Joe Strummer British rock musician, frontman of the punk band The Clash. Date of Birth: 21.08.1952 Country: Great Britain

1. Biograpy of Joe Strummer
2. The 101'ers and The Clash
3. The Mescaleros and Later Years

Biograpy of Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer was a British rock musician and the frontman of the punk band The Clash. He was born in Ankara, Turkey, into a family of British diplomats and was much older than the future punk generation. He studied at a private boarding school in London.

The 101'ers and The Clash

In 1973, John Mellor, who was then using the pseudonym "Woody," joined the amateur band The Vultures as a guitarist. The band drew inspiration from early American rock and roll, blues, and British rock of the 1960s. In the summer of 1974, Woody formed the band The 101'ers and made his first live performance with them in September of the same year. In the spring of 1975, Mellor changed his name to Joe Strummer. The 101'ers were a typical, unnoticed pub rock band, playing primitive 1950s rock and roll and rhythm and blues in taverns. Eventually, a small independent label noticed the band, and their debut single was recorded in March 1976, planned for release in the summer of that year. However, the emerging success was interrupted when Strummer, impressed by the Sex Pistols' performance he witnessed in April of that year, started considering a different musical direction. Despite some social differences between him and the Sex Pistols members (he grew up in a middle-class environment and was much older than the punk generation), Strummer borrowed many elements from the group's image. His stage persona began to change. In late May, Strummer was offered to join a new band (the future The Clash), and he accepted. The 101'ers disbanded, and their first and only single was released after their breakup. In The Clash, Strummer became the frontman, although he was not the sole author of the lyrics and music. Nevertheless, he was responsible for the majority of the vocal parts.

The Mescaleros and Later Years

After the dissolution of The Clash in 1986, Strummer formed the band The Mescaleros. He continued his musical career with this group, incorporating elements of world music and experimenting with different styles. Strummer passed away on December 22, 2002.