Editing Joe Strummer (section)

==Career==
=== The Clash (1976–1986) ===
{{Main|The Clash}}
On 3 April 1976, the then-unknown [[Sex Pistols]] opened for the 101ers at a venue called the Nashville Room in London, and Strummer was impressed by them.<ref name="bbcco-Strummer" /> Sometime after the show, Strummer was approached by [[Bernie Rhodes]] and [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]]. Jones was from the band [[London SS]] and wanted Strummer to join as lead singer. Strummer agreed to leave the 101ers and join Jones, bassist [[Paul Simonon]], drummer [[Terry Chimes]] and guitarist [[Keith Levene]].{{Sfn|Westway 2001}} The band was named [[the Clash]] by Simonon and made their debut on 4 July 1976 in [[Sheffield]], opening for the [[Sex Pistols]] at the Black Swan (also known as the Mucky Duck, now known as the [[Boardwalk (nightclub)|Boardwalk]]).{{Sfn|Westway 2001}} On 25 January 1977, the band signed with [[CBS Records International|CBS Records]] as a three-piece after Levene was fired from the band and Chimes quit. [[Topper Headon]] later became the band's full-time drummer.

During his time with the Clash, Strummer, along with his bandmates, became notorious for getting into trouble with the law. On 10 June 1977, he and Headon were arrested for spray-painting the band's name on a wall in a hotel. On 20 May 1980, he was arrested for hitting a violent member of the audience with his guitar during a performance in [[Hamburg]], Germany. This incident shocked Strummer, and had a lasting personal impact on him. Strummer said, "It was a watershed—violence had really controlled me for once". He determined never again to fight violence with violence.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}}

Before the album ''[[Combat Rock]]'' was released in 1982, Strummer went into hiding and the band's management said that he had "disappeared". Bernie Rhodes, the band's manager, pressured Strummer to do so because tickets were selling slowly for the Scottish leg of an upcoming tour.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}}  It was planned for Strummer to travel, in secret, to Texas and stay with his friend, musician [[Joe Ely]]. Uneasy with his decision, Strummer instead decided to genuinely disappear and "dicked around" in France. During this time, Strummer ran the [[London Marathon]] in April 1982. He claimed his training regimen consisted of 10 pints of beer the night before the race. For this period of time, Strummer's whereabouts were a mystery not only to the public, but to the band's management as well. Strummer said later that this was a huge mistake and that you "have to have some regrets". This was in spite of the popular success of the single "[[Rock the Casbah]]". During this time, band members began to argue frequently, and with tensions high, the group began to fall apart.{{Sfn|Westway 2001}}

In September 1983, Strummer issued the infamous "Clash Communique", and fired Mick Jones.{{Sfn|Westway 2001}} Topper Headon had earlier been kicked out of the band because of his heroin addiction, and Terry Chimes was brought back temporarily to fill his place until the permanent replacement, Pete Howard, could be found.  This left the band with only two of its original members, Strummer and Simonon.  Rhodes persuaded Strummer to carry on, adding two new guitarists.{{Sfn|Westway 2001}}  Under this lineup, they released the album ''[[Cut the Crap]]'' in 1985. The album was panned by fans and critics alike and Strummer disbanded the Clash.

At the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Clash was said to be "considered one of the most overtly political, explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history".<ref name="rockhall-The_Clash">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/the-clash|title=The Clash|access-date=19 November 2007|date=10 March 2003|work=Induction|publisher=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|quote=a) Quite simply, the Clash were among the most explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history. <br>b, c) If not exactly a reunion, it was a rapprochement. On 15 November 2002, Jones and Strummer shared the stage for the first time in nearly 20&nbsp;years, performing three Clash songs during the encore of a London benefit show by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. This raised hopes for a Clash reunion, which were dashed when Strummer died of a heart attack on 22 December 2002.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430132108/http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-clash|archive-date=30 April 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Their songs tackled social decay, unemployment, racism, [[police brutality]], political and social repression, and militarism in detail. Strummer was involved with the [[Anti-Nazi League]] and [[Rock Against Racism]] campaigns. He later also gave his support to the Rock Against the Rich series of concerts organised by the anarchist organisation [[Class War]]. The Clash's ''[[London Calling]]'' album was voted best album of the 1980s by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine (although it was released in late 1979 in the UK, it was not released until 1980 in the US).<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600669.stm
|title=Clash star Strummer dies
|access-date=20 November 2007
|date=27 December 2002
|format=STM
|work=Entertainment
|publisher=BBC News World Edition
|quote=Rolling Stone voted London Calling, their classic 1980 album (released in 1979 in the UK) as the best album of the Eighties.
|archive-date=4 December 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204010710/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600669.stm
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

