Joe Strummer

Born John Graham Mellor in 1952 in Turkey and raised in the UK, he was known as ‘Woody’ Mellor to his friends in tribute to his teenage hero Woody Guthrie, the American folk musician. A self-taught guitarist and vocalist, he adopted the stage name Joe Strummer in ‘75 when he fronted London pub rockers The 101ers. Soon after, he joined Mick Jones and Paul Simonon to form The Clash. While the Sex Pistols believed in anarchy, chaos and destruction, The Clash believed that their version of rock’n’roll – a melting pot of punk rock, reggae, hip hop and afrobeat - could change the world, and Joe’s revolutionary, egalitarian vision was a driving force for the band.