View source for Joe Strummer

{{short description|British musician (1952–2002)}}
{{Redirect|Strummer|the musical technique|strum}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Joe Strummer
| birth_name        = John Graham Mellor
| image             = JoeStrummer1980 (cropped).jpg
| landscape         = yes
| caption           = Strummer performing live with [[the Clash]] at the [[Tower Theater (Pennsylvania)|Tower Theater]] in [[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania]] in 1980
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1952|08|21|df=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Ankara]], Turkey
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2002|12|22|1952|08|21|df=yes}}
| death_place       = [[Broomfield, Somerset|Broomfield]], [[Somerset]], England
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Punk rock]]|[[post-punk]]|[[reggae]]|[[rock and roll]]|[[New wave music|new wave]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[folk punk]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|musician|songwriter}}
| instrument        = {{Hlist|Vocals|guitar|piano}}
| years_active      = 1970–2002
| label             = {{hlist|[[CBS Records International|CBS]]|[[Sony Records|Sony]]|[[Hellcat Records|Hellcat]]|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]}}
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[The Clash]]|[[the 101ers]]|[[the Pogues]]|[[the Mescaleros]]}}
| website           = {{URL|joestrummer.com}}
}}
'''John Graham Mellor''' (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as '''Joe Strummer''', was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of [[punk rock]] band [[the Clash]], formed in 1976. The Clash's second studio album, ''[[Give 'Em Enough Rope]]'' (1978), reached No. 2 on the UK charts <ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-10 |title=November 10: The Clash released Give ‘Em Enough Rope in 1978 {{!}} My Site |url=https://alldylan.com/today-the-clash-released-give-em-enough-rope-in-1978/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>. Soon after, they achieved success in the US, starting with ''[[London Calling]]'' (1979) Peaking at number 9 on the UK albums chart<ref>{{Cite web |date=1979-12-22 |title=LONDON CALLING |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/clash-london-calling/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=Official Charts |language=en}}</ref> and peaking with ''[[Combat Rock]]'' (1982), which reached No. 7 on the US charts and was certified 2× platinum there. and Number 2 on the UK ALbums Chart in 1982<ref>{{Cite web |title=Combat Rock LP The Clash |url=http://blackmarketclash.co.uk/Pages/Gigs/The%20Clash/1982-The-Clash-Live/1982%20gigs/82-04-24%20-%20Combat%20Rock%20album%20released/82-04-24%20-%20Combat%20Rock%20album%20released.html |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=blackmarketclash.co.uk}}</ref> The Clash's explosive political lyrics, musical experimentation, and rebellious attitude greatly influenced rock music in general, especially [[alternative rock]].<ref name="bbcco-Strummer">{{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600955.stm| title = Strummer's lasting culture Clash| access-date = 20 November 2007| date = 23 December 2002| format = STM| work = Entertainment| publisher = BBC News World Edition| archive-date = 7 December 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081207213554/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600955.stm| url-status = live}}</ref> Their music incorporated punk with [[reggae]], [[ska]], [[Dub music|dub]], [[funk]], [[Hip hop music|rap]] and [[rockabilly]].

Strummer's other career highlights included stints with [[the 101ers]], [[the Latino Rockabilly War]], [[the Mescaleros]] and [[the Pogues]], as well as solo music. His work as a musician allowed him to explore other interests such as acting, scoring television shows and films, and hosting the [[BBC Radio]] show ''London Calling''. Strummer and the Clash were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in January 2003. In his remembrance, Strummer's friends and family established [[the Joe Strummer Foundation]] (initially known as Strummerville), a [[non-profit organisation]] that gives opportunities to musicians and supports projects around the world that create empowerment through music.

==Early life==
Strummer was born John Graham Mellor in [[Ankara]], [[Turkey]], on 21 August 1952, the son of a Scottish mother and English father. His mother, Anna Mackenzie (1915–1986), was the daughter of a [[crofter]] and was born and raised in [[Bonar Bridge]]; she later became a nurse. His father, Ronald Ralph Mellor [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (1916–1984), was born in [[Lucknow]], [[British Raj|India]], where his father worked as a railway official; Ronald Mellor became a clerical officer, who later attained the rank of second secretary in [[Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service|the foreign service]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB | url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-88710 | title=Strummer, Joe &#91;real name John Graham Mellor&#93; (1952–2002), rock musician and songwriter| doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/88710| year=2004}}</ref> Through his father, Strummer had an [[Armenians|Armenian]] great-grandfather who had lived in India and a [[German Jewish]] great-grandmother.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006|pp=35, 205}} At the age of nine, Strummer and his 10-year-old brother David began boarding at the [[City of London Freemen's School]] in [[Surrey]] and rarely saw their parents during the next seven years. He later said, "[A]t the age of nine I had to say good-bye to them because they went abroad to Africa or something. I went to boarding school and only saw them once a year after that – the Government paid for me to see my parents once a year. I was left on my own, and went to this school where thick rich people sent their thick rich kids. Another perk of my father's job – it was a job with a lot of perks – all the fees were paid by the Government."{{sfn|Coon|1977}}

Strummer developed a love of rock music by listening to records by [[Little Richard]], the [[Beach Boys]], and [[Woody Guthrie]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Will Gilgrass |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nowplaying/2012/12/strummer6music---help-pick-the.shtml |title=Blogs – Now Playing @6Music – #Strummer6Music |publisher=BBC |access-date=17 June 2013}}</ref> Strummer would even go by the nickname "Woody" for a few years.<ref name="trackMARX-Joe_Strummer"/> He would later refer to the Beach Boys as "the reason [he] played music".<ref>[http://rollingstoneextras.com/playlists/view/sean-lennon The Playlist Special – Sean Lennon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224175016/http://rollingstoneextras.com/playlists/view/sean-lennon |date=24 December 2010 }}, ''[[Rolling Stone]]''</ref> By 1970, his brother had become estranged from the family. His suicide in July of that year profoundly affected Strummer, as did having to identify his body after it had lain undiscovered for three days.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}} Strummer said, "[David] was a year older than me. Funnily enough, you know, he was a [[Nazi]]. He was a member of the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]]. He was into the [[occult]] and he used to have these deaths-heads and cross-bones all over everything. He didn't like to talk to anybody, and I think suicide was the only way out for him. What else could he have done[?]"{{sfn|Coon|1977}}

