The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. The band consisted of vocalist Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. Critics have called them the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s. The band's focus on a guitar, bass, and drum sound, and their fusion of 1960s rock and post-punk, were a repudiation of synthesizer-based contemporary dance-pop – the style popular in the early 1980s. Marr's guitar-playing on his Rickenbacker often had a jangly sound reminiscent of Roger McGuinn of the Byrds and influenced later Manchester bands, including the Stone Roses and Oasis. Morrissey and Marr's songs combined themes about ordinary people with complex, literate lyrics delivered by Morrissey with a mordant sense of humour.
The Smiths had several singles reach the UK top twenty and all four of their studio albums reached the UK top five, including one which topped the charts. They won a significant following and remain cult favourites, although they had limited commercial success outside the UK while they were still together. The band broke up in 1987 and have turned down several offers to reunite. In 2014 and 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Morrissey and Johnny Marr dictated the musical direction of the Smiths. Marr said in 1990 that it "was a 50/50 thing between Morrissey and me. We were completely in sync about which way we should go for each record". The band's "non-rhythm-and-blues, whiter-than-white fusion of 1960s rock and post-punk was a repudiation of contemporary dance pop" – the style popular in the early 1980s. The band purposely rejected synthesisers and dance music. They sometimes used Sergei Prokofiev's Montagues and Capulets as entrance music at live shows.
Early image of The Smiths on a shoot in 1983 on the outskirts of Manchester
Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths photographed just after they first signed to the legendary Rough Trade Records.
Morrissey wields a protestor’s placard bearing the title of The Smiths anarchic ‘Queen is Dead’ tour and album in Manchester,1986
The image of The Smiths outside Salford Lads' Club that graces the inner sleeve of their classic album The Queen is Dead
Iconic Strangeways Road sign from the back of the ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ album shot in 1987.
Johnny Marr playing his Rickenbacker guitar at the 'Jobs for A Change' Festival at Jubilee Gardens, London in June 1984
Johnny Marr onstage with The Smiths at the GLC's Jobs For Change free music festival in the summer of 1984.
Limited edition of Morgan Howell's original painting of the cover of Chuck Berry's 'You Never Can Tell' vinyl single
The Cure on the road in Holland and Belgium during their 1980 'Seventeen Seconds' tour.
Van Morrison performing at the Rainbow Theatre, London in July 1973.
Kurt Cobain, from Nirvana, photographed in October 1990 outside the Dalmacia Hotel, Shepherd's Bush, London
Oasis were an English rock music band formed in Manchester in 1991, to date the band have sold over 70 million records worldwide.
Bruce Springsteen (Nicknamed "The Boss") is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and humanitarian.
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. they have dubbed their music simply "rock and roll".
Joy Division (originally named Warsaw), an English rock band formed in 1976 were one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement.
The USA has given us many of the world's greatest music artists - we celebrate the best of the best
Welcome to our Jazz & Blues Print Collection - over 50 years of iconic images of the world's greatest Jazz & Blues musicians
Here are the very latest prints we have added to our collection. We hope you love them as much as we do.
A fantastic curated collection of museum quality fine art prints by leading music photographer Barry Schultz
