Joe Strummer

English rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist

• Born: August 21, 1952
• Birthplace: Ankara, Turkey
• Died: December 22, 2002
• Place of death: Broomfield, Somerset, England

Strummer was one of the original poets of punk, influencing the punk and rock genres.

Member of The Clash; the Latino Rockabilly War; the Mescaleros

The Life

Born in Turkey, Joe Strummer spent most of his childhood in foreign countries because of his father’s job. At age ten he was sent back to Britain to attend boarding school with his brother. Idolizing rock and roll, Strummer decided to learn the guitar. During his post-grade school years, he played with part-time bands and made aborted attempts at attending college. In the beginning he called himself Woody Mellor, but eventually he changed his name to Joe Strummer to reflect his rudimentary guitar abilities. After the name change, he joined the Clash in 1976.

The Clash played with success until 1982, when internal troubles derailed the band and permanently ended it in 1986. After the Clash, Strummer moved to limited acting parts and scoring films. In 1989 he had a brief stint with the band the Latino Rockabilly War. This lasted for one album, and then he was back scoring sound tracks and making guest appearances in other bands for tours and recordings.

In 1979 Strummer met Gaby Salter, and they had two children. The couple split in 1993, and in 1995 Strummer married Lucinda Tait. Strummer continued to work with mainstream rockers such as Bono of U2 to promote various charitable causes. In 1999 Strummer started the Mescaleros. On December 22, 2002, Strummer died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.

The Music

Strummer was approached by Mick Jones and Paul Simonon to join their next project, and the resulting band was the Clash. Experimenting with punk, rock, ska, reggae, and dub, the Clash forged a unique sound with a purpose. Unlike many punk bands of the day, the Clash chose social activism as a lyrical engine. It was one of the first British punk bands to support a cause other than anarchy. These lyrics can be attributed to Strummer and Jones, who generally shared credit on most Clash songs.

The Clash. The group’s debut album, The Clash, was released in Great Britain in 1977 on CBS Records. A popular import, the album finally was released in America in 1979. The Clash contained multiple songs with political meaning. “White Riot” calls for white youth to become more politically active in their daily life; “Remote Control” rails against conformity. The album achieved great success in Great Britain, establishing the Clash as one of the preeminent British punk bands.

London Calling.Rolling Stone and Time hailed 1978’s Give ’Em Enough Rope as album of the year. However, 1979’s London Calling was the Clash’s hallmark. Voted number-one album of the 1980’s by Rolling Stone, London Calling was for the fans. It was twice as long as most releases because the Clash had persuaded Epic Records to produce a double album. London Calling experimented with ska, reggae, and classic rock, infusing them into the Clash’s signature sound. It featured memorable Clash songs, for example, the title track, which describes a world falling apart. More politically charged tunes include “Spanish Bombs,” “Lost in the Supermarket,” “Clampdown,” and “The Guns of Brixton.” London Calling was the pinnacle of the Clash’s career and the beginning of tensions within the band.

Sandinista! Released in 1980, Sandinista!—with its thirty-six tracks—outdid London Calling. Sandinista! had such political statements as “The Call Up” and “Washington Bullets.” It also featured “The Magnificent Seven,” one of the first rap songs by a British artist. Heavy ska and reggae influences can be heard in the album. Although the album lists “The Clash” as the author of every song, Strummer wrote the lyrics to most of them, adding his liberal viewpoint.

Combat Rock. The band released Combat Rock in 1982. Strummer sang “Know Your Rights” and “Rock the Casbah,” both sociopolitical commentaries—the first about personal rights and the second about Iranian censorship. The album also included the Clash classic “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Like all Clash albums, it is significant for its social commentary, providing a blueprint for other punk bands.

Grosse Pointe Blank. Following the Clash’s demise in 1986, Strummer moved on to cinema. He acted as well as put together sound tracks for many films. Among the most famous of these is 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank, which starred John Cusack. Besides writing sound tracks, Strummer started the band the Latino Rockabilly War in 1989, producing only one album before breaking up. During the 1990’s Strummer kept active with recording and with guest appearances for other bands’ shows. In 1999 he started the Mescaleros, returning to the punk roots of the Clash and broadening the sound by working with such artists as Roger Daltrey of the Who and Johnny Cash. The band’s album Streetcore was released after Strummer died.

Musical Legacy

Strummer was critical to the rock and punk genres, primarily for his lyrical contribution to social activism, which became an essential element of punk bands that followed. His support of humanitarian causes and his benefit concerts made him a role model for all musicians. Strummer notably was dedicated to his fans, and the Clash produced large albums at little cost, grateful to their supporters who were the source of the band’s success. Strummer’s influence can be heard in the many bands that cover his and the rest of the Clash’s songs. The Clash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Principal Recordings

albums (solo): Walker, 1987; Earthquake Weather, 1989.

albums (with the Clash): The Clash, 1977; Give ’Em Enough Rope, 1978; London Calling, 1979; Sandinista!, 1980; Combat Rock, 1982; Cut the Crap, 1985.

albums (with the Mescaleros): Rock Art and the X-Ray Style, 1999; Global A Go-Go, 2001; Streetcore, 2003.

Bibliography

D’Ambrosio, Antonino. Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer. New York: Nation Books, 2004. An analysis of the meaning of Strummer’s work. Includes bibliography.

Davie, Anthony. Vision of a Homeland: The History of Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. Northampton, England: Effective, 2004. A history of Strummer’s later band, with an account of Strummer’s death. Includes complete discography.

Gilbert, Pat. Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2005. A detailed history of the Clash. Includes bibliography, index, and discography.

Needs, Kris. Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash. London: Plexus, 2005. By a journalist who toured with the band, this is a musical biography of Strummer and the group.

Salewicz, Chris. Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer. New York: Faber and Faber, 2007. A well-written biography of Strummer. Includes photographs.