After finishing his time at the City of London Freemen's School in 1970, Strummer moved on to the [[Central School of Art and Design]] in London,<ref name=bowe>Brian J. Bowe (2011). [https://archive.org/details/clashpunkrockban0000bowe ''The Clash: punk rock band'']. Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow. {{ISBN|9780766032323}}. p. 14. Retrieved August 2013.</ref> where he briefly considered becoming a professional cartoonist and completed a one-year foundation course.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600955.stm
|title=Strummer's lasting culture Clash
|access-date=20 November 2007
|date=23 December 2002
|format=STM
|work=Entertainment
|publisher=BBC News World Edition
|quote=a) Born John Graham Mellor in 1952, Strummer was the son of a diplomat and was given a middle-class upbringing at boarding school in Surrey before going to study art in London – before deciding that it was a "lousy set up". <br />b, c, d) He had immersed himself in music since childhood, and his own musical career began when he started street performing with a ukulele at Green Park tube station. He played in two bands, the Vultures and the 101ers, but when the Sex Pistols supported the 101ers in west London in 1976, Strummer saw the possibilities open up for him and was inspired to form the Clash.
|archive-date=7 December 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207213554/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600955.stm
|url-status=live
}}</ref> During this time, he shared a flat in [[Palmers Green]] with friends [[The Passions (British band)|Clive Timperley]] and [[Tymon Dogg]]. He said, "I bought a ukulele. No kidding. I saved some money, £1.99 I think, and bought it down [[Shaftesbury Avenue]]. Then the guy I was busking with taught me to play '[[Johnny B. Goode]]'. [...] I was on my own for the first time with this ukulele and 'Johnny B. Goode'. And that's how I started."{{sfn|Coon|1977}}

In 1973, Strummer moved to [[Newport, South Wales]]. He did not study at [[Newport College of Art]], but he met up with college musicians at the students' union in Stow Hill and became the vocalist for Flaming Youth before renaming the band the Vultures.<ref name="trackMARX-Joe_Strummer">{{cite web
|url=http://trakmarx.com/2003_01/09.htm
|title=Joe Strummer – 1952–2002
|access-date=17 November 2007
|last=Encoule
|first=Jean
|year=2003
|website=TrakMARX.com
|quote=a) Joe Strummer was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1952 & christened John Graham Mellor. His family spent time in Ankara, Cairo, Mexico City & [[Bonn]] before Mellor returned to the UK to attend the City of London Freemen's School in Surrey. Mellor left school & enrolled at Central College of Art but left "after about a week", heading straight for the underground & squat culture. Mellor lived in Wales, playing in knock-about bands and using the nickname "Woody" inspired by Woody Guthrie's name.  <br /> b) The Vultures, in time, led to the 101ers, a group of West London-based squatters named after their squat address. The 101ers were eventually supported by a nascent Sex Pistols. Mellor adopted the stage name of "Joe Strummer". Impressed by the power of the [[Sex Pistols]], the newly self-coined Strummer determined that the 101ers were "yesterday's papers" by comparison. It was time to strike out anew. And this led to the start of the Clash. <br /> c) "This is my Indian summer ... I learnt that fame is an illusion & 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.
|archive-date=19 December 2007
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219155124/http://trakmarx.com/2003_01/09.htm
|url-status=live
}}</ref> The Vultures included three former members of Rip Off Park Rock & Roll Allstars, the original college band co-founded by Terry Earl Taylor. For the next year, Strummer was the band's part-time singer and rhythm guitarist. During this time, he also worked as a [[gravedigger]] in [[St Woolos Cemetery]].<ref>Don J Whistance's Clash Site – [http://www.theclash.org.uk/joetheearlyyears.htm "Joe the Early years"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717120500/http://theclash.org.uk/joetheearlyyears.htm |date=17 July 2014 }} (Retrieved 7 February 2014)</ref><ref>JoeStrummer.org – [http://www.joestrummer.org/bio.php "Bio"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306203914/http://www.joestrummer.org/bio.php |date=6 March 2014 }} (Retrieved 7 February 2014)</ref> While in Newport, he wrote and recorded on an old [[reel-to-reel]] tape recorder "Crumby Bum Blues", which was later used in [[Julien Temple]]'s 2007 film ''[[Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten]]''. In 1974, the band fell apart, and Strummer moved back to London, where he met up again with Dogg.  He was a street performer for a while and then decided to form another band with his roommates called [[the 101ers]],<ref name="bbcco-Strummer" /> named after the address of their squat at 101 Walterton Road in [[Maida Vale]].<ref name="trackMARX-Joe_Strummer" />{{Sfn|Westway 2001}} The band played many gigs in London pubs, performing covers of popular American [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and [[rock and roll]] songs. During this period, Strummer worked several occasional temporary jobs to fund the purchase of musical equipment, including time spent as a gardener in Hyde Park "to get the money for the guitar".<ref>ARTE TV interview 2001 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqEI7O41NpM {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329172242/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqEI7O41NpM&gl=US&hl=en |date=29 March 2022 }}</ref> 

In 1975, he stopped calling himself Woody Mellor and adopted the stage name Joe Strummer, subsequently insisting that his friends call him by that name. The surname "Strummer" apparently referred to his role as rhythm guitarist in a self-deprecating way. Strummer was the lead singer of the 101ers and began to write original songs for the group. One song he wrote was inspired by [[the Slits]]' drummer [[Palmolive (musician)|Palmolive]], who was his girlfriend at the time. The group liked the song "Keys to Your Heart", which they picked as their first single.{{sfn|Coon|1977}}

==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 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.

The Mescaleros expanded on the genre-blending creative renaissance for Strummer had first explored with The Clash,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-20 |title='Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years' Celebrates the Clash Founder's Next Band » PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/joe-strummer-002-mescaleros-years |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=www.popmatters.com |language=en-US}}</ref> combining punk with world music, reggae, and electronica.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dansby |first=Andrew |date=2001-10-01 |title=Strummer's New Culture Clash |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/strummers-new-culture-clash-174993/ |access-date=2025-07-17 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{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 (song)|46664]]", for [[Nelson Mandela]] as part of a campaign against AIDS in Africa.

==Personal life==
Strummer became a vegetarian in 1971, and remained so until his death in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJTLIOdfysA | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/TJTLIOdfysA| archive-date=30 October 2021|title=Joe Strummer chicken story |via=YouTube |date=3 February 2008 |access-date=20 May 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1975, Strummer accepted £120 ({{inflation|UK|120|1975|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-1}}) to marry South African citizen Pamela Moolman so she could obtain British citizenship (before the [[British Nationality Act 1981]] came into force) by doing so. He used the money to buy his signature [[Fender Telecaster]]. In 1978, at the age of 26, he started a relationship with Gaby Salter shortly after her 17th birthday.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}} The couple remained together for 14 years and had two daughters, Jazz and Lola, but did not marry as Strummer had been unable to locate and divorce Moolman.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}} During his relationship with Salter, he had multiple affairs.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}} In 1993, he began an affair with Lucinda Tait, which finally ended his relationship with Salter.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}} He was married to Tait from 1995 until his death in 2002.

