Mike Joyce English drummer; Best known for his work with The Smiths. Date of Birth: 01.06.1963 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Mike Joyce

Mike Joyce is an English drummer, best known for his work with the band 'The Smiths'. He achieved the most success and popularity as a member of 'The Smiths', being part of the group from 1982 to 1987. Born in Fallowfield, Manchester, Joyce had previous experience playing drums for other bands such as 'The Hoax' in Manchester and 'Victim' in Ireland. However, it was with 'The Smiths' that he achieved the greatest success and recognition.

After the band's breakup, Joyce and fellow 'Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke joined forces to play with Sinéad O'Connor. Alongside Craig Gannon, they participated in the recording of two singles by Morrissey, the former lead singer of 'The Smiths'. Joyce, Gannon, and Rourke worked on both the A-sides and B-sides of the singles, including the notable tracks 'Interesting Drug' and 'The Last of the Famous International Playboys'.

In the 90s, Joyce collaborated with various artists and bands including 'Suede', 'Buzzcocks', 'Public Image Limited', Julian Cope, P. P. Arnold, and Pete Wylie. Later, Joyce, Rourke, and Gannon collaborated with Aziz Ibrahim, a former member of 'The Stone Roses' from Manchester. They also worked with 'Oasis' guitarist Bonehead and Vinny Peculiar.

In 1989, Joyce and Rourke took legal action against their former 'Smiths' bandmates Johnny Marr and Steven Morrissey, seeking equal shares of performance and songwriting royalties. The court ruled in favor of Joyce and Rourke, and they were awarded approximately 1 million pounds, resulting in a permanent rift between them and Marr and Morrissey. Joyce was even excluded from Rourke's charity concert 'Manchester v Cancer' since Marr was already performing there. Interestingly, in the 2007 DVD 'Inside The Smiths', Joyce and Rourke spoke highly of their former partners.

In October 2007, Joyce went on a tour across the UK as the drummer for Vinny Peculiar, with Bonehead taking over the bass guitar duties. For a period of time, Joyce was also involved with the Manchester band 'Autokat'.

Currently, Joyce continues to perform on British radio and in nightclubs worldwide.