Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr is an English musician best known for his work with The Smiths. He later recorded and performed with groups including Modest Mouse, Electronic, The The and The Cribs.

Quick Facts

Canonical Name Johnny Marr
Born October 31, 1963
Birthplace Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West England, England, United Kingdom
Country United Kingdom
Occupations guitarist, poet, singer, songwriter, record producer, musician
Instruments guitar, voice
Gender male
Genres alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock, jangle pop, alternative dance, british, rock
Associated Acts The Smiths, Modest Mouse, Electronic, The The, Johnny Marr & the Healers, The Cribs
Active Years Active since 1977
Website johnny-marr.com

Identity and Aliases

Name Type Source
Johnny Marr Canonical Name System
John Martin Maher Alias Wikidata
John Marr Alias Wikidata
John Martin Maher Legal name MusicBrainz
Marr Alias MusicBrainz

Biography

Johnny Marr is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, poet and record producer from Manchester, Greater Manchester. Best known for his association with The Smiths, he has also been connected with Modest Mouse, Electronic, The The, Johnny Marr & the Healers and The Cribs.

His work spans alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock, jangle pop and alternative dance, with guitar and voice at the centre of his musical identity. Marr began his work period in 1977 and has remained active across band projects and solo-related recordings.

Alongside his band history, Marr has released MusicBrainz-listed entries associated with his name, including albums, singles and EPs. His catalogued recordings and releases reflect a career that moves between band work, live material and later solo-era projects.

Career Timeline

Year / Period Event Detail Source
1963 Born Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West England, England, United Kingdom Wikidata
1977 Career Start Active period begins Wikidata
2000–present Member of Johnny Marr + The Healers MusicBrainz
1982–1987 Member of The Smiths MusicBrainz
1987–1987 Member of Pretenders MusicBrainz
1988–1994 Member of The The Wikidata
1988–2001 Member of Electronic MusicBrainz
2006–2008 Member of Modest Mouse MusicBrainz
2008–2011 Member of The Cribs Wikidata
Date not specified Member of The Magnificent Six MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of 7 Worlds Collide MusicBrainz
Date not specified Member of Johnny Marr & the Healers Wikidata

Musical Roles

Guitarist, singer, songwriter, poet, record producer and musician, with guitar and voice as his main instruments.

Role Source
guitarist Wikidata
poet Wikidata
singer Wikidata
songwriter Wikidata
record producer Wikidata
musician Wikidata

Bands and Projects

Band / Project Relationship Source
The Smiths Member of Wikidata
Modest Mouse Member of Wikidata
Electronic Member of Wikidata
The The Member of Wikidata
Johnny Marr & the Healers Member of Wikidata
The Cribs Member of Wikidata

Releases and Appearances

MusicBrainz lists several release entries connected to Johnny Marr. These entries may include solo releases, guest appearances, live recordings, and catalogued metadata records.

MusicBrainz-listed Releases and Appearances

Title Year Type Classification Source
Look Out Live! 2025 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr 2023 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Somewhere 2023 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4 2022 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Fever Dreams, Pt. 1 2021 EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Fever Dreams Pt. 2 2021 EP metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Armatopia 2019 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Bright Parade 2019 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Call the Comet 2018 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Jeopardy 2018 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Spiral Cities 2018 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Summer in the City 2018 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
The Priest 2017 Single metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Freeheld: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2015 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz
Adrenalin Baby - Johnny Marr Live 2015 Album metadata_listed MusicBrainz

Recorded Performances & Appearances

MusicBrainz-listed recording entries connected to Johnny Marr include:

Song Title Artist / Group Relationship Source
25 Hours Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
A Different Gun Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
Actor Attractor Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
All These Days Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
America Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
Angie Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
Ardwick Green Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
Ariel Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
Armatopia Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz
Aurora Johnny Marr Performer MusicBrainz

Musical Style and Instruments

Johnny Marr’s style is associated with alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock, jangle pop and alternative dance. His work is strongly guitar-led and rooted in British rock sensibilities.

Genres

alternative rock indie pop indie rock jangle pop alternative dance british rock

Instruments

guitar voice

Collaborations and Guest Relationships

Artist Relationship Source
England United Collaboration MusicBrainz
Orchestrazia Ardwick Is person MusicBrainz
Sonny Marr Parent MusicBrainz
Nile Marr Parent MusicBrainz

External Identifiers & Authority Control

Official website: johnny-marr.com. Profile pages are also available through MusicBrainz, Discogs, Spotify, IMDb, VIAF, ISNI, GND and the Library of Congress identifiers attached to Johnny Marr.

