Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher; 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer, best known as the guitarist and – with Morrissey – co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Born in Ardwick, Manchester, to Irish parents, Marr formed his first band at the age of 13. He was part of several bands along with Andy Rourke before forming the Smiths with Morrissey in 1982. The Smiths attained great success and were critically acclaimed, with Marr's jangle pop guitar style becoming distinctive 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 has become a prolific session musician, working with names such as Talking Heads and Hans Zimmer. He released his first solo album, titled The Messenger, in 2013, followed by his second, Playland, in 2014. His autobiography, Set the Boy Free, was published in 2016. His third solo album, Call the Comet, was released on 15 June 2018. Voted the fourth best guitarist of the last 30 years in a poll conducted by the BBC in 2010, Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief of Mojo, has described Marr as "arguably Britain's last great guitar stylist". In 2013, NME honoured Marr with its "Godlike Genius" award, hailing him: "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."

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