Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer is best known as the frontman of the Clash, one of the seminal punk bands. His musical career did not begin with the Clash, however, but with the pub-rock band the 101ers, who played a frenetic, if somewhat traditional, form of R&B. After the 101ers, he became the vocalist/rhythm guitarist for the Clash, then set out as a solo artist, which he would later refer to as his “wilderness years”. Finally, he would join the Mescaleros, which provided him with a surge in popularity and an introduction to a new generation of music fans.

The 101ers

The 101ers were a pub-rock band, a group of bands that formed as a counterpoint to the excess that was becoming apparent in popular music. They had a fluctuating lineup, but managed to become, by their reckoning, the second most popular band on the circuit, after Dr. Feelgood, the undisputed kings of pub-rock. It was here that Strummer’s songwriting prowess would first surface. His first song, “Keys To Your Heart”, would become the band’s first single, and one of their most requested songs. It was the first of many memorable songs that Strummer would pen. He had a niche carved out, and could have continued coasting, but after seeing the Sex Pistols open for the 101ers, he knew that he could no longer continue as a pub-rocker. When Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Bernie Rhodes asked him to join their new project, he quit the 101ers and joined what would become the Clash.

The Clash

This is the period of time Strummer is most well known for, his work with the Clash from 1976 to 1985. In Mick Jones, who played lead guitar, Strummer found his songwriting partner, and the hits poured out. From the first album’s classics such as White Riot, London’s Burning, and Janie Jones, to the sprawling epic that is London Calling, to the musical hodgepodge featured on Sandinista!, the Strummer/Jones partnership produced a bevy of great songs. Songwriting duos like this don’t come along frequently, but when they do, the results are often fantastic. In their 9 year career, the Clash produced 6 full-length albums (one a double album, and one a triple), along with non-album singles too numerous to count. All good things must end, however, and in 1985 the Clash called it a career, and Strummer was dumped into his wilderness years.

The Wilderness Years

From 1985 to 1999, Strummer puttered about, doing film scores and taking the occasional acting job. He released a solo album, Earthquake Weather, in 1989, which was a commercial and critical flop. He also worked with Latino Rockabilly War, and toured with the Pogues. Then, in 1999, he formed a new band, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

It was here that Strummer was able to fully explore his interests in world music, which he began to explore near the end of the Clash’s tenure. The three albums the group put out show influences from many different styles of music. There are techno songs, dance songs, Latin influences, and straight up rockers. It seemed that Strummer was back where he belonged, with a creative group of musicians who shared his vision. His songs were as good as the ones he wrote with Jones in the Clash days. While the band was not getting much commercial notice, they had a devoted cult following, and the band looked like it was set to produce many more albums over the years.

An Untimely Death

Sadly, this was not to be. Three days before Christmas, Strummer sat down in his house after walking his dogs, and suffered a fatal heart attack. It turned out that Strummer had a congenital heart defect, and was very susceptible to such an event. He was 50 at his death, and died months before the Clash were to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where it was rumored that the group would reunite, something Strummer had fiercely resisted for years, possibly followed by a world tour. When Strummer died, the world lost a music icon, one who helped to shape the musical landscape for over a quarter of a century.

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