Here are some interesting facts about Joe Strummer - co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band "The Clash":
(Photo: europavox.com)
= He was born John Graham Mellor on August 21, 1952, in Ankara, Turkey, to a British diplomat father and a Scottish mother.
= Strummer had an Armenian great-grandfather and a German-Jewish great-grandmother.
= He lived in Cairo, Mexico City, and Bonn during his early childhood, before moving to England at age nine.
= His older brother David committed suicide in 1970, which deeply affected him.
= He developed an early love for rock music influenced by "The Beach Boys", Little Richard, and Woody Guthrie.
= He formed his first band, "The Vultures", in 1973, playing covers of rock and R&B songs.
= He joined the pub rock band "The 101ers" named after their squat at 101 Walterton Road in 1974, performing in clubs around London.
= Around this time he adopted the name "Joe Strummer" while busking on the streets of London in the early 1970s due to his energetic guitar strumming.
= On April 3, 1976, "The 101ers" opened for "The Sex Pistols" at The Nashville Room, which convinced Strummer that punk was the future of music.
= He left "The 101ers" before their debut single, “Keys to Your Heart,” was released in 1976.
= He ,met Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Keith Levene in 1976, forming "The Clash".
= "The Clash" played their first show on July 4, 1976, supporting "The Sex Pistols" at the Black Swan in Sheffield.
= "The Clash" recorded their debut album "The Clash" over three weekends for £4,000, released on April 8, 1977, which featured iconic tracks like “White Riot” and “London’s Burning” and becoming became a landmark in punk rock.
= The Clash took the White Riot Tour across England in May 1977, featuring bands like "Buzzcocks", "The Jam", and "The Slits".
= Strummer’s politically charged lyrics became a hallmark of "The Clash", addressing issues like racism, unemployment, and social injustice.
= Their third album, "London Calling" (1979) received critical acclaim and featured a mix of punk, reggae, and rockabilly, breaking them into the American market, with the iconic title song and the hit “Train in Vain”.
= The album "London Calling" was was ranked number 8 in the 2003 and 2012 editions, and number 16 in the 2020 edition on "Rolling Stone's" list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
= "The Clash" released "Sandinista!" in 1980, a triple album that sold for the price of a single record, which further explored diverse musical styles.
= "Combat Rock" (1982) became their biggest commercial success, featuring the hits “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”
= Strummer co-wrote “Rock the Casbah,” inspired by a comment from their manager, Bernie Rhodes.
= "The Clash" co-headlined the famous 1983 "U.S. Festival".
= Internal tensions led Strummer and Simonon to fire Mick Jones in 1983.
= The band released "Cut the Crap" in 1985 without Jones. The album was poorly received.
= "The Clash" officially disbanded in 1986.
= After "The Clash" was disbanded Joe worked on the soundtrack for "Sid and Nancy" (1986) and other film projects.
= In 1989 Strummer produced a solo record with the band "the Latino Rockabilly War". The album "Earthquake Weather" was a critical and commercial fail.
= The same year he did the soundtrack to the movie "Permanent Record" with "the Latino Rockabilly War".
= Strummer briefly fronted "The Pogues" in 1991.
He pursued acting, appearing in films like "Straight to Hell", "Mystery Train", and "Doctor Chance".
= In 1999, he formed "Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros", blending punk, world music, and rock.
= He released three albums with "the Mescaleros": Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999), Global A Go-Go (2001), and Streetcore (2003).
= His final live performance with "the Mescaleros" was in November 22, 2002, at Liverpool Academy.
= Strummer and Mick Jones reconciled in the late 1990s and collaborated on new music before Strummer’s death.
= He passed away on December 22, 2002, from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
= He was posthumously inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2003 as a member of "The Clash".
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