Morrissey

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

Morrissey 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.

In 1982, Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr formed The Smiths, widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of the alternative rock movement. 

Following The Smiths' split, Morrissey's first solo album, Viva Hate, came out in 1988. To create the album, Morrissey teamed up with former Smiths producer Stephen Street, Vini Reilly of Durutti Column, and drummer Andrew Paresi. The prevailing sound of the album is jangle pop, similar to that of the Smiths, though Reilly's guitar work adds more abrasive and atmospheric elements to the work. Viva Hate reached number one upon release, supported by such strong singles as "Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday." Bona Drag (1990) collected these early singles along with further non-album cuts such as "November Spawned A Monster" and "Ouija Board, Ouija Board," along with the b-sides "Hairdresser On Fire". Mark Nevin's songwriting services were employed for the studio follow-up to Viva Hate, titled Kill Uncle. The album continued in a similar musical vein.

The band Morrissey assembled in 1991 for his Kill Uncle tour went on to record 1992's hit album Your Arsenal. Composition duties were split between guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, who have been the core of Morrissey's band ever since. Your Arsenal was produced by former David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, and earned a Grammy nomination for best alternative album.

1994 brought Morrissey back to number one in the UK, with Vauxhall and I. One of the album's songs, "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get," enjoyed chart success as a single, reaching number eight in the UK and number 46 in the US. That year, Morrissey also released a single "Interlude" in duet with one of his all-time favourite singers: Siouxsie of Siouxsie & the Banshees. Further albums Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted were less well received critically and commercially. These albums included the songs "Reader Meet Author" and "Trouble Loves Me," both of which are still occasionally included in live set lists.

Morrissey relocated from his Dublin home to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, partially to escape the attention of the British music press. Morrissey enjoyed a surprise connection with the Latino community there, and supposedly cut himself off from the British Isles as he built a new life for himself in California. However, his 1931-built mansion (formerly owned by Clark Gable) is now on the market. Morrissey currently resides in Rome.

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