Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963 in Wythenshawe, Manchester) is a British guitarist, keyboardist, harmonica player and singer, best known as the man behind the music of The Smiths.

Career

He had started out as a footballer, being approached by Nottingham Forest. In 1986, he married Angie Brown.

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Together with singer Steven Morrissey, Maher began writing songs in 1982, forming The Smiths by recruiting Mike Joyce on drums and Dale Hibbert on bass guitar. After two gigs, Hibbert was replaced by Maher's friend Andy Rourke. By then, Morrissey had dropped his first name and Maher had changed his name to Marr to avoid confusion with the Buzzcocks drummer.

Related Topics:
Steven Morrissey - 1982 - The Smiths - Mike Joyce - Drums - Dale Hibbert - Bass guitar - Andy Rourke - Buzzcocks

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Marr, in The Smiths, was known for a delicate, angelically sweet guitar style that could evoke musicality from just a few well-chosen notes. While he would probably blanch at the comparison, Marr's playing is in many regards similar to that of idiosyncratic progressive rock guitarists such as Steve Hackett, Peter Banks, and Robert Fripp. Indeed, his understanding of harmony and counterpoint was light-years beyond that of most rock guitarists of the time, and replicating many of his 12-string guitar lines requires considerably greater skill than is needed to play a typical 1980s "hair metal" guitar solo. Contrasted with the common rock guitar flashiness and speed of the time, best exemplified by Eddie Van Halen and his legion of imitators, Marr's playing was out of place in the usual pop mainstream. In fact, all of The Smiths, in their own way, represented departures from the typical music of the time, which had increasingly become less about music and more about business.

Related Topics:
Progressive rock - Steve Hackett - Peter Banks - Robert Fripp - 12-string guitar - Hair metal - Eddie Van Halen

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After the demise of the Smiths (1987), Marr played guitars for The The and also teamed up with New Order singer/guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner to form Electronic. He also became a sought-after session player and producer, writing, touring and recording with, among others, Bryan Ferry, The Pretenders, Kirsty MacColl, Talking Heads, Black Grape, Billy Bragg and Oasis.

Related Topics:
1987 - The The - New Order - Singer - Guitar - Keyboardist - Bernard Sumner - Electronic - Producer - Bryan Ferry - The Pretenders - Kirsty MacColl - Talking Heads - Black Grape - Billy Bragg - Oasis

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