Strummer described himself as a [[socialist]] and explained, "I believe in socialism because it seems more humanitarian, rather than every man for himself and [[I'm alright, Jack|'I'm alright Jack']] and all those arsehole businessmen with all the loot. I made up my mind from viewing society from that angle. That's where I'm from and there's where I've made my decisions from. That's why I believe in socialism."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Salewicz|first1=Chris|title=Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer|date=13 May 2008|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|isbn=978-0865479821}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Chris Salewicz|title=Redemption Song: The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer|year=2006|page=303}}</ref>

==Death==
On 22 December 2002, aged 50, Strummer was found dead by his wife at his home in [[Broomfield, Somerset]]. A post mortem showed that he died from a [[heart attack]] caused by an undiagnosed [[congenital heart defect]].{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}}<ref name="rockhall-The_Clash" /><ref>Multiple sources:
*{{cite news |title=Clash star Strummer dies |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2600669.stm |quote=Joe Strummer, the leader of legendary Seventies punk band the Clash, has died of a suspected heart attack aged 50. A spokesman for Strummer, real name John Graham Mellor, said the singer died at home in Broomfield, Somerset, on Sunday. |work=BBC News |date=27 December 2002 |access-date=11 February 2009 |archive-date=8 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008233213/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2600669.stm |url-status=live }}
*{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/23/britain.strummer/|title=Clash star Joe Strummer dies|access-date=23 November 2007|date=23 December 2002|work=Entertainment|publisher=CNN|quote=Strummer, who was the band's guitarist, vocalist and songwriter alongside Mick Jones, died on Sunday at his farmhouse in Somerset, southwestern England.|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071117171747/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/23/britain.strummer/ |archive-date = 17 November 2007}}
*{{Cite web |title=Strummer Autopsy |website=[[NME]] |date=25 December 2002 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/joe-strummer-21-1382719 |access-date=18 October 2022 |archive-date=18 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018222011/https://www.nme.com/news/music/joe-strummer-21-1382719 |url-status=live }}
</ref> His estate was valued at just under [[Pound sterling|£]]1 million, and he left all the money to Tait, his wife. Strummer was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}}

==Legacy==
At the time of his death, Strummer was working on another Mescaleros album, which was released posthumously in October 2003 under the title ''[[Streetcore]]''. The album features a tribute to [[Johnny Cash]], "Long Shadow", which was written for Cash to sing and recorded in [[Rick Rubin]]'s garage, as well as a remembrance of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 ("Ramshackle Day Parade"), and a cover of [[Bob Marley]]'s "[[Redemption Song]]", which Strummer had also recorded as a duet with Cash. The Cash/Strummer duet version appears on the 2003 [[box set]] ''[[Unearthed (Johnny Cash album)|Unearthed]]''. Strummer and the Mescaleros were scheduled to open for [[Pearl Jam]] on the 2003 [[Riot Act Tour]].

[[File:AvenuAJoeStrummer.JPG|thumb|right|alt=A photograph of the painting of the memorial mural of Joe Strummer on the wall of the Niagara Bar in the East Village in New York City. The mural depicts Strummer (centre) surrounded by the words "THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN" (on the left), "JOE STRUMMER 1952–2002" (on the right), and "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!" (bottom) on a horizontal tricolour of red, yellow, and green background|Memorial to Strummer on [[7th Street (Manhattan)|7th Street]] at [[Avenue A (Manhattan)|Avenue A]], New York City]]
In November 2003, a video for "Redemption Song" was released, featuring graffiti artist REVOLT painting a memorial mural of Strummer on the wall of the Niagara Bar in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]] of New York City.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480457/20031117/strummer_joe.jhtml
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040416133557/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480457/20031117/strummer_joe.jhtml
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=16 April 2004
|title=Joe Strummer Leaves Final Mark on New York With New Video
|access-date=29 November 2007
|last=D'Angelo
|first=Joe
|date=17 November 2003
|format=JHTML
|publisher=MTV
|quote=Clip features cameos by Rancid, actor Matt Dillon, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.
}}</ref> In 2013, the mural was destroyed due to construction;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://evgrieve.com/search/label/Joe%20Strummer |title=Joe Strummer |publisher=EV Grieve |access-date=20 May 2014 |archive-date=16 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016220032/http://evgrieve.com/search/label/Joe%20Strummer |url-status=live }}</ref> a new mural was unveiled that September,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://evgrieve.com/2013/09/east-seventh-street-431-pm-sept-19.html |title=East Seventh Street, 4:31 p.m., Sept. 19 |publisher=EV Grieve |date=19 September 2013 |access-date=20 May 2014 |archive-date=2 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702231053/http://evgrieve.com/2013/09/east-seventh-street-431-pm-sept-19.html |url-status=live }}</ref> accompanied by a large celebration with Mick Jones in attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFR2M3_g5P4 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921063927/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFR2M3_g5P4| archive-date=21 September 2013|title=Joe Strummer mural unveiling on 7th Street (Niagra) East Village (Lower East Side) |via=YouTube |date=19 September 2013 |access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>

