Born John Graham Mellor on August 21, 1952 in Turkey.
He gave himself the name Joe Strummer because although he was left handed, he learned to play guitar on a right handed guitar, therefor he could only do the strumming chords.
Pre-1977, Joe was in bands such as The Vultures and The
101ers.
However, he is best known for his work in the punk rock band, The Clash. He wrote most of the lyrics, and shared vocal duties with co-band member Mick Jones. The Clash lasted from 1977 to 1985. They released several great records, most notably "
London Calling".
In 1995, Joe signed onto
Hellcat records with his group, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.
Joe died on December 22, 2002 of heart complications.
In my opinion Joe is one of the greatest musicians of all-time, and was a really great guy. RIP Joe
1: "
Who is Joe Strummer?"
2: "An amazing musician who's life was
cut short."