Steven Patrick Morrissey (born May 22, 1959), known primarily as Morrissey, is a British singer and lyricist. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. After the band's breakup in 1987, Morrissey began a solo career, in which he continued the jangle pop sound of The Smiths. Morrissey's solo albums have garnered ten Top 10 singles in the United Kingdom. UK magazine NME has described Morrissey as "one of the most influential artists ever" and The Independent has stated that "most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that he has reached in his lifetime."

Morrissey's sardonic, literate lyrics tend to be "dramatic...bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home." He sings with a baritone voice, occasionally using a high falsetto voice for emphasis. His "forthright, often contrary opinions" led to a number of media controversies, such as his criticism of the Band Aid hunger-relief effort and his statements against political leaders including Margaret Thatcher and George W. Bush. He has also attracted media attention from his advocacy of vegetarianism and animal rights.

Early Life: Steven Patrick Morrissey was born at Park Hospital (now known as Trafford General Hospital) in Davyhulme, Urmston, Lancashire on 22 May 1959 to Irish Catholic immigrants. His father, Peter Morrissey, was a hospital porter, and his mother, Elizabeth Dwyer, was a librarian. His parents had emigrated to England just before Morrissey's birth and, along with his only sibling (elder sister Jackie), Morrissey was raised in Harper Street in Hulme, Manchester. In 1965, the family moved to Queens Square in Hulme near Moss Side. The family moved to 384 Kings Road in the suburb of Stretford in 1969, when many of the old terraced streets were being demolished. He has maintained a strong attachment to his mother throughout his life. His relationship with his father, however, suffered much strain over the years.

As a child, Morrissey developed a number of interests and role models that marked him out among his peers, including '60s girl groups, and female singers such as Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull and Timi Yuro. He was also interested in the "kitchen sink"-style social realism of late 1950s and early 1960s television plays, Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner, actor James Dean, as well as authors Oscar Wilde and Shelagh Delaney. The Moors Murders of the early 1960s, in which a couple raped and killed a number of Manchester-area children and teens, had a large impact on him as a child. He examined these memories in his 1982 song "Suffer Little Children".

In adolescence, Morrissey's athletic ability saved him to a large degree from bullying. Nevertheless, he has described this period as a time when he was often lonely and depressed. As a teenager, he began taking prescription drugs to help combat the depression that would later follow him throughout his life. He attended St Mary's Secondary Modern School and Stretford Technical School, where he passed Three O levels, including English Literature. He then worked briefly for the Inland Revenue, but ultimately decided to "go on the dole," sequestering himself in his room in his mother's home to concentrate on writing, reading, and listening to music. As of 1974, he regularly wrote letters (as Steve Morrissey) to music magazines such as Melody Maker and the NME, giving his forthright opinions on various bands. Morrissey's letters to a penpal friend in 1981 surfaced online over 20 years later.

Morrissey would sometimes venture out to see bands at local Manchester venues; the first such occasion being T.Rex at Belle Vue in 1972. He was taken there by his father, fearing for his safety in the notoriously rough district. He chose to wear a purple satin jacket, not the best way of avoiding unwanted attention. Morrissey has described the occasion as "messianic and complete chaos".

First Steps in Popular Culture: Throughout the 1970s, a teenage Morrissey acted as president of the UK branch of the New York Dolls fan club. He articulated his love for the group in a recent biopic of ex Doll Arthur Kane: "Some bands grab you and they never let you go and, no matter what they do, they can never let you down... the Dolls were that for me." This New York Dolls influence made Morrissey an early convert to punk rock. Morrissey, then still with forename, briefly fronted The Nosebleeds in 1978, who by that time included Billy Duffy on guitar (Duffy went on to form the post-punk band The Cult). They played a number of concerts, including one supporting Magazine, which resulted in a New Musical Express review by Paul Morley. Morrissey also founded The Cramps fan club, the Legion of The Cramped, with another enthusiast for their music, Lindsay Hutton, although he progressively scaled down his involvement in the club over time, due to the increasing amount of time he was devoting to his own musical career.

Morrissey wrote several songs with Duffy, such as "Peppermint Heaven", "I Get Nervous" and "(I Think) I'm Ready for the Electric Chair", but none were recorded during the band's short lifespan, which ended the same year. After the Nosebleeds' split, Morrissey followed Duffy to join Slaughter & the Dogs, briefly replacing original singer Wayne Barrett. He recorded four songs with the band and they auditioned for a record deal in London. After the audition fell through, Slaughter & the Dogs became The Studio Sweethearts without Morrissey.

