving on (MOJO Classic Magazine, Volume 1 Issue 13, Page 22).
The Smiths
Main article: The Smiths
In 1982 Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr formed The Smiths. The Smiths are widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of the 1980s alternative rock movement. They have been consistently acclaimed by the music press, most infamously the NME, whose seeming obsession with the band earned them the nickname "The New Morrissey Express".
Signature themes of The Smiths' work include Morrissey's darkly witty lyrics and Marr's melodic and thickly layered songwriting. The band became a success in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and grew into a cult phenomenon in the United States of America, where the band became known on college radio charts with songs such as "How Soon Is Now?" and "Panic." The band broke up in 1987 after Marr and Morrissey fell out over musical differences. The band released four proper studio albums and several compilations between 1984 and their breakup, including 1986's The Queen Is Dead, which has been placed highly on a number of critical "Greatest Album" lists.
Morrissey was born in the Park Hospital in Davyhulme, on 22 May 1959 , to Irish Catholic immigrants Peter Morrissey, a hospital porter, and Elizabeth Dwyer, a librarian. His parents had moved to England just before Morrissey's birth and brought him up, with his elder sister Jackie, in Harper Street in Hulme, Manchester. In 1965 the family moved to Queens Square in Hulme near Moss side where they moved to 384 Kings Road in the more salubrious suburb of Stretford in 1969, when many of the old terraced streets were being demolished. Morrissey has maintained a strong attachment to his mother throughout his life. However, his relationship with his father suffered much strain over the years and was, eventually, largely nonexistent.
As a child, Morrissey developed a number of interests and role models that marked him out among his peers, including '60s girl groups, and female singers such as Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Cilla Black, and Timi Yuro. He was also interested in the kitchen sink dramas of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner, as well as the playwright, novelist, and poet Oscar Wilde. The Moors Murders of the early 1960s had a large impact on him as a child, and he later responded with the controversially received debut album track "Suffer Little Children".
In adolescence, Morrissey's athletic ability saved him to a large degree from bullying. Nevertheless, he has described this period as a time when he was often lonely and depressed. As a teenager, he began taking prescription drugs to help combat a depression that would follow him throughout his life.[2] He left school early after passing only a few of his O levels, and worked briefly for the Inland Revenue, but ultimately decided to "go on the dole," sequestering himself in his room in his mother's home to concentrate on writing, reading, and listening to music. Around this time Morrissey wrote novella-like publications concerning two of his greatest heroes: James Dean and The New York Dolls.
An early convert to punk rock, Morrissey briefly fronted The Nosebleeds, writing several songs and garnering a New Musical Express review before the band broke up less than a year later. In 1978 Morrissey briefly replaced Slaughter & the Dogs singer Wayne Barrett, recording four songs with the band before moving on (MOJO Classic Magazine, Volume 1 Issue 13, Page 22).
The Smiths
Main article: The Smiths
In 1982 Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr formed The Smiths. The Smiths are widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of the 1980s alternative rock movement. They have been consistently acclaimed by the music press, most infamously the NME, whose seeming obsession with the band earned them the nickname "The New Morrissey Express".
Signature themes of The Smiths' work include Morrissey's darkly witty lyrics and Marr's melodic and thickly layered songwriting. The band became a success in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and grew into a cult phenomenon in the United States of America, where the band became known on college radio charts with songs such as "How Soon Is Now?" and "Panic." The band broke up in 1987 after Marr and Morrissey fell out over musical differences. The band released four proper studio albums and several compilations between 1984 and their breakup, including 1986's The Queen Is Dead, which has been placed highly on a number of critical "Greatest Album" lists.
