Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer’s first marriage was with Pamela Moolman in 1975. However, it was a marriage of convenience as Moolman needed British citizenship and offered Strummer £120 if he agreed to marry her.

Strummer later formed a relationship with Gaby Salter and had two children, Jazz and Lola, with her. But he was not faithful to her and had numerous affairs. He was later married to Lucinda Tait from 1995 till his death in 2002.

Strummer turned vegetarian during his late teens and remained so till his death. He had also co-founded Future Forests, an organization that fights global warming through tree plantation.

Joe Strummer was born as John Graham Mellor in Ankara, Turkey on 21st August 1952. His mother’s name was Anna Mackenzie and his father’s was Ronald Mellor. His father worked as a British diplomat. Along with his older brother David, Strummer went to the City of London Freemen’s School.

It was during his school years that he discovered his interest in music. He was greatly influenced by the music of artistes and bands like The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and Captain Beefheart. Later, as his passion for music grew, he also attended London’s Central School of Art.

In 1974, he formed the band ‘The 101ers.’ He soon changed his name to Joe Strummer, as he found it to be more suitable for the show business. The band performed a lot, including a few gigs with the band ‘The Sex Pistols’.

In 1976, Joe Strummer formed the band ‘The Clash’ in collaboration with a few other musicians. Though the band became popular, they also became known for getting in trouble with the law quite often. They released their debut album in 1977. It was an average success; it peaked at the 12th position on the UK Albums Chart and at the 126th on the US Billboard 200.

Their next album ‘Give Em Enough Rope’ was a greater success. It peaked at the 2nd position on the UK Albums Chart. It was also praised by critics and named the 87th greatest album of all time by NME magazine.

Their third studio album ‘London Calling’ was released in 1979. It was met with critical acclaim, with many critics calling it one of the best rock albums ever. The album peaked at the ninth position on the UK Albums Chart.

The group continued to find success with their next albums, such as ‘Sandinista!’ (1980), ‘Combat Rock’ (1982) and ‘Cut the Crap’ (1985). All the three albums did well commercially.

As an actor, Joe Strummer appeared in several films, mostly in supporting roles. His works on the big screen include ‘The King of Comedy’ (1983), ‘Walker’ (1987), ‘Straight to Hell’ (1987), ‘Candy Mountains’ (1988) and ‘Mystery Train’ (1989).