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Joe Strummer Information
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'John Graham Mellor' (August 21, 1952 “ December 22, 2002) better known as 'Joe Strummer', was the co-founder, lyricist and lead singer of punk rock band The Clash, and later The Mescaleros.
The early years 1952-1976
Strummer was born as John Mellor in Ankara, Turkey on August 21, 1952. His father was father was a foreign service diplomat and spent much of his time moving from place to place, which meant that Strummer spent his childhood moving from country to country. At the age of 10 Strummer and his older brother David began attending private boys schools in London. During this time Strummer rarely saw his parents. To pass the time he would listen to records by The Beatles and The Beach Boys, as well as American folk-singer Woody Guthrie. After finishing his time in private school Strummer moved onto art school where he briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a professional cartoonist. Later he was expelled from the school for using LSD.
In 1973 Strummer moved to Newport, Wales to attend the Newport College Of Art, which he would quickly drop out of. While there he joined up with some friends who were forming a band called The Vultures. For the next year he was the bands part-time singer and rhythm guitarist. Also during this time Strummer worked as a grave digger. In 1974 the band fell apart and he moved back to London where he met up again with Tymon Dogg. He busked on the streets for a while and then decided to form another band with his roommates who lived with him in West London. The band was called the 101'ers. The band played many gigs in London pubs playing cover of popular American R&B and blues songs. In 1975 he changed his name from Woody Mellor to Joe Strummer, and insisted that his friends call him by that name. The name "Strummer" obviously refers to his role as guitarist, but in a self-deprecating way. Though left-handed, he was taught to play right handed by his friend Tymon Dogg. This dampered his abilities (which were lackluster to begin with) and confined him to strumming chords. Strummer was the lead singer of the 101'ers and began to write original songs for the group. The first song he ever wrote was inspired by his girlfriend at the time and The Slits drummer, Palmolive. The song, "Keys to Your Heart" was liked by the group and ended up being picked as the groups first single.
The Clash 1976-1985
On April 3, 1976, Strummer went to go see an unknown band called "The Sex Pistols" at venue called "The Nashville Rooms" in London. After seeing the show Strummer saw the feature of music. He saw the music that the Sex Pistols were performing as dangerous and exciting. He also realized that the 101'ers were going no where. Sometime after he attened the Sex Pistols show Strummer was approached by Bernie Rhodes and Mick Jones. Jones was from the band The London SS and wanted Strummer to join as the bands lead singer. Strummer agreed to join just as the band was breaking up but decided to stick around and formed a new band with Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, drummer Terry Chimes and guitarist Keith Levene. The band was named The Clash by Simonon and made their debut on August 29, 1976, opening for The Sex Pistols in Sheffield, England. On January 25, 1976 the band signed with CBS Records and was now a three peice after both Levene and Chimes were booted from the band. Drummer Topper Headon would later become the bands full-time drummer.
The Clash were the most musically diverse and overtly political of the original English punk bands. Their songs all had meanings and discussed social decay, unemployment, racism, police brutality, political and social repression, military history and, occasionally, heroism. It was all very idealistic, but The Clash were deadly serious about everything they did. Strummer was involved with the Anti-Nazi League and Rock Against Racism campaigns. He later also gave his support to the Rock Against the Rich series of concerts organised by the anarchist organisation Class War. The Clash's London Calling album was voted best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine (although it was released in late 1979 in the UK it was released in 1980 in the USA). It is suggested that The Clash heavily influenced the bands U2, Manic Street Preachers, Rancid, Green Day, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, the Libertines, The Red Hot Chili Peppers (especially John Frusciante) and even hip-hop revolutionaries Public Enemy, and that The Clash are somewhat directly responsible for the explosion of garage bands in the 1980s and '90s.
During his time with The Clash Strummer, along with his band members, became well known for getting in trouble with the law. On June 10, 1977, he and Topper were arrested for spray-painting "The Clash" on a wall in a hotel and in the early 80s he was arrested for hitting a violent member of the audience with his guitar during a show in Germany. Before the album "Combat Rock" was released in 1982, Strummer dissapeared in what was supposed to be a publicity stunt created by the bands manager, Bernie Rhodes. During this time the band began to fall apart with tensions high the band members began to argue a lot. In September 1982, Strummer issued the infamous "Clash Communique", which was coup and fired Mick Jones. Topper Headon earlier was kicked out of the band because of his drug addiction, which now left the band to only two of its original members. Strummer decided to carry on with the band and added new members. "The Clash Mark Two" released the album "Cut The Crap" in 1985. The album was panned by fans and critics alike and Strummer dismanded the band. In November 1985, Strummer went to Jones and asked him to help him reform the band, which Jones refused to do.
The wilderness years 1985-1999
A year later Strummer joined up with Jones again and worked on a few songs for the film "Sid and Nancy". Strummer would also later work with Jones and his band Big Audio Dynamite, contributing to the bands second album. In a 1987 he starred in the film "Walker", directed by Alex Cox, as character named "Faucet" and wrote and performed on the movies soundtrack. He would star in another Cox film that same year called "Staight to Hell", as the character Simms. In 1989 Strummer would act in a small role in Jim Jarmusch's film Mystery Train, as a man with an Elvis obsession. During this time he continued to act and write and produce soundtracks for various films.