Strummer was instrumental in setting up Future Forests (since rechristened the Carbon Neutral Company), dedicated to planting trees in various parts of the world to combat [[global warming]].<ref name="l2ts">{{cite web
|url=http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1534-joe-strummer
|title=Joe Strummer's Charity Work, Events and Causes
|access-date=29 March 2010
|publisher=Look to the Stars
|archive-date=21 April 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421044807/http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1534-joe-strummer
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Strummer was the first artist to make the recording, pressing and distribution of his records [[carbon neutral]] through the planting of trees.<ref name="l2ts" /><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/2673971.stm
|title=Forest tribute to Clash star
|date=19 January 2003
|access-date=29 March 2010
|work=[[BBC News]]
|archive-date=30 June 2006
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630051000/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/2673971.stm
|url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/245201/your_planet__part_2_i_want_to_put_back/index.html
|title=YOUR PLANET – Part 2: 'I Want to Put Back What I'Ve Taken Out'
|date=20 September 2005
|access-date=29 March 2010
|website=Redorbit.com
|quote=Joe Strummer: The world's first carbon neutral artists, Joe Strummer was involved in setting up the company and his large forest on the Isle of Skye has become a memorial to him.
}}</ref>  In his remembrance, Strummer's friends and family have established the [[Strummerville]] Foundation for the promotion of new music, which holds an annual festival with the same name.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.strummerville.com/strummerville-a-charity-in-honour-of-joe-strummer-of-the-clash-whats-it-all-about/
|title=Strummerville: A Charity in Honour of Joe Strummer of the Clash: Whats It All About?
|access-date=29 March 2010
|publisher=Strummerville: The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music
}}</ref> In December 2016, a blue plaque was erected by Seymour Housing Co-operative at 33 Daventry Street near [[Marylebone station]] where he used to live when it was a squat and [[the Slits]] and [[Malcolm McLaren]] all lived nearby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/joe-strummer-is-getting-a-blue-plaque-in-marylebone-120716|title=Joe Strummer is getting a blue plaque in Marylebone|website=Time Out London|date=7 December 2016 |language=en|access-date=1 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/property/nw1-calling-blue-plaque-marks-site-of-former-squat-where-the-clash-singer-joe-strummer-lived-1-4818901|title=NW1 calling: blue plaque marks site of former squat where The Clash singer Joe Strummer lived|last=Block|first=India|website=Hampstead Highgate Express|date=16 December 2016|language=en|access-date=1 December 2019|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802155128/https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/property/nw1-calling-blue-plaque-marks-site-of-former-squat-where-the-clash-singer-joe-strummer-lived-1-4818901|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In January 2003, the Clash were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref name="rockhall-The_Clash" /> At the [[Grammy Award]]s in February 2003, "London Calling" was performed by [[Elvis Costello]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[Steven Van Zandt]], [[Dave Grohl]], [[Pete Thomas (drummer)|Pete Thomas]], and [[Tony Kanal]] in tribute to Strummer.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Runtagh |first1=Jordan |title=15 Great Grammy Tribute Performances |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/15-great-grammy-tribute-performances-17553/tribute-to-joe-strummer-2003-45765/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=23 January 2019 |date=11 February 2016 |archive-date=23 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123121600/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/15-great-grammy-tribute-performances-17553/tribute-to-joe-strummer-2003-45765/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same month at the rock club Debaser in Stockholm some of Sweden's better known rock musicians paid their tribute to Strummer by performing songs written by the Clash (the exception was [[Nicke Borg]] and [[Dregen]] from [[Backyard Babies]], who performed "[[I fought the law (the clash song)|I Fought the Law]]", which the Clash had covered). At the end of the concert, the Swedish punk band [[Ebba Grön]] reunited for the tribute, aided by [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] on guitar.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ström |first1=Christian |title=Thåström: Det är fruktansvärt |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/0E3MEg/thastrom-det-ar-fruktansvart |website=Aftonbladet |date=21 June 2013 |access-date=23 January 2019 |language=sv}}</ref>

[[File:Class 47 Brush Type 4 47828 'Joe Strummer' nameplate, Darlington Bank Top 29.06.2009 P6290002 (10192860966).jpg|thumb|Joe Strummer nameplates on [[Cotswold Rail]] locomotive [[British Rail Class 47|47828]] in June 2009]]

On 22 December 2003, a year after his death, a tribute show/benefit was held at [[Irving Plaza]] in NYC. Bands that played were: [[Ari Up]]; [[Clem Snide]]; [[the Detachment Kit]]; Dirty Mary; [[Hammel on Trial]]; [[Jesse Malin]]; New Blood Revival; the Realistics; [[Eugene Hütz]]; [[Radio 4 (band)|Radio 4]]; Secret Army; [[Ted Leo]]; [[Vic Thrill]] & the Saturn Missile.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.irvingplaza.com/artists.htm
 |title        = Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza – Artists
 |access-date   = 29 November 2007
|publisher    = irvingplaza.com
 |quote        = '''Joe Strummer Tribute''' – Ari Up (of the Slits); Clem Snide; The Detachment Kit; Dirty Mary; Hammel on Trial; Jesse Malin; New Blood Revival; The Realistics; Radio 4; Secret Army; Ted Leo (solo); and special guests
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071221035617/http://www.irvingplaza.com/artists.htm
 |archive-date = 21 December 2007
|url-status     = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref>

The Belfast punk rock group [[Stiff Little Fingers]] recorded a tribute song "Strummerville" on their 2003 album, ''[[Guitar and Drum]]''. In 2004 Al Barr, lead singer of the Boston punk band [[Dropkick Murphys]], named his son Strummer in honour of Strummer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dropkickmurphys.com/press/press/expresstimes.html |title=Dropkick Murphys always sing loud, proud |access-date=13 March 2008 |last=Helmer |first=April |date=23 April 2004 |work=The Express-Times |publisher=Dropkick Murphys |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020093521/http://www.dropkickmurphys.com/press/press/expresstimes.html |archive-date=20 October 2007 }}</ref> German band [[Beatsteaks]] paid tribute to Strummer on their 2004 album ''[[Smack Smash]]'' with the song "Hello Joe". In 2004, German punk band [[Die Toten Hosen]] released an EP called "Friss oder stirb", which included a tribute song for Strummer called "Goodbye Garageland"; it is a lyrical co-production with Matt Dangerfield from London's 77 punk band [[The Boys (UK Band)|the Boys]]. [[Attila the Stockbroker]]'s Barnstormer released "Comandante Joe" on their 2004 album ''Zero Tolerance''.

In February 2005 [[Cotswold Rail]] locomotive [[British Rail Class 47|47828]] was named ''Joe Strummer'' by his widow Lucinda Tait at [[Bristol Temple Meads railway station]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/4256619.stm|title=Engine named after Clash singer|access-date=6 July 2007|date=12 February 2005|format=STM|work=[[BBC News]]|quote=The Class 47 Diesel, which is owned by Cotswold Rail, is being named after the singer, who lived in Bridgwater, Somerset. He died aged 50 in 2002."... <br /> ..."The locomotive, and plaque showing Strummer's name, were unveiled at Bristol Temple Meads station by his wife, Lucinda.}}</ref><ref>Joe Strummer remembered with Class 47 naming ''[[Rail (magazine)|Rail]]'' issue 508 2 March 2005 page 57</ref> On 22 July 2005 Tait unveiled a plaque on the house in Pentonville, Newport where Strummer lived from 1973 to 1974 and where his first foray into recorded music, "Crummy Bum Blues" was recorded.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4707943.stm
|title=Plaque for Clash legend Strummer
|access-date=29 November 2007
|date=22 July 2005
|format=STM
|work=[[BBC News]]
|quote=The friend who arranged for a tribute plaque to Joe Strummer on the house where the punk legend wrote his first song admits he would have hated it.
}}</ref> "That Was Clash Radio", a 2005 short story which [[Charles de Lint]], wrote in response to Strummer's death featuring Strummer in a minor role.<ref>{{cite book
|last=de Lint
|first=Charles
|author-link=Charles de Lint
|title=The Hour Before Dawn
|publisher=Subterranean Press
|year=2005
|location=Burton, MI
|pages=10–11
|isbn=978-1-59606-027-2}}</ref>

