"As lead singer of the Smiths, the most prolific indie band to emerge out of Britain in the 1980s, Morrissey was known for his thoughtful lyrics and dramatic vocal delivery. When the group disbanded he launched a solo career that sprouted a new fan base in the U.S.Stephen Patrick Morrissey was born in Manchester, England and tried (unsuccessfully) to break into the punk scene before meeting guitarist Johnny Marr. The duo eventually formed the Smiths, which made their debut with ""Hand in Glove"" in 1983 and signaled the beginning of Morrissey's flirtation with the media, as he often exhibited erratic behavior in interviews and even self-proclaimed he was celibate when his sexuality came into question. After penning lyrics that criticized Margaret Thatcher and advocated vegetarianism in 1984's The Smiths, the group released 1986's The Queen is Dead, which was hailed a masterpiece despite the departure of Marr soon after the release of 1987's Strangeways, Here We Come.Morrissey embarked on a solo career after splitting up the Smiths and issued two singles, ""Suedehead"" and ""Everyday is Like Sunday"" prior to Viva Hate, which was well-received. U.K. fans were disappointed by Morrissey's 1991 release Kill Uncle, and although the following year he released Your Arsenal, which was critically acclaimed, controversy about the singer continued to loom. Across the pond in the States, however, Morrissey was a smash success, selling out the Hollywood Bowl faster than the Beatles! Morrissey permanently moved to L.A. and released 1994's Vauxhall and I, followed by 1995's The World of Morrissey and Southpaw Grammar. Despite constantly switching labels and releasing a few more albums to no commercial success, Morrissey remained a huge concert draw for the next few years until his comeback came in the form of 2004's You Are the Quarry. 2006's First of the Gang to Die is Morrissey's most recent release."