Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Davyhulme, Manchester, England, UK, and from a very early age, he developed a strong interest in writing. Initially, his primary focus was on poetry, and he even published a biography on James Dean, "James Dean Is Not Dead", by his early twenties. Morrissey's literary influences were diverse, ranging from the likes of Oscar Wilde and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to pop music and film. He was particularly fond of the works of David Bowie, Ray Davies, and Marc Bolan.
In 1982, Morrissey was approached by local Mancunian guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr, who asked him to collaborate. This marked the beginning of a possibly the greatest songwriting duo of the 1980s. Morrissey's witty and morbidly sentimental lyrics were a perfect match with Marr's unique chord progressions and tunings. They soon added Marr's schoolmates Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums) to the group, and the duo became a quartet, dubbing themselves The Smiths.
The Smiths released six studio albums and several catchy three-minute singles from 1983 to 1987, garnering critical acclaim in both England and the US. Although they never broke into the mainstream in the US, they became college radio legends, mainly due to Morrissey's intelligent but often controversial themes.
The band eventually broke up in 1987 over a conflict of musical interest between Morrissey and Marr. Morrissey went on to achieve solo success, achieving a greater status in the US 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. Although the chance of a "Smiths" reunion seems bleak, their music will continue to be played by devoted, intelligent fans everywhere. In essence, the music of Steven Morrissey and The Smiths was "as smart as pop music gets".