New Orleans–based rockers [[Cowboy Mouth]] released a song called "Joe Strummer" on their 2006 album ''Voodoo Shoppe''. The [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] also recorded a tribute song called "Joe" as part of the recording sessions for their album ''[[Stadium Arcadium]]'', releasing the outtake as a B-side to their single ''[[Desecration Smile]]'' in 2007. A play by Paul Hodson called ''[[Meeting Joe Strummer]]'' premiered at the 2006 [[Edinburgh Festival]], and toured the UK the following year.<ref>{{cite news
 |title      = MEETING JOE STRUMMER
 |url        = http://www.middlegroundtheatre.co.uk/index-page190.html
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071109060644/http://www.middlegroundtheatre.co.uk/index-page190.html
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 9 November 2007
|publisher  = Middle Ground Theatre Company
 |access-date = 29 March 2010
}}</ref>
{{quote box
 | quote  = On-stage Strummer wires himself up into an inhuman dynamo of sweaty, trembling flesh, fearful enough to have one wondering when the ambulance brigade will rush to his rescue with a straitjacket. While he tilts his bullet head at acute angles, his agonising face screwed into an open wound, he wields his Telecaster like a chain saw. His magnetism is totally original – more like an Olympic strong man imploding all his energy into a final record-breaking lift than anything seen on a rock'n'roll stage before. <br />Off-stage, he's the Clash member with the lowest profile.
 | source = —[[Caroline Coon]]{{sfn|Coon|1977}}
 | width  = 34%
 | align  = right
 | salign = right
}}

In conjunction with the Strummer estate, [[Fender (company)|Fender]] released the Joe Strummer Tribute Telecaster in 2007, combining elements of Strummer's main guitars, namely an attempt at the "road worn" finish of his 1966 Telecaster, which he used until his death. The neck profile was an exact duplicate of Strummer's '66 Telecaster, while the guitar's finish was an approximation of the wear. The first 1,500 guitars came with a [[Shepard Fairey]] designed "Customisation kit" with stickers and stencils, which resembled some of the designs Strummer used on his guitars.<ref name="fender-js">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.fender.com/joestrummer/
 |title       = Joe Strummer
 |access-date  = 29 March 2010
|publisher   = fender.com
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090917005302/http://www.fender.com/joestrummer/
 |archive-date = 17 September 2009
|df          = dmy-all
}}<br />'''Related articles''':
*{{cite web
 |title      = Strummer Telecaster Guitar Based on Legendary Clash Leader's Famous DIY Instrument
 |url        = http://www.fender.com/news/index.php?display_article=199
 |publisher  = Fender
 |access-date = 29 March 2010
}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Boston punk rock band [[Street Dogs]] recorded a tribute song called "The General's Boombox" on their 2007 album ''[[State of Grace (album)|State of Grace]]''. New Jersey's [[the Gaslight Anthem]] recorded the song "I'da Called You Woody, Joe" on their 2008 album ''[[Sink or Swim (Gaslight Anthem album)|Sink or Swim]]''. [[The Hold Steady]] reference Strummer's impact in the song "Constructive Summer" on their 2008 album ''[[Stay Positive (album)|Stay Positive]]'', singing "Raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer. I think he might have been our only decent teacher." In November 2009, [[Tonara]], a town in [[Sardinia]], Italy, dedicated a street to Joe Strummer.<ref>{{cite news
 |first       = Cesare
 |last        = Buquicchio
 |title       = Sardegna punk, una via per Joe Strummer
 |url         = http://www.unita.it/news/culture/91451/sardegna_punk_una_via_per_joe_strummer
 |newspaper   = [[L'Unità]]
 |language    = it
 |date        = 19 November 2009
|access-date  = 29 March 2010
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20091122053030/http://www.unita.it/news/culture/91451/sardegna_punk_una_via_per_joe_strummer
 |archive-date = 22 November 2009
|df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>

On 22 December 2010, CJAM 99.1 FM, a radio station in [[Windsor, Ontario]], Canada, declared the anniversary of Strummer's death "Joe Strummer Day to confront poverty in Windsor-Detroit."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Brian |title=Joe Strummer's back to fight Detroit-Windsor hunger! Arrrghhhgorra buh bhuh do arrrrgggghhhhnnn!!!! |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/city-slang/archives/2010/12/09/joe-strummers-back-to-fight-detroit-windsor-hunger-arrrghhhgorra-buh-bhuh-do-arrrrgggghhhhnnn |website=Detroit Metro Times |access-date=23 January 2019 |language=en |archive-date=23 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123171232/https://www.metrotimes.com/city-slang/archives/2010/12/09/joe-strummers-back-to-fight-detroit-windsor-hunger-arrrghhhgorra-buh-bhuh-do-arrrrgggghhhhnnn |url-status=dead }}</ref> For 24-hours, the station played nothing but Strummer-related music, wrapping the sounds around reports about poverty in the Windsor-Detroit region.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Michalski |first1=Michael |title=Exposing plight of area impoverished aim of Strummer Day |url=https://www.orangeville.com/news-story/1488150-exposing-plight-of-area-impoverished-aim-of-strummer-day/ |website=Orangeville.com |access-date=23 January 2019 |language=en-CA |date=17 December 2012}}</ref> CJAM (which is located near the banks of the Detroit River, a kilometre from downtown Detroit) has since decided to make it an annual event and hosted its 10th annual Joe Strummer Day on 22 December 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schweitzer |first1=Carly |title=Joe Strummer Day 2018 |url=http://www.cjam.ca/joe-strummer-day-2018/ |website=cjam.ca |access-date=23 January 2019 |archive-date=23 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123121417/http://www.cjam.ca/joe-strummer-day-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In January 2011 a motion was started to grant Strummer his own street in the Spanish city of [[Granada]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_28717.shtml |title=A street in Granada for Joe Strummer |website=Typically Spanish |date=13 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116181642/http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_28717.shtml |archive-date=16 January 2011}}</ref>

On 21 August 2012, which would have been Strummer's 60th birthday, Hellcat Records released an exclusive 57-song digital download album titled ''[[Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: The Hellcat Years]]''. The album features Strummer's three Hellcat albums along with various b-sides and live songs, including Strummer's 15 November 2002 concert with Mick Jones. In September 2012, Hellcat announced the re-release of remastered versions of Strummer's three Hellcat records on both CD and vinyl.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cericola |first=Rachel |url=https://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/08/new-joe-strummer-album |title=Hellcat Records Celebrates 60 Years of Joe Strummer With Digital Release &#124; GeekMom |magazine=Wired |access-date=17 June 2013|date=22 August 2012 }}</ref> Hellcat released Strummer's 15 November 2002 concert, ''[[Live at Acton Town Hall]]'' on 23 November 2012.

