Singer, songwriter and provocateur plays Congress November 2011
An iconic performer, his powerful songs touched listeners across the globe, igniting a fan base that has even hatched its own subculture: Morrissey returns to Chicago for his first show since 2009 in support of his "best of" album package, in stores now. He is joined by Kristeen Young for a show that starts at 7:00pm at Congress Theater, 2135 N Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.
As the lead singer of the Smiths, Morrissey's theatrical crooning and literate, poetic lyrics--filled with romantic angst, social alienation, and cutting wit--connected powerfully with a legion of similarly sensitive, disaffected youth. These fans turned The Smiths into stars in Britain, and even if the group remained underground cult artists in the States, they had a fan base that slowly, steadily grew larger over the years. Indeed, a few years after The Smiths's breakup in 1987, Morrissey's American cult had grown to the point where he became more popular in the U.S. than in his homeland. Morrissey launched a comeback in 2004 with You Are the Quarry, an album whose success proved that he remained one of the most beloved figures in alternative rock.
Stephen Patrick Morrissey was born May 22, 1959, in Manchester, England; he became obsessed with music and film as a teenager and devoted his writing talents to penning a New York Dolls fanzine (he was the president of their U.K. fan club), as well as a tribute to James Dean and numerous opinionated letters to the weekly music paper Melody Maker. He met guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982 and the two began writing songs together. The Smiths' 1983 debut single, "Hand in Glove," a love song filled with oblique references to homosexuality, made them an underground sensation in the U.K. In 1988 he went solo, and the first two solo singles, "Suedehead" and the gorgeous "Everyday Is Like Sunday," were British hits in 1988 and his first album, Viva Hate (its title a reference to the Smiths' breakup), was commercially and critically well received. He released several more high-quality singles, including "The Last of the International Playboys" and "Interesting Drug,"
1992's Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal was a smashing return to form; Morrissey used his new guitar tandem of Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer to full advantage in crafting a crunchy, glammed-up record. Meanwhile, over in the U.S., tickets for his upcoming tour were selling like hotcakes and he managed to sell out L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl even faster than the Beatles had. His confidence renewed by his American success (to the point where he permanently moved to Los Angeles), Morrissey delivered an equally strong follow-up in 1994's calmer Vauxhall and I, which even got him his first Top 50 singles chart entry in the U.S. with the MTV-supported "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get." In the years that followed, Morrissey remained a massively popular touring attraction on the strength of his singular identity. Finally, he signed his Attack label to Sanctuary, and released his first studio album in seven years, 2004's You Are the Quarry. Thealbum's lead-off single "Irish Blood, English Heart" garnered considerable press attention, radio and music television attention and helped establish a comeback-of-sorts for Morrissey. His second full-length for Sanctuary, Ringleader of the Tormentors was released in spring 2006. Recorded in Rome, the album also featured some orchestration by famed composer Ennio Morricone. In 2009, Morrissey released Years of Refusal, his third album with the Attack imprint and his first under Decca.
Tickets for Morrissey's Chicago concert at the Congress are on sale now and can be purchased here. Showtime is 7 p.m.
Source: Press Release
As the lead singer of the Smiths, Morrissey's theatrical crooning and literate, poetic lyrics--filled with romantic angst, social alienation, and cutting wit--connected powerfully with a legion of similarly sensitive, disaffected youth. These fans turned The Smiths into stars in Britain, and even if the group remained underground cult artists in the States, they had a fan base that slowly, steadily grew larger over the years. Indeed, a few years after The Smiths's breakup in 1987, Morrissey's American cult had grown to the point where he became more popular in the U.S. than in his homeland. Morrissey launched a comeback in 2004 with You Are the Quarry, an album whose success proved that he remained one of the most beloved figures in alternative rock.
Stephen Patrick Morrissey was born May 22, 1959, in Manchester, England; he became obsessed with music and film as a teenager and devoted his writing talents to penning a New York Dolls fanzine (he was the president of their U.K. fan club), as well as a tribute to James Dean and numerous opinionated letters to the weekly music paper Melody Maker. He met guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982 and the two began writing songs together. The Smiths' 1983 debut single, "Hand in Glove," a love song filled with oblique references to homosexuality, made them an underground sensation in the U.K. In 1988 he went solo, and the first two solo singles, "Suedehead" and the gorgeous "Everyday Is Like Sunday," were British hits in 1988 and his first album, Viva Hate (its title a reference to the Smiths' breakup), was commercially and critically well received. He released several more high-quality singles, including "The Last of the International Playboys" and "Interesting Drug,"
1992's Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal was a smashing return to form; Morrissey used his new guitar tandem of Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer to full advantage in crafting a crunchy, glammed-up record. Meanwhile, over in the U.S., tickets for his upcoming tour were selling like hotcakes and he managed to sell out L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl even faster than the Beatles had. His confidence renewed by his American success (to the point where he permanently moved to Los Angeles), Morrissey delivered an equally strong follow-up in 1994's calmer Vauxhall and I, which even got him his first Top 50 singles chart entry in the U.S. with the MTV-supported "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get." In the years that followed, Morrissey remained a massively popular touring attraction on the strength of his singular identity. Finally, he signed his Attack label to Sanctuary, and released his first studio album in seven years, 2004's You Are the Quarry. Thealbum's lead-off single "Irish Blood, English Heart" garnered considerable press attention, radio and music television attention and helped establish a comeback-of-sorts for Morrissey. His second full-length for Sanctuary, Ringleader of the Tormentors was released in spring 2006. Recorded in Rome, the album also featured some orchestration by famed composer Ennio Morricone. In 2009, Morrissey released Years of Refusal, his third album with the Attack imprint and his first under Decca.
Tickets for Morrissey's Chicago concert at the Congress are on sale now and can be purchased here. Showtime is 7 p.m.
Source: Press Release