In 1989 Strummer began producing solo records with a band called The Rockabilly Latino War. The album Earthquake Weather was a critical and commercial flop, and resulted in his losing his contract with Sony Records. He then kept a low profile for nearly a decade, but in 1991 he replaced Shane MacGowan as singer of The Pogues for a tour after the former's departure from the band. Strummer also produced the Pogues album Hell's Ditch. After these self-described "wilderness years," he began working with other bands; he played the piano on the 1998 UK #1 hit of The Levellers, "Just the One" and appeared on the Black Grape single "England's Irie" in 1996.
Also during this time Strummer was in a Mexican standoff with The Clash's record label, Sony Records. The disagreement lasted nearly eight years and ended with the label agreeing to let him record solo records on his own with another label. If The Clash were to reunite though, they would have to record for Sony.
The Mescaleros and legacy 1999-2002
Finally, in the mid- to late-1990s, Strummer gathered top-flight musicians into a backing band he called The Mescaleros. Strummer and the band signed with the Californian punk label Hellcat Records, and issued a stunning album in 1999 which was co-written with Anthony Genn, called Rock Art and the X-Ray Style. A tour of England and North America soon followed; sets included several Clash-fan favourites. In 2001 the album was followed up with "Global A Go-Go". The album was again followed up a 21-date tour of North America, Britain, and Ireland. Once again, these concerts featured Clash material ("London Calling", "Rudie Can't Fail," "White Man in Hammersmith Palais"), as well as classic covers of reggae hits ("The Harder They Come", "A Message To You, Rudie") and regularly closed the show with a nod to the late Joey Ramone by playing The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop". On November 16, 2002, Strummer and The Mescaleros played a benefit for a fire brigade in London. Mick Jones was in the crowd, and came on stage to play a couple of songs with the band. This performance marked the first time since 1983 that Strummer and Mick had performed together on stage. This gig was also Strummer's final gig ever. Shortly before his death Strummer and Bono of U2 co-wrote a song, "46664", for Nelson Mandela as part of a campaign against AIDS in Africa. Strummer had been scheduled to play at Mandela's SOS fundraising concert in February 2003 on Robben Island.
Strummer died on December 22, 2002 in his home at Broomfield in Somerset, the victim of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. His untimely death at age 50 shocked and saddened a generation of fans to whom he had been an inspirational figure. Also, by words of his Clash bandmembers - Paul Simonon and Mick Jones - the band, along with Joe and Topper Headon, was considering at the time of his death reuniting for a world tour.
At the time of his death Strummer was working on another album, which was released posthumously in October 2003 under the title Streetcore. The songs "Coma Girl" and "Arms Aloft" from this album bear comparison with the Clash's best work, while the cover of Bobby Charles' "Before I Grow Too Old" (renamed "Silver and Gold") is a poignant closing. The album also features a tribute to American music icon Johnny Cash ("Long Shadow") (which was actually written for Cash to sing and recorded in Rick Ruben's garage) whom Strummer greatly admired for being a man of nobility, a remembrance of the Sept. 11 Attacks ("Ramshackle Day Parade"), and a cover of Bob Marley's classic "Redemption Song", which Strummer had also recorded in a duet with Cash. (The Cash/Strummer duet version appears on the 2003 box set Unearthed).
At the Grammy Awards in February 2003, "London Calling" was performed by Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Steven van Zandt, Dave Grohl, Pete Thomas, and Tony Kanal in tribute to Strummer. In March 2003, The Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Strummer's 1975 marriage to Pamela Moolman ended in divorce. In 1995 he married Lucinda Tait. He had no children with either wife, but had two daughters by Gaby Salter, and a step-child of Lucinda's.
In addition to his music, Strummer was instrumental in setting up Future Forests, an organisation dedicated to planting trees in various parts of the world in order to combat global warming. Strummer was the first artist to make the recording, pressing and distribution of his records carbon neutral through the planting of trees. Many other artists such as Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Pink Floyd have followed suit and fans can visit the Future Forests website to buy trees to be planted in their favourite artists' forest (Joe's being christened "Rebel Woods"). In his remembrance, Joe's friends and family have established the Strummerville Foundation for the promotion of new music. On 12th February 2005 the Class 47 locomotive 47828 was named "Joe Strummer". The nameplates were unveiled by his widow Lucinda in a ceremony at Bristol Temple Meads railway station. ( on the website of the locomotive's owners Cotswold Rail.) Also, on 22nd July 2005 Lucinda unveiled a plaque on the house in Pentonville, Newport where Strummer lived in 1973-1974 and where his first foray into recorded music, "Crummy Bum Blues" was recorded.
Throughout his career, his fans have remarked at the devotion he gave back to the fans themselves. It has been said that Strummer never left a venue until everyone that waited around had gotten an autograph and talked personally with him, a process which often lasted for hours. He continued to play Clash songs, despite the grievances of some Mescaleros, simply for his fans.
* Walker by Joe Strummer (1987, Virgin)
* Earthquake Weather by Joe Strummer (1989, Epic)
With The Mescaleros
*Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999)
*Global A Go-Go (2001)
*Streetcore (2003)
Joe Strummer partial filmography
*The King of Comedy (1983)
*Straight to Hell (1987)
*Candy Mountain (1988)
*Mystery Train (1989)
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