[[File:BT Artbox - London Calling - 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|[[BT Group|BT]]-commissioned "London Calling" artwork on a [[red telephone box]] in 2012 displaying Strummer]]
In 2012, marking 25 years of [[Childline]] (the free counselling service for children and young people in the UK), [[BT Group|BT]] commissioned artists to design and decorate full-sized K6 [[red telephone box]] replicas, with Strummer featuring in an artwork titled "London Calling".<ref>{{cite news |title=BT Artbox: Red telephone boxes with a twist |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/9332418/BT-Artbox-Red-telephone-boxes-with-a-twist.html |access-date=14 January 2025 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref>

In January 2013 Joe Strummer had a plaza named in his honour, Placeta Joe Strummer, in the Spanish city of Granada, about 650m south of the Alhambra.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21041591#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa |title=Joe Strummer has a Spanish plaza named in his honour |date=16 January 2013 |access-date=17 June 2013 |work=BBC News |archive-date=25 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525063735/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21041591#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Richardson |first=Martin |url=http://oakesave.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/pico-de-veleta-and-placeta-joe-strummer.html |title=Went up a hill and came down: Pico de Veleta and Placeta Joe Strummer – Granada calling |website=Oakesave.blogspot.co.uk |date=2 July 2013 |access-date=1 September 2013 |archive-date=16 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016220032/http://oakesave.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/pico-de-veleta-and-placeta-joe-strummer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2013 a mural of Strummer was unveiled on the corner of [[Portobello Road]] and [[Blenheim Crescent]] and attended by a number of Strummer's former friends including Mick Jones and [[Ray Gange]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Strummer mural unveiling|url=http://www.theclashblog.com/joe-strummer-mural-unveiling-a-special-guest-post-and-report-from-ladbroke-grove/|website=Theclashblog.com|date=15 June 2013|access-date=9 July 2015|archive-date=10 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710232255/http://www.theclashblog.com/joe-strummer-mural-unveiling-a-special-guest-post-and-report-from-ladbroke-grove/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In an October 2013 interview, Mick Jones confirmed that Strummer had intentions of reforming the Clash and new music was even being written. In the months prior to Strummer's death, he and Jones got together to write new music. Jones said at the time he assumed the new songs would be used on albums with the Mescaleros. A few months following their work together, Jones ran into Strummer at an event and asked him what he intended to do with those songs. Strummer informed Jones that they were going to be used for the next Clash record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/story/mick-jones-secret-strummer-tunes-could-have-sparked-the-clash-s-comeback_3892188|title=The Clash – Mick Jones: 'Secret Joe Strummer Tunes Could Have Sparked The Clash's Comeback'|publisher=Contact Music|access-date=4 October 2013|date=4 October 2013|archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005221644/http://www.contactmusic.com/story/mick-jones-secret-strummer-tunes-could-have-sparked-the-clash-s-comeback_3892188|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016, actor [[Jonathan Rhys Meyers]] portrayed Strummer in the film ''[[London Town (2016 film)|London Town]]'' which tells the story of a Clash-obsessed teenager who crosses paths with Joe Strummer by happenstance in 1979 and finds his life changing as a result.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/see-joe-strummer-portrayed-in-london-town-trailer-w439500|title=See Jonathan Rhys Meyers Play Joe Strummer in 'London Town' Trailer|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=14 September 2016|date=14 September 2016|archive-date=16 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916103136/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/see-joe-strummer-portrayed-in-london-town-trailer-w439500|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film was met with mixed reviews.

It was discovered following Strummer's death that he had maintained a personal archive of his own work stored in his Somerset barn,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sawer |first=Patrick |date=2018-10-07 |title=Joe Strummer's widow tells how she found The Clash singer's lost tapes in their Somerset barn |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/joe-strummers-widow-tells-found-clash-singers-lost-tapes-somerset/ |access-date=2025-07-17 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> containing 20,000 items including tapes, lyrics, and letters. It formed the basis of a 32-song compilation album titled ''[[Joe Strummer 001]],'' released in 2018. The album was curated by producer Robert Gordon McHarg III and Strummer’s widow, Lucinda Tait, and features rare, unreleased, and remastered recordings spanning his entire career, including work from the 101ers, The Clash, the Mescaleros, and solo demos. Critics praised the collection as a comprehensive portrait of Strummer’s artistic breadth and a posthumous reaffirmation of his legacy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |title=Joe Strummer: Joe Strummer 001 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/joe-strummer-joe-strummer-001/ |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Joe Strummer, "Joe Strummer 001" |url=https://floodmagazine.com/53547/joe-strummer-joe-strummer-001/ |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=FLOOD |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Partridge |first=Kenneth |date=2018-09-28 |title='Joe Strummer 001' Is a Welcome Roadmap to The Clash Singer's Uneven Solo Music Career |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/joe-strummer-001-solo-8477473/ |access-date=2025-07-17 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> Notably, it included previously unreleased collaborations with Mick Jones and unreleased Clash material, sparking renewed critical interest in his post-Clash years.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/joe-strummer-rare-unreleased-album-2347300|title=Joe Strummer's rare and unreleased songs to be released on new album|date=29 June 2018|magazine=NME|access-date=21 August 2018|archive-date=22 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822014638/https://www.nme.com/news/music/joe-strummer-rare-unreleased-album-2347300|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2018, [[Warner/Chappell Music]] signed a publishing contract with the Strummer estate. The deal includes Strummer's solo career, ''[[Cut the Crap]]'' by the Clash, the soundtracks to three films, and his compositions with the 101ers and the Mescaleros.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/record-labels/8476542/warnerchappell-signs-joe-strummer-solo-catalog|title=Warner/Chappell Signs Joe Strummer Solo Catalog|magazine=Billboard|access-date=22 October 2018|date=24 September 2018|archive-date=24 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924230445/https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/record-labels/8476542/warnerchappell-signs-joe-strummer-solo-catalog|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Strummer at number 125 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=1 January 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/joe-strummer-3-1234642985/|access-date=2 May 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Musical equipment==
[[File:Joe Strummer Live by Joe Kerrigan.jpg|thumb|upright|Strummer in 2001 with his guitar]]
Strummer's main guitar throughout his career was a 1966 [[Fender Telecaster]]. Strummer bought the guitar in its original sunburst finish in 1975, with the £120 he was paid to marry Afrikaaner Pamela Moolman, thereby allowing Moolman to remain in Britain.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} After joining the Clash, the guitar's body and pickguard were refinished in grey auto primer and then painted black. Over the years, the guitar would see numerous sticker configurations, with the most prominent and longest-lasting one stating "Ignore Alien Orders". Years of heavy wear and taped on set lists remain on the guitar to this day, and the only known modifications to it included the installation of an individual, six-saddle bridge, and Fender "f-style" tuning machines.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The [[Fender Custom Shop]] created a Joe Strummer tribute Telecaster in 2007 with a [[Relic'ing|reliced]] flat black finish and an exact replica of the neck profile of his '66 Telecaster.<ref name="fender-js" />

