Born in Ankara, Turkey, Joe Strummer was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. His family spent much time moving from place to place and he spent his childhood in places like Cairo, Mexico City and Bonn. He developed a love of rock music listening to records by Little Richard and The Beach Boys as well as Woody Guthrie.
In 1973, Strummer joined with some friends to form a band called The Vultures. After the band fell apart in 1974, he formed another one called the 101’ers and opened for then-unknown band the Sex Pistols on April 3, 1976. Some time after this show, Strummer was approached by Mick Jones and ended up forming a new band with bassist Paul Simonon, drummer Terry Chimes and guitarist Keith Levene. Simonon named them The Clash and they made their debut on July 4, 1976 opening for the Sex Pistols.
The Clash are considered to be one of the most overtly political, explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history. Their album London’s Calling was voted best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine. During their tour in support of the Combat Rock album, the band members began to argue a lot and with tensions high, they began to fall apart. After firing Mick Jones and releasing the album Cut the Crap in 1985, which was panned by fans and critics alike, Strummer disbanded The Clash. He went on to work in film, composing the score to Walker and appearing in Straight to Hell among other films. He began producing solo records in 1989. Strummer died on December 22, 2002, the victim of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
