The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. Morrissey and Marr formed the band’s songwriting partnership. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their first album, The Smiths, in 1984. Their focus on a guitar, bass and drum sound, fusing 1960s rock and post-punk, was a rejection of the synth-pop sound that was predominant at the time. Several Smiths singles reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and all their studio albums reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, including the number-one album Meat Is Murder . They achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come , both of which entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart.Internal tensions led to the Smiths’ breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. Since the band’s dissolution, the members have all separately stated that the band will never reunite and have refused all offers to do so.