Strummer was naturally left-handed, but was taught to play guitar right-handed by his friend [[Tymon Dogg]]. Strummer had reckoned his left-handedness on a right-hand guitar as a drawback and claimed it caused him to be underdeveloped as a guitarist, although his style of playing was unique.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rockandrollparadise.com/joe-strummer-122002/|title=Joe Strummer, the genius songwriter behind the Clash|date=18 December 2015|website=Rock and Roll Paradise|language=en-US|access-date=4 December 2018|archive-date=5 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205003903/https://rockandrollparadise.com/joe-strummer-122002/|url-status=live}}</ref>

He also used three [[Fender Esquire]] models, one from 1952, a white blonde with slab fretboard from the mid-1950s<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Jun/Maximum_Energy_The_Gear_of_the_Original_Punks.aspx?Page=2 |title=Maximum Energy: The Gear of the Original Punks |magazine=Premier Guitar |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-date=22 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122092303/http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Jun/Maximum_Energy_The_Gear_of_the_Original_Punks.aspx?Page=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and another from early to mid-1960s with a white pick guard and rosewood fingerboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.strummerguitar.com/evolutionofalegend.html |title=A tribute to Joe Strummers Fender Telecaster guitar |website=Strummerguitar.com |date=10 April 1976 |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321161257/http://www.strummerguitar.com/evolutionofalegend.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Esquire is a one-pickup version of the Telecaster. Prior to using any Telecaster oriented guitar, before buying his 1966 model, he used as main guitars a [[Gretsch White Falcon]] and a 1964 [[Hofner]] Verithin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.strummerguitar.com/evolutionofalegend.html |title=A tribute to Joe Strummers Fender Telecaster guitar |website=Strummerguitar.com |date=10 April 1976 |access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref> For amplification Strummer was known to use amplifiers such as a [[Roland Jazz Chorus]], a Selmer Bassman while he was in the 101ers, a [[Vox AC30]] and various [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall amplifiers]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/strummernews/vpost?id=2044598 |title=Unknown Forum |website=Websitetoolbox.com |access-date=17 June 2013 |archive-date=7 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107200300/http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/strummernews/vpost?id=2044598 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but his main amplifier was a [[Music Man (company)|Music Man]] HD 212,150.<ref>[http://www.rockstarsguitars.com/product.php?c=1&cat=111&scat=216] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217011818/http://www.rockstarsguitars.com/product.php?c=1&cat=111&scat=216|date=17 February 2012}}</ref> Strummer commented on his choice of amplifier with "I don't have time to search for those old Fender tube amps. The Music Man is the closest thing to that sound I've found" and that the "plastic motif on the front is repulsive."<ref>''Musician Magazine'' 1980</ref>

==Discography==
===The Clash===
{{Details|The Clash discography}}

===The 101ers===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:40px;"|Year
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Album
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Additional information
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||1981
||''[[Elgin Avenue Breakdown]]''
||Compilation album with material recorded from 1974 to 1976.
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2007
||''[[Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten]]''
||Soundtrack to the documentary of the same name
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2018
||''[[Joe Strummer 001]]''
||32-song collection featuring remastered, unreleased and alternate versions of songs from Strummer's career
|}

===Solo===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:40px;"|Year
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Album
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Additional information
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||1986
||''Sid and Nancy''
||Soundtrack for the film ''[[Sid and Nancy]]'', featuring 2 songs by Strummer. "Love Kills" and "Dum Dum Club"
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |1987
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Walker (soundtrack)|Walker]]'' (soundtrack)
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Soundtrack for the film ''[[Walker (film)|Walker]]'', scored by Strummer.
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Straight to Hell (soundtrack)|Straight to Hell]]'' (soundtrack)
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Soundtrack for the film ''[[Straight to Hell (film)|Straight to Hell]]'', featuring 2 songs by Strummer.
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|1993
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''When Pigs Fly'' (soundtrack)
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Unreleased soundtrack for the film ''[[When Pigs Fly (film)|When Pigs Fly]]'', scored by Strummer.
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|1998
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Chef Aid: The South Park Album]]''
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Features "It's A Rockin' World", performed by Strummer, [[Flea (musician)|Flea]], [[Nick Hexum]], [[Tom Morello]], [[DJ Bonebrake]], and [[Benmont Tench]].
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||1999
||''[[Michael Hutchence (album)|Michael Hutchence]]'' (guest appearance)
||Backing vocals on the first track on Michael Hutchence's solo album, "Let Me Show You"
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2000
||''[[Free the West Memphis 3]]''
||Features a cover of "The Harder They Come", performed by Strummer and [[Long Beach Dub Allstars]]
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2002
||''Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues'' (guest appearance)
||Features "Return of the Blues Cowboy" performed by Strummer and the Jools Holland Big Band
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|2003
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Unearthed (Johnny Cash album)|Unearthed]]'' (guest appearance)
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|A duet of "Redemption Song" with [[Johnny Cash]].
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2004
||''Black Magic'' (guest appearance)
||Strummer performed the song "Over the Border" with [[Jimmy Cliff]].
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2007
||''[[Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten]]''
||Soundtrack to the documentary of the same name
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2018
||''[[Joe Strummer 001]]''
||32-song collection featuring remastered, unreleased and alternate versions of songs from Strummer's career
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2021
||''Assembly''
||16-track compilation features three previously unreleased versions of classic Clash tracks, "Junco Partner (Acoustic)", "Rudie Can't Fail" & "I Fought The Law" (Both tracks are recorded live at Brixton Academy, London, 24 November 2001)
|}

===The Latino Rockabilly War===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:40px;"|Year
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Album
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Additional information
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||1988
||''[[Permanent Record (film)#Soundtrack|Permanent Record Original Soundtrack]]''
||Features songs by Strummer and the Latino Rockabilly War.
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|1989
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Earthquake Weather (album)|Earthquake Weather]]''
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Strummer's only studio album with the Latino Rockabilly War.
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|2007
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten]]''
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Soundtrack to the documentary of the same name
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|2018
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Joe Strummer 001]]''
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|32-song collection featuring remastered, unreleased and alternate versions of songs from Strummer's career
|}

