Terry Kath - Chicago
Johnny Marr is an English musician, songwriter, and singer (born Johnny Martin Maher) in Manchester in October 1963 and at the age of 13 formed his first band, the Paris Valentinos. He played in several bands, the most recent being Freak Party. But by early 1982, after losing their singer, Marr approached Rob Allman, the singer with White Dice. He showed little interest and instead suggested Steven Morrissey, the singer with the Nosebleeds. In May, and through a third-party it was arranged for Marr to meet Morrissey at his home. They seemed to hit it off and with Marr’s first bass player, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce on drums they formed the Smiths.
Within months they signed to Rough Trade Records and in May 1983 released their first single “Hand in Glove.” Now with an ever-growing fan base they recorded their first album, which was released in early 1984 and reached number two in the UK Chart. This was quickly followed by their second album, the controversial, “Meat is Murder.”
Their third album “The Queen Is Dead” was awarded the accolade by Spin magazine as being one of the greatest albums ever made. This resulted in the NME dubbing the Smiths the most important rock band of all time.
Marr's guitar sounds are instantly recognisable, with his jangly Rickenbacker and Fender Telecaster and synonymous with the Smith’s sound. Marr said, when performing with the band, he wanted to play a music which was pop. "100% of my focus was on providing interesting guitar hooks and putting some kind of space-age twist on the guitarist's role. The pop guitarist crossed with the mad professor. That's how I thought of myself."
In early 1986, Rourke was fired by the band for his use of heroin, but within weeks he was reinstated. But other problems were already looming and despite their continued success, personal differences within the band and the increasingly strained relationship between Morrissey and Marr created a huge problem.
Marr left the group in July 1987, and despite auditions to find a replacement no one was considered suitable. So, by the time their next tranche of music was released the band had long split.
One of the reasons given by Morrissey was the fact that Marr was working and recording with other artists, however, he later told Tim Samuels, a BBC journalist, that it was due to the lack of a managerial figure and business problems.
Marr's guitar playing had a massive effect on many of the Manchester bands that followed the Smiths including: John Squire - Stone Roses, Noel Gallagher - Oasis, and no doubt many more. He has since performed with numerous other bands and singers including: the Pretenders, Pet Shop Boys, collaborating with Hans Zimmer, on film soundtracks, Talking Heads. Joss Stone, Bryan Ferry and so many more.
In 2010 in a poll conducted by the BBC, Marr was voted the fourth-best guitarist of the last 30 years and Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief of Mojo described him as "arguably Britain's last great guitar stylist." In 2013, the NME, honoured Marr with its "Godlike Genius" award: "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."
Despite several attempts at reforming the Smiths it seems very unlikely.
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BY-------Graham Sclater
Terry Kath was born in Chicago in January 1946 and grew up in a musical family. His brother played the drums, his mother played the banjo, and Kath. Although influenced by them to play drums and banjo, at 14, influenced by the instrumental group the Ventures, he bought a guitar and amp. 1960s. Terry Kath joined his first semi-professional band, The Mystics, in 1963, moving to Jimmy Rice and the Gentlemen in 1965. His father wanted him to have a steady career, but he decided he would prefer music. Instead, he joined a road band called Jimmy Ford and the Executives playing bass. Considered to be the band leader, Kath guided the band's musical direction. In 1966, Kath joined The Missing Links, a cover band that started playing clubs and ballrooms in and around Chicago. Kath's friend James Guercio was the lead guitarist in a band that Kath met during a session on the Dick Clark Show, and he was later to be the producer of Chicago.
Following the addition of Peter Cetera as bassist and lead vocalist, the new lineup, now named The Exceptions, signed to Columbia Records, and was renamed The Chicago Transit Authority. In 1969, following an objection from the real Chicago Transit Authority, the name was shortened to Chicago.
Unlike other Chicago members who received formal music training, Kath was mostly self-taught and enjoyed jamming with other musicians. In a 1971 interview for Guitar Player, he said he had tried professional lessons but abandoned them, adding, "All I wanted to do was play those rock and roll chords.”
His guitar playing was an important component of the group's sound from the start of their career. He used several different guitars, but his sound and style eventually became identified with a Fender Telecaster fitted with a single neck-position humbucker pickup combined with a bridge-position angled single-coil pickup and decorated with numerous stickers.
His guitar playing was an important component of the group's sound from the start of their career. He used several different guitars, but his sound and style eventually became identified with a Fender Telecaster fitted with a single neck-position humbucker pickup combined with a bridge-position angled single-coil pickup and decorated with numerous stickers.
He played lead guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singles alongside Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. His bandmates and other musicians praised him for his guitar skills, and Jimi Hendrix cited Terry Kath as one of his favourite guitarists and considered Kath, "The best guitarist in the universe." That can be seen on various YouTube videos, especially with the fantastic live extended version of their hit song “25 or 6 to 4.”
In an interview, Robert Lamm, one of the band's founding members, said he composed "25 or 6 to 4" on a 12-string guitar with only 10 strings. Lamm said, "It didn't have the two low Es," and he wrote the lyrics in one day. Lamm said the song is about trying to write a song in the middle of the night. The song's title is the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 a.m., phrased as "twenty-five or [twenty-]six [minutes] to four [o’clock]" (i.e. 03:35 or 03:34).
It was recorded in August 1969 for their second album, Chicago, with Peter Cetera, whose jaw had been wired together following an attack, on lead vocals.
The album was released in January 1970, and the song was edited and released as a single in June (omitting the second verse and most of the guitar solo). It reached number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the UK singles chart.
Towards the end of the 1970s, like so many musicians Kath struggled with health problems and drug abuse. He died in January 1978 from an unintentional self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The bereavement tempted Chicago to disband, but they ultimately decided to resume, as is signified by their memorial song Alive Again.
They issued the 1997 album The Innovative Guitar of Terry Kath to commemorate his musicianship. In 2016, Kath's daughter Michelle Sinclair released the documentary The Terry Kath Experience, chronicling his life and Chicago's early years.
Kath wrote at least one song and contributed at least one lead vocal to every Chicago album released during his lifetime. He was regarded as Chicago's leader, and his vocal, jazz, and hard rock influences were integral to the band's early sound. Praised for his guitar skills he was described by rock author Corbin Reiff as "One of the most criminally underrated guitarists to have ever set a finger on a fretboard.”
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