Johnny Marr
John Martin Marr (born John Martin Maher; 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous other bands and embarked on a solo career.
Johnny Marr
John Martin Maher
31 October 1963
Manchester, England
- Musician
- songwriter
- singer
- Guitar
- vocals
- piano
- harmonica
1982–present
- Rough Trade
- Sire
- Warner Bros.
- New Voodoo
- Johnny Marr and the Healers
Born in Manchester, to Irish parents, Marr formed his first band at the age of 13. He was part of several bands with Andy Rourke before forming the Smiths with Morrissey in 1982. The Smiths attained commercial success and were critically acclaimed, with Marr's jangle pop guitar style becoming a distinctive part of the band's sound, but separated in 1987 due to personal differences between Marr and Morrissey. Since then, Marr has been a member of the Pretenders, The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse, and the Cribs, and he has become a prolific session musician, working with names such as Kirsty MacColl, Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads, Bryan Ferry and Hans Zimmer.
Having released an album titled Boomslang in 2003 under the name Johnny Marr and the Healers, Marr released his first solo album, The Messenger, in 2013. His second solo album, Playland, was released in 2014, followed by a third, Call the Comet, in 2018. Marr's autobiography, Set the Boy Free, was published in 2016.[1]
In 2010, Marr was voted the fourth-best guitarist of the last 30 years in a poll conducted by the BBC.[2] Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief of Mojo, described him as "arguably Britain's last great guitar stylist", despite Marr not describing himself as British.[3] In 2013, NME honoured Marr with its "Godlike Genius" award: "Not content with rewriting the history of music with one of the world's greatest-ever bands, the Smiths, he's continued to push boundaries and evolve throughout his career, working with some of the best and most exciting artists on the planet."[4]
Early life[edit]
Marr was born on 31 October 1963 in Saint Mary's Hospital in Manchester,[5] son of John Joseph Maher and Frances Patricia Doyle, Irish emigrants to England from County Kildare.[6] The family lived in Ardwick Green[7] and moved to Wythenshawe in 1972.[8] Marr attended St Aloysius Primary School in Ardwick before moving to Sacred Heart Primary School.[9] From 1975, he attended St Augustine's Catholic Grammar School, which in 1977 merged with other schools to form St John Plessington High School.[10][11] Marr had aspirations to be a professional football player. He was approached by Nottingham Forest and had trials with Manchester City's youth team.[12][13]
Marr's said his family's move to Wythenshawe was "like we'd moved to Beverly Hills", and that the move led to him meeting "a bunch of guitar players" which "changed his life".[14][15] The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy was in a high school band that practised across the street from Marr's new house, and Marr would hang out listening to them rehearsing.[16] He learned to play the guitar with LP vinyl records and a guitar chords dictionary without a teacher.[17] Marr formed his first band, the Paris Valentinos, at the age of 13, with Andy Rourke (who had gone to the same high school as Duffy) and Kevin Williams (later an actor, known as Kevin Kennedy), performing for the first time at a Jubilee party in Benchill in June 1977, playing Rolling Stones and Thin Lizzy covers.[18]
In 1979, he played a single gig at Wythenshawe Forum with a band called Sister Ray and re-united with Rourke in a band called White Dice. White Dice entered a demo-tape competition organised by NME and won an audition for F-Beat Records, which they attended in April 1980 but were not signed.[19] Around the age of 14, he began spelling his name "Marr" to simplify the pronunciation for those who had difficulty with his birth name "Maher", and to avoid confusion with Buzzcocks drummer John Maher.[20]
In October 1980, Marr enrolled at Wythenshawe College, and was President of the school's Student Union.[21] White Dice dissolved in 1981. Marr and Rourke then formed a funk band, Freak Party, with Simon Wolstencroft on drums. Around this time, Marr first met Matt Johnson, with whom he later collaborated.[22]
Post-Smiths[edit]
The Pretenders, The The, Electronic (1987–1999)[edit]
In August 1987, he was very briefly an official member of the Pretenders. In late 1987, he toured with the band and appeared on the single "Windows of the World" b/w "1969".[36] He then left the Pretenders, and recorded and toured with The The from 1988 to 1994, recording two albums with the group.[36] He simultaneously formed Electronic with New Order's Bernard Sumner.[36] Electronic were intermittently active throughout the 1990s, releasing their final album in 1999.
Session work (1987–2002)[edit]
In 1992 Marr and Billy Duffy recorded a cover version of Ennio Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the NME compilation album Ruby Trax.[37]
He has also worked as a session musician and writing collaborator for artists including Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Ferry, Billy Bragg, Kirsty MacColl, Black Grape, Jane Birkin, Talking Heads,[36] and Beck.[38] Marr played guitar on four songs on Talking Heads' final album Naked, including the single "(Nothing But) Flowers", and he prominently appears in that song's music video.[39]
Marr played guitar on several Pet Shop Boys songs; he continues to have guest appearances on their albums, with his most significant contribution on Release (2002). The only remix that Marr has ever done was for Pet Shop Boys—it was a mix of his favourite track from their 1987 album, Actually, called "I Want to Wake Up", and was released as the b-side to 1993's "Can You Forgive Her?" He later worked as a guest musician on the Oasis album Heathen Chemistry. He also joined Oasis on stage at a gig in 2001, playing "Champagne Supernova" and "I Am the Walrus".