===Solo career and soundtrack work (1986–1999)===
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2018}}
[[File:Joe-Strummer.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Strummer, backing with the Pogues in Japan]]
A year later, Strummer worked on several songs for the 1986 film ''[[Sid and Nancy]]'', including "Love Kills" and "Dum Dum Club". Strummer also later worked with Mick Jones and his band [[Big Audio Dynamite]], contributing to the band's second studio album, ''[[No. 10, Upping St.]]'' (1986), by co-writing most of the songs as well as producing the album along with Jones.

In 1987, he played a small part in the film ''[[Walker (film)|Walker]]'', directed by [[Alex Cox]], as a character named "Faucet" and wrote and performed on the film's [[Walker (album)|soundtrack]].  He starred in another Cox film that same year called ''[[Straight to Hell (film)|Straight to Hell]]'', as the character Simms. ''Straight to Hell'' also featured London-Irish folk/punk band [[the Pogues]], both as actors and contributors to the soundtrack. Strummer joined the Pogues for a tour in 1987/88, filling in for ailing guitarist [[Philip Chevron]], who wrote (in May 2008) on the band's online forum: "When I was sick in late 1987, I taught Joe all the guitar parts in an afternoon and he was on tour in the US as deputy guitarist the next day. Joe wrote all the tabs in his meticulously neat hand on a long piece of paper which he taped to the top of the guitar so he could glance down occasionally when he was onstage." This tour would be the first of several collaborations with the band.

In 1989, Strummer appeared in [[Jim Jarmusch]]'s film ''[[Mystery Train (film)|Mystery Train]]'' as a drunken, short-tempered drifter named Johnny (whom most characters refer to as Elvis, much to Johnny's dismay). He made a cameo appearance in [[Aki Kaurismäki]]'s 1990 film ''[[I Hired a Contract Killer]]'' as a guitarist in a pub, performing two songs ("Burning Lights" and "Afro-Cuban Bebop"). These were released as a promotional 7-inch single limited to a few hundred copies, credited to "Joe Strummer & the Astro Physicians". The "Astro Physicians" were in fact the Pogues ("Afro-Cuban Bebop" got a re-release on the Pogues' 2008 box set). During this time Strummer continued to act, write and produce soundtracks for various films, most notably the soundtrack for ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]'' (1997).

In 1989 Strummer produced a solo record with the band the Latino Rockabilly War. The album ''[[Earthquake Weather (album)|Earthquake Weather]]'' was a critical and commercial flop, and resulted in the loss of his contract with [[Sony Records]].  He also did the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Permanent Record (film)|Permanent Record]]'' with this band.

Strummer was asked by the Pogues, who were fracturing as a band, to help them produce their next album, released in 1990 as ''[[Hell's Ditch]]''. In 1991, he replaced [[Shane MacGowan]] as singer of the Pogues for a tour after MacGowan's departure from the band. One night of this tour was professionally recorded, and three tracks ("I Fought the Law", "London Calling", and "Turkish Song of the Damned") have seen release as b-sides and again on the Pogues' 2008 box set.

On 16 April 1994, Strummer joined Czech-American band Dirty Pictures on stage in Prague at the Repre Club in Obecni Dum at "Rock for Refugees", a benefit concert for people left displaced by the war in Bosnia. Although the set appeared impromptu, Strummer and the band had spent the days leading up to the event rehearsing and "hanging out" in Prague. The show began with "London Calling" and without pause went into "Brand New Cadillac". In the middle of the song, the power went out.  Once the power was back on, Strummer asked the audience whether or not they would mind if the band started over. They then began again with "London Calling" and continued on for another half-hour.

