english musician, born 22 May 1959, Davyhulme, Manchester. Morrissey began his career with the vague intention of succeeding as a music journalist. Unemployed in Manchester during the late 70s, he frequently wrote letters to the music press and was eventually taken on by Record Mirror as a freelance local reviewer. During this period, he also ran a New York Dolls fan club and wrote a booklet about them. Another small illustrated volume, 'James Dean Is Not Dead', briefly catalogued the career of another Morrissey obsession.

In the meantime, Morrissey was attempting unsuccessfully to progress as a performer. He had played a couple of gigs with local band the Nosebleeds and failed a record company audition with a relaunched version of Slaughter And The Dogs. In 1982, he was approached by Wythenshawe guitarist Johnny Marr) with the idea of forming a songwriting team. They soon developed into the Smiths, the most important and critically acclaimed UK band of the 80s.

The Smiths' 1983 debut single, 'Hand in Glove', a love song filled with oblique references to homosexuality, made them an underground sensation in the U.

K. and as Morrissey attracted more attention, he demonstrated a flair for manipulating the media. His interviews were filled with blunt, unpredictable opinions and intentionally outrageous statements. Possessed of a darkly cynical bent as a lyricist, he was often misinterpreted as advocating some of the more disturbing things he sang about, which only added to the furor surrounding the band. The Smiths' eponymous 1984 debut was a smash in the U.

K. and in its wake, Morrissey began promoting his political views, heavily criticizing Margaret Thatcher, and advocating vegetarianism (hence the title of the follow-up LP, 'Meat Is Murder'). 'The Queen Is Dead' (1986) was acclaimed as a masterpiece, but friction between Morrissey and Marr was growing. Marr departed after 1987's 'Strangeways, Here We Come' and Morrissey broke up the rest of the band to begin a solo career.

His first two solo singles, 'Suedehead' and 'everyday Is Like Sunday', were significant British hits in 1988 and his first album, 'Viva Hate' was commercially and critically well-received. He released several more high-quality singles, but spent an inordinate amount of time laboring on the follow-up album, issuing the compilation 'Bona Drag' in 1990. In the meantime, the Madchester fad was sweeping British indie music and when 'Kill Uncle' was finally released in 1991, it only magnified the disappointment.

In the years that followed, Morrissey remained a massively popular touring attraction on the strength of his singular identity, releasing a few albums but never getting the huge success of the 80s back, also due to several controversial lyrics.

May 2004 saw the release of 'You Are the Quarry', His eighth solo record.

There's no denying Morrissey's impact on music. As lead singer for The Smiths, he blazed a trail for dozens of modern day alternative rock acts. his arch lyrics, powerful persona and general news worthiness made him a pop figure whose articulacy was unmatched by any of his contemporaries.nicky wire said about the meaning of the line 'morrissey and marr gave us choice': "It was just the idea that Morrissey led me to a different world. He mentioned people like Oscar Wilde or James Dean, pretty obvious icons, but it's nice to be shown the way when you're 15 or 16. It just shows you an outside world."