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Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
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As frontman and main songwriter of the Clash, Joe Strummer created some of the fieriest, most vital punk rock -- and, indeed, rock & roll -- of all time. Strummer expanded punk's musical palette with his fondness for reggae and early rock & roll, and his signature bellow lent an impassioned urgency to the political sloganeering that filled some of his best songs. After the Clash disbanded in 1986, Strummer sporadically pursued film acting and released the occasional solo album, though seemingly only when it suited him. Joe Strummer was born John Graham Mellor on August 21, 1952, when his father, a diplomat, was stationed in Ankara, Turkey. During his time at London boarding schools, the teenage Strummer immersed himself in rock and reggae, and began busking on the streets under his newly adopted stage name. In 1974, he formed the pub rock group the 101'ers, and though they rocked pretty hard, they couldn't quite match the raw fire Strummer discovered when he saw Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols. Strummer promptly quit pub rock to join the fledgling punk movement, and co-founded the Clash in 1976; the rest was history. Six albums, many more singles and EPs, and one frequently brilliant body of work later, the Clash broke up amidst rancorous infighting and uncertainty of direction. Strummer contributed two songs to the soundtrack of Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy, a 1986 chronicle of the doomed Sex Pistols bassist; the two hit it off so well that Strummer acted in Cox's next two films, Walker (which Strummer also scored) and the bizarre Western Straight to Hell. His relaxed, natural screen presence earned him further work with directors Robert Frank (1987's Candy Mountain) and Jim Jarmusch (1989's acclaimed Mystery Train); Strummer also wrote five songs for the soundtrack of 1988's Permanent Record. In 1989, Strummer released his first solo album, Earthquake Weather, which blended straight-up rock & roll with touches of world music. However, following a temporary stint filling in for Shane MacGowan in the Pogues (both as rhythm guitarist and in-concert lead vocalist), Strummer largely fell silent after the very early '90s. The first peep of a return to the music scene occurred in 1996, when Strummer appeared on the Black Grape single "England's Irie." The following year, Strummer scored the John Cusack hitman comedy Grosse Pointe Blank, which relied heavily on new wave and British ska revival for its song selections. In 1999, Strummer released his second solo album, Rock Art and the X-Ray Style, which largely forsook straight-ahead rock & roll in favor of eclectic, rhythmic, world music flavored compositions, plus elaborate singer/songwriter-ish lyrics. Strummer further refined this new direction with the follow-up, 2001's Global A-Go-Go. In December 2002, he was in the midst of recording his fourth solo album when he died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Somerset. ~ Steve Huey, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

Joe Strummer
The ongoing 30th anniversary salute to the Clash etches a new peak with the long-awaited DVD release...
Songs: 8, Videos: 7, Playlists: 2, Blog Posts: 3, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Most Popular Music Videos (2)

The Future is Unwritten (trailer)
(Duration: 2:33)
Jun 30th, 3:39pm
Yalla Yalla
(Duration: 4:57)
Jun 16th, 9:26pm
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Fan Comments

Oct 31st, 5:41pm





Have a Safe and Happy Samhain!!!
Patch
Oct 22nd, 10:28pm
my favourite band miss them a lottttttt?????????????????????
Oct 12th, 2:25am
Oct 11th, 7:11pm
Aug 17th, 12:54pm
Jul 20th, 3:16pm
Hey thanks for the add! The Clash - yeah, the only band that matters. Love ya, Joe and wish you were still around to rock!
Jul 17th, 8:52pm
Hi thanks so much 4 the add.
Jul 16th, 6:29am
Awesome!!! The Clash are legends. The only band that matters... RIP Joe Strummer
Jul 9th, 8:24am
hi, thanks for the request! ..i like clash!
Jul 8th, 9:34pm
thanks for the add.