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Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 1964) is a British guitarist, keyboardist, harmonica player and singer, best known as the man behind the music of The Smiths (q.v.). He was born in Wythenshawe, England.
Career
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.
Marr, in The Smiths, was known for a delicate, angelically sweet guitar style that could evoke musicality from just a few well-chosen notes. Contrasted with the common punk and rock guitar flashiness and speed of the time, Marr's playing was out of place in the usual pop mainstream; like Rachmaninoff performing at a fast-food restaurant. In fact, all of The Smiths, in their own way, represented tasteful departures from the typical music of the time, increasingly becoming less about music, and more about business.
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, Billy Bragg and Oasis.
The Healers
The Healers first appeared in 2000 when Marr started looking for musicians. He found the son of Beatle Ringo Starr: Zak Starkey, and Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan. The band took two years to complete, because Marr wanted members to be chosen "by chemistry." The debut of the new band was released in 2003, where Marr sang and wrote the lyrics as well. The second LP was supposed to be out in 2004, but Starkey was involved with his side projects like Oasis and The Who and Bevan with his own band. Apparently their second LP is due out in April 2005 and a short tour is expected soon after that.
Albums discography
Only those bands of which Marr was a regular member are included; his session work discography is extensive.
With The Smiths
With The The
With Electronic
- Electronic (1991)
- Raise the Pressure (1996)
- Twisted Tenderness (1999)
Johnny Marr and The Healers
- Boomslang (2003)
- Second LP (2005)
External link
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