Morrissey for the time interrupted his music career, focusing instead on writing on popular culture. He published two works with Babylon Books: The New York Dolls (1981), about his favourite band; and James Dean Is Not Dead (1983), about Dean's brief career. A third book, Exit Smiling, which was actually written first (in 1980) and which dealt with obscure B-movie actors, was initially rejected and remained unpublished until 1998, when Morrissey had become famous and Babylon decided to publish it.

The Smiths: In 1982, Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr formed The Smiths. They were consistently acclaimed by the music press, most infamously the NME, whose seeming obsession with the band earned them the nickname the "New Morrissey Express". At the start of The Smiths, Morrissey decided to drop his forename, which he until then had used both in his publications and while a member of The Nosebleeds and Slaughter & the Dogs.

Signature themes of The Smiths' work include Morrissey's darkly witty lyrics and Marr's melodic and thickly-layered music. The band became a success in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and grew into a cult phenomenon in the United States of America, where the band became known on college radio charts with songs such as "How Soon Is Now?" and "Panic." The band broke up in 1987 after Marr and Morrissey fell out over musical differences.

Morrissey grew even more rigid in his recording methods, often recording his vocals alone, after the music tracks had already been laid, a technique also used by David Bowie. In 1989, in an interview with young fan Tim Samuels (who later became a BBC journalist), Morrissey said that the lack of a managerial figure and business problems were to blame for the split. The band released four proper studio albums and several compilations between 1984 and their breakup, including 1986's The Queen Is Dead, which has been placed highly on a number of critical "Greatest Album" lists. There have been many more compilations released since the group's demise. The group's back catalogue is now in the hands of Warners following Rough Trade's bankruptcy.

Solo Career: Following The Smiths' split, Morrissey's first solo album, Viva Hate, was released in 1988. To create the album, Morrissey teamed up with former Smiths producer Stephen Street, Vini Reilly of Durutti Column, and drummer Andrew Paresi. The prevailing sound of the album is jangle pop, similar to that of the Smiths, though Reilly's guitar work adds more abrasive and atmospheric elements to the work. Viva Hate reached number one upon release, supported by such singles as "Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday."

Morrissey initially planned to release a follow-up album entitled "Bona Drag" after releasing a few holdover singles from the Viva Hate sessions. As such, he released "The Last of the Famous International Playboys", "Interesting Drug", and "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" over the course of 1989. The first two of these became top ten hits. However, by the end of 1989 it became apparent that he would not be able to put out an album of new material soon enough. Morrissey decided to scrap the idea of a full-length LP and release Bona Drag as a compilation of singles and B-sides instead. Bona Drag (1990) collected these early singles along with further non-album cuts such as "November Spawned a Monster" and "Piccadilly Palare," along with the B-side "Hairdresser on Fire".

Mark Nevin's songwriting services were employed for the studio follow-up to Viva Hate, titled Kill Uncle. The album is often cited as the weakest in Morrissey's back catalog and the two singles released in promotion of the album, Our Frank and Sing Your Life failed to break the Top 20 on the singles charts. The band Morrissey assembled in 1991 for his Kill Uncle tour went on to record 1992's hit album Your Arsenal. Composition duties were split between guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, who have been the core of Morrissey's band ever since. Your Arsenal was produced by former David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, and earned a Grammy nomination for best alternative album. The album peaked at #4 on the UK charts, with two of its three singles, "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" and "You're the One for Me, Fatty", both debuting in the Top 20 in the UK.

In 1994, Morrissey had a second number one album in the UK, with Vauxhall and I. One of the album's songs, "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get," reached #8 in the UK and #46 in the US. That year, he also released a single "Interlude" in duet with Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie & the Banshees. Following the success of Vauxhall and I Morrissey began work on Southpaw Grammar in early 1995. When released in August, the album was a hit, peaking at #4 in the UK. However, both of its singles failed to chart in the Top 20. With the exception of the single "Sunny" in that December it would be another year before Morrissey released a new album or single. Morrissey returned on a new record label in 1997 with the single "Alma Matters" in promotion of his album Maladjusted.

Though the album was hailed as a return to form for Morrissey the album only peaked at #8 and its further two singles, "Roy's Keen" and "Satan Rejected My Soul" peaked outside the UK Top 30. Having left his new record label and lost a court case over Smiths royalties with former band mate Mike Joyce, Morrissey relocated from his Dublin home to Los Angeles in the late 1990s; it would be another seven years before he released another single or studio album.

Comeback: Though Morrissey had continued touring in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he did not have a record contract. In June 2003, Sanctuary Records group gave Morrissey the one-time reggae label Attack Records to record new material and to sign new artists. Morrissey's album You Are the Quarry was released on May 17, 2004 (one day later in the US). Guitarist Alain Whyte described the work as a mix between Your Arsenal and Vauxhall and I, and the album received strong reviews. The first single, "Irish Blood, English Heart," was released internationally on May 10, 2004. The single reached number three in its first week of sales in the UK singles chart. This was the highest placing chart position for Morrissey in his entire career as both a solo artist and the lead singer of The Smiths (the 2006 release "You Have Killed Me" also debuted at number three in its first week in the charts). Also, it has sold over a million copies, making the album his most successful one, solo or with The Smiths.

