Steven Patrick Morrissey was an unemployed writer in 1982 when he formed The Smiths, an American rock band.  He and songwriter and guitarist John Maher, who later changed his name to Marr, recorded several demo tapes.  They recruited drummer Mike Joyce and bassist Dale Hibbert.

The Smiths

That's why I do this music business thing, it's communication with people without having the extreme inconvenience of actually phoning anybody up.

The Early Years

Steven Patrick Morrissey was an unemployed writer in 1982 when he formed The Smiths, an American rock band.  He and songwriter and guitarist John Maher, who later changed his name to Marr, recorded several demo tapes.  They recruited drummer Mike Joyce and bassist Dale Hibbert.   They found shortly that Hibbert was not a good fit and replaced him with Andy Rourke.

In 1984 they signed a recording contract with Rough Trade Records.  That year, they released their debut album, The Smiths.  The album was preceded by the release of its first single, What Difference Does It Make? which  peaked at #12 on the UK charts.  In 1989, Rolling Stone Magazine listed the album as #22 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The Recording Years

They spent much of 1985 touring the UK and the US, then returned to the recording studio.  From 1986 through 1987, The Smiths released an album per year.  Their 1986  release, Meat is Murder, became their sole #1 album.  Its only single, The Joke Isn't Happy Anymore, was not commercially successful, but Rolling Stone magazine named the album #295 on their list of 1001 Albums You Should Hear Before You Die.  

The Queen is Dead was released in 1986, seven months late due to legal issues with Rough Trade Records.  The album debuted at #2 on the UK charts and remained on the charts for twenty-two weeks.  Three singles were released:  The Boy with the Thorn in his Side, Bigmouth Strikes Again, and There is a Light That Never Goes Out.  After the album was released, The Smiths left Rough Trade Records.  Strangeways, Here We Come was released in 1987, debuting at #2 on the UK charts and staying there for seventeen weeks.

Here and Now

In 1989, The Smiths disbanded.  In 2005, VH1 tried to reunite the band on their television series, Bands Reunited.  They abandoned the idea when Morrissey would not talk to the host, Aamer Haleem.  In 2006, they were offered $5 million to reunite for a performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.  Morrissey still refused.  

In February, 2010, Soundscan reported that The Smiths had 19,753 digital album sales.  Over twenty years after the band broke up, fans still purchase mp3 downloads of their music and seek out audio streaming of their music.  Rumors flew regarding a potential reunion at the 2009 Coachella Valley Festival, but the rumors were unfounded.  Marr has indicated that he has not ruled out the possibility, but Morrissey has made no indication.

Did you know . . .

1. The band picked their name because it was simple, in reaction to the habit of the 1980s of choosing complex, “pompous” band names.

2. In 2007, Morrissey stated that he would “rather eat his own testicles” than reunite with The Smiths.

3. Johnny Marr changed his name from Maher to Marr, to avoid confusion with The Buzzcocks drummer, John Maher.

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