Steve Marriot.
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
I remember hearing Steve Marriot’s “Watcha Gonna Do About It” from the Small Faces on a jukebox in the Bierre Shoppe in Gros Freiheit Hamburg for the first time. The punchy style of Ian Maclagan, a late replacement of the group, on the Hammond. Also, playing the Hammond organ and living in Hamburg during the sixties inspired me to look at my style and playing. To top that, we shared the stage of the famous Star Club on the same Saturday evening in July 1966. The Small Faces were mesmerising, and following that night, we learned several of their songs, which always went down so well.
Renowned for his distinctive, raspy voice and energetic stage presence, Marriott played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of 1960s British rock and was a key figure in developing the mod and hard rock genres.
Steve Marriot was born on 30 January 1947, a 47’er, as I refer to him, at East Ham Memorial Hospital, East Ham. Born three weeks premature and weighing just 4 lb 4 oz he developed jaundice and was kept in the hospital for four weeks before being well enough to go home.
In 1959, at the age of twelve, Marriott formed his first band, 'The Wheels', later the 'Coronation Kids', and finally, 'Mississippi Five'. He wrote his first song, "Shelia My Dear," after his aunt Shelia, in the style of Buddy Holly, and his bandmates nicknamed him 'Buddy.' He developed his musical ability by playing at the local coffee bars and, on Saturday morning, at the Essoldo Cinema in Manor Park.
Marriot, whose early life was as an actor and, played the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. He formed The Small Faces in 1965, a band that would become one of the most important acts in the British mod scene. The group’s early music blended rhythm and blues, soul, and psychedelic rock, characterised by Marriott’s powerful vocals and the band’s energetic performances. As well as “Watcha Gonna Do About It,” they also had hits with “All or Nothing” (1966) and “Lazy Sunday” (1968). The Small Faces quickly became one of the UK's most popular bands.
Their music often explored themes of youth rebellion, which resonated with the growing mod subculture of the time. With its whimsical, psychedelic.
They were originally signed to Don Arden, a manager with a reputation, but in 1967, after a dispute over unpaid royalties, relations broke down, and Arden sold them to Andrew Loog Oldham, who owned Immediate Records and had managed the Rolling Stones earlier in their career.
The Small Faces were much happier at Immediate, spending more time in the recording studio and far less time playing live, but in doing so lost the dynamic live sound that had made them famous.
After the success of the group's number-one hit concept album, Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake, which is regarded by many, as a classic album, Marriott was keen for the group to evolve and wanted to bring in ex-Herd frontman Peter Frampton, but McLagan, Jones, and Lane refused and decided to leave the group.
However, in 1969, Marriott formed Humble Pie, a band that defined his career in the 1970s. Humble Pie initially started as a supergroup, with Marriott on vocals and guitar, joined by former Spooky Tooth guitarist and keyboardist Peter Frampton and a rhythm section that included Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley. Humble Pie's music was more rooted in hard rock, blues, and boogie-woogie, and they quickly became known for their fiery live performances and heavy, energetic sound.
Humble Pie’s most successful albums, Humble Pie (1969) and Rock On (1971), showcased Marriott’s vocal prowess and songwriting skills. However, the band’s 1971 live album Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore truly captured the raw power of their live shows.
The album became one of the defining live rock albums of the era, cementing Marriott's reputation as a masterful frontman and one of the best live performers of his time. With Humble Pie, Marriott’s soulful voice and intense delivery made him stand out in the burgeoning hard rock scene.
Despite his success with Humble Pie, Marriott’s career was often troubled by personal issues, including his struggles with substance abuse and the pressures of fame. His relationships within the band also became strained, and by the mid-1970s, he left Humble Pie and pursued a solo career. While his solo albums were met with varying degrees of success, they never matched the commercial impact of his previous work. Nonetheless, Marriott continued to be highly respected in the rock community for his powerful voice, which had a raw, emotional quality that set him apart from many of his contemporaries.
Tragically, Steve Marriott's life was cut short in 1991 when he died in a house fire at the
age of 44
He posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for his "Outstanding
Contribution to British Musi" and was listed in Mojo as one of the top 100 greatest
singers of all time.
While he may not have achieved the same mainstream recognition as some of his peers,
his work with The Small Faces and Humble Pie
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