Morrissey
Background information
Birth name	Steven Patrick Morrissey
Born	May 22, 1959 (1959-05-22) (age 48) Davyhulme, Greater Manchester, England
Genre(s)	Alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, Songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1982-Present
Label(s)	Various
Associated acts	The Smiths
Website	morrisseymusic.com

Steven Patrick Morrissey (born May 22, 1959) is an English singer and songwriter from Davyhulme, near Manchester.

He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the English band The Smiths. When the band broke up in 1987, Morrissey began a successful solo career, racking up ten Top 10 singles in the UK.

Biography

Morrissey was born in Park Hospital, now known as Trafford General Hospital in Davyhulme, on 22 May 1959 to Irish Catholic immigrants. His father, Peter Morrissey was a hospital porter whilst his mother, Elizabeth Dwyer, was a librarian. His parents had emigrated to England just before Morrissey's birth and, along with his elder sister Jackie, Morrissey was raised in Harper Street in Hulme, Manchester. In 1965, the family moved to Queens Square in Hulme near Moss Side. They moved to 384 Kings Road in the more salubrious suburb of Stretford in 1969, when many of the old terraced streets were being demolished. Morrissey has maintained a strong attachment to his mother throughout his life; his relationship with his father, however, suffered much strain over the years, and eventually became largely nonexistent.

As a child, Morrissey developed a number of interests and role models that marked him out among his peers, including '60s girl groups, and female singers such as Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull and Timi Yuro. He was also interested in the kitchen sink dramas of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner, as well as the playwright, novelist and poet Oscar Wilde. The Moors Murders of the early 1960s had a large impact on him as a child, causing him to later respond with the controversially received track "Suffer Little Children".

In adolescence, Morrissey's athletic ability saved him to a large degree from bullying. Nevertheless, he has described this period as a time when he was often lonely and depressed. As a teenager, he began taking prescription drugs to help combat the depression that would later follow him throughout his life. He attended St Mary's Secondary Modern School and Stretford Technical School, where he passed Three O levels, including English Literature. He then worked briefly for the Inland Revenue, but ultimately decided to "go on the dole," sequestering himself in his room in his mother's home to concentrate on writing, reading, and listening to music. Around this time, Morrissey wrote novella-like publications concerning two of his greatest heroes: James Dean and The New York Dolls.

Morrissey at SXSW 2006

An early convert to punk rock, Morrissey briefly fronted The Nosebleeds, writing several songs and garnering a New Musical Express review before the band broke up less than a year later. In 1978, Morrissey briefly replaced Slaughter & the Dogs singer Wayne Barrett, recording four songs with the band before moving on (MOJO Classic Magazine, Volume 1 Issue 13, Page 22).

The Smiths

Main article: The Smiths

In 1982, Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr formed The Smiths, widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of the alternative rock movement. They have been consistently acclaimed by the music press, most infamously the NME, whose seeming obsession with the band earned them the nickname "The New Morrissey Express".

Signature themes of The Smiths' work include Morrissey's darkly witty lyrics and Marr's melodic and thickly layered music. The band became a success in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and grew into a cult phenomenon in the United States of America, where the band became known on college radio charts with songs such as "How Soon Is Now?" and "Panic." The band broke up in 1987 after Marr and Morrissey fell out over musical differences. Allegedly, Marr grew tired of the 60s pop fixation, didn't wish to perform cover songs of 60s British pop stars, and wanted to experiment with a wider array of styles in the Smiths' music. Morrissey grew even more rigid in his recording methods, often recording his vocals alone, after the music tracks had already been laid. The band released four proper studio albums and several compilations between 1984 and their breakup, including 1986's The Queen Is Dead, which has been placed highly on a number of critical "Greatest Album" lists.

Solo career