
Steven Patrick Morrissey (born 22 May 1959), known mononymously as Morrissey, was an English singer-songwriter who was best-known as the frontman of The Smiths from 1982 to 1987. He was born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England in 1959, the son of Irish immigrants, and he grew up in nearby Manchester. He became a punk rock musician in the late 1970s, and, as the frontman of The Smiths, he became known for his witty and sardonic lyrics. In 1988, he began a solo career after The Smiths broke up, and he adopted a new persona by employing patriotic imagery and working-class masculinity. He endorsed vegetarianism and animal rights, criticized the royalty and prominent politicians, and criticized the United States' and immigrants' effects on English culture. He despised both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, and he was especially known for his hatred of Queen Elizabeth II and George W. Bush. After 2013, he became a UKIP supporter, and he supported anti-Islam activist Anne Marie Waters during the leadership election. In April 2018, he endorsed Waters' new far-right party, the For Britain Movement.