The supple, ringing guitars of
Johnny Marr helped establish
the Smiths among the most acclaimed and enduring bands of the 1980s. Born
John Maher in Manchester, England, on October 31, 1963, he played in such little-known groups as Sister Ray and Freaky Party before forming
the Smiths with singer
Morrissey in 1982. In the years to follow they emerged among Britain's most successful acts, but in 1987, following sessions for the LP
Strangeways, Here We Come,
Marr dissolved the group, claiming their musical approach had gone stale.
In the wake of
the Smiths' demise, he made cameo appearances on records by the likes of
Talking Heads and
Kirsty MacColl before joining
Matt Johnson's
The The for 1989's
Mind Bomb.
Marr also teamed with
New Order's
Bernard Sumner and
Pet Shop Boys'
Neil Tennant in the alternative supergroup
Electronic, scoring a hit with the single "Getting Away With It." Apart from a handful of guest appearances, he kept a relatively low profile during the 1990s, most notably lending his talents to
The The's 1993 effort
Dusk and
Electronic's long-awaited sophomore record, 1996's
Raise the Pressure.
Marr returned to music three years later on
Electronic's third album,
Twisted Tenderness, which wasn't released in the U.S. until fall 2000. He also spent time working with his new band,
the Healers, playing dates across England. The next few years saw a time of redefinition and reflection for
Marr. He finally assembled his
Healers with ex-
Kula Shaker bass man
Alonza Bevan and
Ringo Starr's drumming son,
Zak Starkey, in 2002; a deal with ARTISTdirect's iMusic followed before the end of the year. Fans of this legendary guitarist were treated to
Marr's proper singing debut in early 2003 with the release of
Boomslang. In 2007
Marr appeared on the Washington band Modest Mouse's album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, and toured with them as a member.
–
Jason Ankeny, Rovi