With the release of "I Have Forgiven Jesus" in December 2004, Morrissey along with McFly became the only artists to score four top-10 hits in the UK singles chart that year. In August of 2004, Morrissey was slated to headline a week-long set of shows on Craig Kilborn's The Late Late Show. Morrissey did not perform every night of the weeklong series due to a throat illness. He did, however, perform the following week.

Morrissey's next album, Ringleader of the Tormentors, debuted at number one in the UK album charts. The album cover is an allusion to the iconic Deutsche Grammophon record cover logo and design, with Morrissey posing as a violinist after the photos of Jascha Heifetz or Yehudi Menuhin. Recorded in Rome, it was released internationally on April 3, 2006, and one day later in North America. The album was produced by Tony Visconti, who has also worked with T. Rex, Anti-Flag and David Bowie. The subsequent 2006 international tour included more than two dozen gigs in the UK, including concerts at the London Palladium. Just prior to the album's release, Morrissey was photographed in Rome by Bryan Adams for the cover of 'Zoo Magazine'.

Morrissey was scheduled to appear at the 2005 Benicassim festival in Spain but pulled out at the last minute. On 9th January 2007, the BBC confirmed that it was in talks with Morrissey for him to write a song for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. The video for the single You Have Killed Me may be an affectionate homage to the style of the contest during the 1970s. If an agreement could be made, Morrissey would be writing the song for someone else, rather than performing it himself, a BBC spokesperson claimed. On 23 February 2007 the BBC ruled this out, and stated Morrissey would not be part of Britain's Eurovision entry.

2008: In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with Tony Visconti, the producer stated that his new project would be "the next Morrissey album", though that this would not be forthcoming for at least a year. However, in an interview with the BBC News website in October 2007, he said that the album is already written and ready for a possible September 2008 release and that his deal with Sanctuary Records had come to an end. A possible deal with Warner Music had been tentatively made. In December he signed a new deal with Decca Records, which included a Greatest Hits album and a newly-recorded album to follow in autumn 2008. In a reaction to the NME story, Morrissey pointed out that he would rather not be signed to a label.

New songs slated for appearance on Morrissey's next album include "Something Is Squeezing My Skull", "Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed", "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" and "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell", which were performed at recent US and European live appearances. In August 2007, it was reported that Morrissey's residencies at Los Angeles and New York would be the last live shows he would perform for the "foreseeable future", but Morrissey denied these comments. While a NME article claimed that Morrissey turned down a near £40 M offer to reunite with Johnny Marr on a 50 date world tour, Morrissey called the reunion tour a hoax.

In January 2008, Morrissey planned to play six consecutive shows at The Roundhouse in London, but he had to cancel the final dates due to illness. Despite lukewarm reviews, especially in the NME, the lack of airplay on British radio (except on XFM), and even the incredulity of fan sites, "That's How People Grow Up" reached the Top 15, reaching the 14th place of British charts and the 25th place in Germany. In early 2008, Morrissey released his third Greatest Hits album. Reviews were very mixed; reviewers noted that the album only includes songs which reached the Top 15 in the charts, putting the emphasis onto new songs, making the CD more suitable for new listeners than for old fans. The album charted fifth in the British album chart on its week of release. A limited edition of the "Greatest Hits" album features an eight-track live CD which was recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in 2007.

For the recent single, "All You Need Is Me", Morrissey recorded two B-sides with Academy Award-winning Argentinian film composer, Gustavo Santaolalla. Santaolalla recorded two tracks, "Children In Pieces" and "My Dearest Love" in Los Angeles. Morrissey also performed on Santaolalla's album of modern tango music. On 29 May 2008, Morrissey parted ways with his manager of five years, Merck Mercuriadis, in favour of a new contract with IE Music, however by September Morrissey left the group and is currently without management. On 30 May 2008, true-to-you.net stated that Morrissey's new studio album, "Years of Refusal", has 12 tracks and is produced by Jerry Finn. On 5 August 2008 it was reported that, although originally due in September, "Years of Refusal" has been postponed until February 2009.

On August 15, 2008 Warner Music Entertainment announced the upcoming release of Morrissey: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, a DVD documenting the live performance that took place at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, on June 8th, 2007 on the first leg of Morrissey's 2007/2008 'Greatest Hits' tour. --Courtesy of Wikipedia