Johnny Marr and the Healers (2000–present)[edit]
In 2000, Marr recruited drummer Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr), Cavewaves guitarist Lee Spencer and former Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan for his new project, 'Johnny Marr and the Healers'. The band had taken two years to come together as Marr had wanted members to be chosen "by chemistry". Their debut album Boomslang was released in 2003, with all lyrics and lead vocals by Marr. A second album was originally scheduled for release in April 2005, and a short tour was expected soon after, but Marr has since stated that the band is on the "side burner" for the time being.[40] Their most recent release was a free downloadable track called "Free Christmas" in December 2011.
Style and influences[edit]
Marr's jangly guitar-playing was influenced by Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse, George Harrison (with the Beatles) and James Honeyman-Scott of the Pretenders. During his time in the Smiths, Marr often tuned his guitar up a full step to F♯ to accommodate Morrissey's vocal range, and also used open tunings and is known for creating arpeggio melodies and (sometimes) unusual chord progressions and makes wide use of open strings while chording to create chiming. Citing producer Phil Spector as an influence, Marr said, "I like the idea of records, even those with plenty of space, that sound 'symphonic'. I like the idea of all the players merging into one atmosphere".[71] Marr's other favourite guitarists are James Williamson of the Stooges, Rory Gallagher, Pete Townshend of the Who,[72] Nile Rodgers, Jimi Hendrix and John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and John McLaughlin who he called the greatest guitarist of all time."[73][74] When forming the Smiths, the Velvet Underground was a key influence, along with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.[75] Marc Bolan of T. Rex also had a strong impact on him because of the groove and the sound that put the listener in a daze.[76] Talking about his instrument, he explained : "I try to think about the guitar along the spectrum of James Williamson, who was in the Stooges during the Raw Power era, on the one hand to John McLaughlin and his solo record, My Goal's Beyond. I like all the spectrum in between, and that might be – and is – Richard Lloyd of Television, John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nile Rodgers. To me these people are magicians and artists."[77]
When performing with the Smiths, he wanted to play music which was pop. "100% of my focus was on providing interesting guitar hooks and putting some kind of space-age twist on the guitarist's role. The pop guitarist crossed with the mad professor. That's how I thought of myself."[78] In a 2007 interview for the BBC, Marr reported that with the Smiths his goal was to "pare down" his style and avoid rock guitar clichés.[79] Marr forbade himself from using power chords, distortion, lengthy solos, or "big rock chord changes", instead relying on sophisticated arpeggios to create his signature chiming guitar work for the band.
When Marr started to sing as a solo artist in 2012, he explained his decision saying : "[The frontpersons] I related to were Peter Perrett, Colin Newman, Pete Shelley, Siouxsie Sioux. They were singing from the mind and had integrity."[80] He also added : "I'm absolutely not interested in being the frontman in a band that bares my soul or feelings in song. Siouxsie Sioux, or Ray Davies, or Howard Devoto don't sing from some weird, shlocky, sentimental place. What's wrong with singing from the brain?".[81] He also expressed admiration for Bert Jansch, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, and Franz Ferdinand's guitarists Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.[17]
In popular culture[edit]
Marr was the titular subject of the 2007 single "Johnny Marr" by the Canadian singer Carole Pope, formerly of the band Rough Trade. Pope described her inspiration and choice of Marr thus: "I was actually getting nostalgic, which I never really do, about living on a certain street in Toronto in the '80s. The Smiths were the soundtrack of that time. I love [...] Morrissey, but I know he's trouble."[99]
Marr is the subject of "Johnny Marr Is Dead" by The Brian Jonestown Massacre; however, he is not mentioned in the lyrics. He is also the subject of Clear's 2003 single satirising the music industry "Johnny Marr Was a Mistake".[100]
Marr is portrayed by Laurie Kynaston in the 2017 film England Is Mine.
Marr is also mentioned in the 1988 single "John Kettley Is a Weatherman" by British band A Tribe of Toffs.
Personal life[edit]
Marr and his wife Angie have been together since 1979,[101] before the Smiths formed.[102] They have two children, Sonny and Nile Marr. Nile is also a musician, and was frontman of the band Man Made before going solo. After residing in Portland, Oregon, for more than five years, the family returned to Britain for Marr to record his solo album in Manchester.
Marr gave up eating meat around 1985 in solidarity with Morrissey and Angie.[103] He stated: "It's not a good idea to have a number one album called Meat Is Murder and be seen eating a bacon sarnie."[103] After meeting American rap group Naughty by Nature, he was inspired by their philosophy of strength through health, and soon after quit drinking and smoking, and converted to veganism.[103][104] Marr is a keen runner, and completed the 2010 New York Marathon in a time of 3:54:18.[105] Marr has been a supporter of Manchester City F.C. since 1972,[106] and has been seen attending games.[107] Marr is a patron of the Manchester Modernist Society.[108]
Johnny Marr discography
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