After these self-described "wilderness years", Strummer began working with other bands; he played piano on the 1995 UK hit of [[The Levellers (band)|the Levellers]], "Just the One" and appeared on the [[Black Grape]] single "England's Irie" in 1996. In 1997, while in New York City, he worked with noted producer and engineer [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]] on remixed Clash and 101ers reissue dub material. In collaboration with percussionist Pablo Cook, Strummer wrote and performed the soundtrack to ''Tunnel of Love'' (Robert Wallace 1997) that was featured in the Cannes Film Festival in the same year.

In 1997, Strummer played the character of "Brand New Cadillac" songwriter [[Vince Taylor]] in {{ill|F. J. Ossang|fr}}'s road movie {{ill|Doctor Chance|italic=yes|fr|Docteur Chance}}.

In 1998, he made a guest appearance on the animated television show, ''[[South Park]]'' and appeared on the album ''[[Chef Aid: The South Park Album]]'' featuring songs from and inspired by the series.

During this time, Strummer was engaged in a legal dispute with the Clash's record label, [[Epic Records]]. The disagreement lasted nearly eight years and ended with the label agreeing to let him record solo records with another label. If the Clash were to reunite though, they would have to record for Sony. During the nineties, Strummer was a DJ on the [[BBC World Service]] with his half-hour programme ''London Calling''. Samples from the series provide the vocals for "Midnight Jam" on Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros' final album ''[[Streetcore]]''.

===The Mescaleros and other work (1999–2002)===
[[File:Joe Strummer performing at St Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn - NYC Apr 5 2002.jpg|thumb|Strummer performing in April 2002]]
In the mid-to-late 1990s, Strummer gathered top-flight musicians into a backing band he called [[the Mescaleros]]. Strummer and the band signed with [[Mercury Records]], and released their first album in 1999, which was co-written with [[Antony Genn]], called ''[[Rock Art and the X-Ray Style]]''. A tour of England, Europe, and North America soon followed.

{{quote|This is my Indian summer ... I learnt that fame is an illusion and everything about it is just a joke. I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all. |Joe Strummer to Chris Salewicz – 2000<ref name="trackMARX-Joe_Strummer" /> }}

{{listen|filename=StrummerCashRedemptionSong.ogg| title=Redemption Song | description= [[Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros]]| format=[[Ogg]]}}
In 2001, the band signed with Californian punk label [[Hellcat Records]] and released their second studio album, ''[[Global a Go-Go]]''. The album was supported with a 21-date tour of North America, Britain, and Ireland. Once again, these concerts featured Clash material ("[[London's Burning (The Clash song)|London's Burning]]", "Rudie Can't Fail", "[[(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais]]"), as well as covers of [[reggae]] and [[ska]] hits ("[[The Harder They Come (song)|The Harder They Come]]", "A Message to You, Rudy") and the band regularly closed the show by playing the [[Ramones]]' "[[Blitzkrieg Bop]]". He covered [[Bob Marley]]'s "[[Redemption Song]]" with [[Johnny Cash]].

On 15 November 2002, Strummer and the Mescaleros played a benefit show for striking fire fighters in London, at [[Acton Town Hall]]. [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] was in the audience, and joined the band on stage during the Clash's "Bankrobber". An encore followed with Jones playing guitar and singing on "White Riot" and "London's Burning". This performance marked the first time since 1983 that Strummer and Jones had performed together on stage.<ref name="rockhall-The_Clash" />

Strummer's final regular gig was at Liverpool Academy on 22 November 2002, yet his final performance, just two weeks before his death, was in a small club venue 'The Palace' in Bridgwater, Somerset, near his home. Shortly before his death, Strummer and [[U2]]'s [[Bono]] co-wrote a song, "[[46664]]", for [[Nelson Mandela]] as part of a campaign against AIDS in Africa.