Platform Identifier Purpose Source Confidence Link
Official Website http://johnny-marr.com/ Official website Wikidata High View Profile
MusicBrainz ff621094-2a76-401f-8398-b75b5fd2be24 Music metadata Wikidata High View Profile
Discogs 37120 Discography database Wikidata High View Profile
Spotify 2bA2YuQk2ID3PWNXUhQrWS Streaming profile Wikidata High View Profile
IMDb nm0549995 Film/media profile Wikidata High View Profile
VIAF 24798124 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
ISNI 0000000078391591 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
GND 119415070 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile
Library of Congress n93028393 Authority control Wikidata High View Profile

Semantic Graph Data (Knowledge Graph)

Subject Predicate Object Source Confidence
Johnny Marr citizenship United Kingdom Wikidata high
Johnny Marr date_of_birth October 31, 1963 Wikidata high
Johnny Marr family_name Maher Wikidata high
Johnny Marr gender male Wikidata high
Johnny Marr given_name John Wikidata high
Johnny Marr place_of_birth Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West England, England, United Kingdom Wikidata high
Johnny Marr member_of The Smiths Wikidata high
Johnny Marr member_of Modest Mouse Wikidata high
Johnny Marr member_of Electronic Wikidata high
Johnny Marr member_of The The Wikidata high
Johnny Marr member_of Johnny Marr & the Healers Wikidata high
Johnny Marr member_of The Cribs Wikidata high
Johnny Marr instrument guitar Wikidata high
Johnny Marr instrument voice Wikidata high
Johnny Marr occupation guitarist Wikidata high
Johnny Marr occupation poet Wikidata high
Johnny Marr occupation singer Wikidata high
Johnny Marr occupation songwriter Wikidata high
Johnny Marr occupation record producer Wikidata high
Johnny Marr occupation musician Wikidata high
Johnny Marr genre alternative rock Wikidata high
Johnny Marr genre indie pop Wikidata high
Johnny Marr genre indie rock Wikidata high
Johnny Marr genre jangle pop Wikidata high
Johnny Marr genre alternative dance Wikidata high
Johnny Marr genre british MusicBrainz medium
Johnny Marr genre rock MusicBrainz medium
Johnny Marr member of band The Smiths MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band Pretenders MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band The The MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band Electronic MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band Johnny Marr + The Healers MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band Modest Mouse MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band The Cribs MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band 7 Worlds Collide MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr member of band The Magnificent Six MusicBrainz high
Johnny Marr sameAs Official Website Artist ID: http://johnny-marr.com/ Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs MusicBrainz Artist ID: ff621094-2a76-401f-8398-b75b5fd2be24 Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs Discogs Artist ID: 37120 Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs Spotify Artist ID: 2bA2YuQk2ID3PWNXUhQrWS Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs IMDb Artist ID: nm0549995 Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs VIAF Artist ID: 24798124 Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs ISNI Artist ID: 0000000078391591 Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs GND Artist ID: 119415070 Wikidata High
Johnny Marr sameAs Library of Congress Artist ID: n93028393 Wikidata High

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Johnny Marr best known for working with?

A: Johnny Marr is best known for his work with The Smiths. He has also been associated with Modest Mouse, Electronic and The The.

Q: Where was Johnny Marr born?

A: He was born in Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West England, England, United Kingdom.

Q: What instruments does Johnny Marr play?

A: His listed instruments are guitar and voice.

Q: What genres is Johnny Marr associated with?

A: He is associated with alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock, jangle pop and alternative dance.

Q: What other acts has Johnny Marr been part of?

A: His band associations include Johnny Marr & the Healers, The Cribs, 7 Worlds Collide and The Magnificent Six.

Q: What is Johnny Marr's official website?

A: His official website is johnny-marr.com.

Q: When did Johnny Marr begin working?

A: His work period begins in 1977.

Q: What kind of releases are connected to Johnny Marr?

A: His catalogued releases include albums, EPs and singles, along with associated live and soundtrack entries.

Data Quality and Sources

Quality Score
96/100
Last Updated
May 18, 2026
Entity Stats
41 Facts
9 Identifiers
38 Relationships
Primary Sources
Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Discogs, GuitarRank Editorial