===The Mescaleros===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:40px;"|Year
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Album
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Additional information
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||1999
||''[[Rock Art and the X-Ray Style]]''
||Strummer's first album with the Mescaleros.
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2001
||''[[Global a Go-Go]]''
||Reached number 23 on ''Billboard'''s Top Independent Albums chart in the US.
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2002
||''[[Black Hawk Down (soundtrack)|Black Hawk Down]]''
||Soundtrack for the film features a much shorter version of "[[Minstrel Boy]]". The longer version appeared on ''Global a Go-Go''
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
| rowspan="2"|2003
||''[[Streetcore]]''
||Strummer's last album, released posthumously.
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||''[[Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten]]''
||Soundtrack of the documentary of the same name
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
| rowspan="2"|2012
||''[[Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: The Hellcat Years]]''
||Digital download only 57-song set featuring three Hellcat albums, various b-sides and Strummer's 15 November 2002 concert
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||''[[Live at Acton Town Hall]]''
||[[Record Store Day]] exclusive 2-LP vinyl album limited to 2200 copies featuring Strummer's 15 November 2002 concert. Re-released on vinyl & CD in 2023.
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2018
||''[[Joe Strummer 001]]''
|32-song collection featuring remastered, unreleased and alternate versions of songs from Strummer's career
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2021
||''Assembly''
||16-track compilation features three previously unreleased versions of classic Clash tracks, "Junco Partner (Acoustic)", "Rudie Can't Fail" & "I Fought The Law" (Both tracks are recorded live at Brixton Academy, London, 24 November 2001)
|-  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"
||2022
||''Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years''
|Box set featuring remastered editions of all three of the band's studio albums along with 15 rare and unreleased tracks
|}

==Music videos==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of music videos, showing year released and director
! scope="col" style="width:18em;" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:16em;" | Director
|-
! scope="row" | "Love Kills"
| 1986
| rowspan="9" {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" | "Trash City"
| 1988
|-
! scope="row" | "Gangsterville"
| 1989
|-
! scope="row" | "Generations"
| 1996
|-
! scope="row" | "Yalla Yalla"
| rowspan="2" | 1999
|-
! scope="row" | "Tony Adams"
|-
! scope="row" | "Johnny Appleseed"
| 2001
|-
! scope="row" | "Coma Girl"
| rowspan="2" | 2003
|-
! scope="row" | "Redemption Song"
|-
! scope="row" | "London is Burning"
| 2018
| Kevin Petillo
|-
! scope="row" | "[[Junco Partner]] (Acoustic)"
| rowspan="2" | 2021
| Spencer Ramsey
|-
! scope="row" | "[[I Fought the Law]] (Live)"
| rowspan="2" {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" | "The Road to Rock 'N' Roll (Demo)"
| 2022
|-
|}

==Selected filmography==
''[[Let's Rock Again!]]'' is a 2004 one-hour music documentary, directed by [[Dick Rude]], which follows Strummer touring in America and Japan with the Mescaleros and premiered at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]] in New York, May 2004.

''[[Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer]]'' is a 2006 biography of Strummer by Chris Salewicz.{{Sfn|Salewicz|2006}}

''[[Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten]]'' is a 2007 documentary about Joe Strummer by [[Julien Temple]]. It comprises archive footage of him spanning his life, and interviews with friends, family, and other celebrities. It debuted at the 2007 [[Sundance Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/56731/exclusive-strummer-documentary-to-premiere-at-sundance |title=Exclusive: Strummer Documentary To Premiere At Sundance |access-date=29 November 2007 |last=Orshoski |first=Wes |date=7 November 2006 |format=JSP |magazine=Billboard |quote="The Future is Unwritten", Julien Temple's new film on the life and career of late Clash frontman Joe Strummer, will have its U.S. premiere in mid-January at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. |archive-date=14 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914221210/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/56731/exclusive-strummer-documentary-to-premiere-at-sundance |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/image_galleries/joe_strummer_gallery.shtml |title=BBC – Somerset – In Pictures – Joe Strummer |access-date=29 November 2007 |format=SHTML |work=Where I Live – Somerset – Celebrities and Events |quote=Julien Temple's biopic of the Clash front man, entitled Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, receives its premiere at The Palace in Bridgwater on Saturday, 5 May 2007. This photo is of a campfire in Somerset. |archive-date=9 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109102214/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/image_galleries/joe_strummer_gallery.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/01/26/sundance-review-joe-strummer-the-future-is-unwritten/ |title=Sundance Review: Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten |access-date=29 November 2007 |last=Kelly |first=Kevin |date=26 January 2007 |website=Cinematical.com |quote=If you can imagine what it would be like to try to document the life of one of your closest friends after their death, and to assemble everything into feature film length, you can probably see how difficult the process might be. |archive-date=5 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205084231/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/01/26/sundance-review-joe-strummer-the-future-is-unwritten/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Tribute Concert: Cast a Long Shadow'' is a recording of the October 2007 tribute and benefit concert held in honour of Joe Strummer in Los Angeles.  It features [[Love and Rockets (band)|Love & Rockets]], [[Zander Schloss]], [[Hellride]] and many other artists, released in DVD format in December 2010.<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album|id=r2072290|label=MVD Visual|access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref>

''Let Fury Have the Hour'' is a 2012 documentary directed by [[Antonino D'Ambrosio]], in which the figure of Strummer "looms large in the background".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/Tribeca-review-let-fury-have-hour-313808| title = Let Fury Have the Hour| author = Defore, John| date = 10 April 2012| access-date = 11 January 2015| work = The Hollywood Reporter| archive-date = 11 February 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150211110903/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/Tribeca-review-let-fury-have-hour-313808| url-status = live}}</ref> The movie debuted at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.<ref>{{cite news|title=Review: 'Let Fury Have the Hour' doc features artistic protest|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-let-fury-have-the-hour-capsule-20130125,0,5480202.story|date=January 2013|last=Goldstein|first=Gary|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=24 April 2013|archive-date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209050815/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-let-fury-have-the-hour-capsule-20130125,0,5480202.story|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Quiero tener una ferretería en Andalucía'' is a 2012 documentary about Joe Strummer's relationship with Andalucia.

''I Need a Dodge! Joe Strummer on the Run'' is a 2014 documentary by [[Nick Hall (filmmaker)|Nick Hall]].

{| class="wikitable"
! Year || Title || Role || Other notes
|-
| 1980 || ''[[Rude Boy (film)|Rude Boy]]'' || semi-documentary subject  ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1983 || ''Hell W10'' || Writer and director  || silent film
|-
| ''[[The King of Comedy (film)|The King of Comedy]]'' || Street Scum  || non-speaking cameo
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987 || ''[[Walker (film)|Walker]]'' || Faucet ||
|-
| ''[[Straight to Hell (film)|Straight to Hell]]'' || Simms  ||
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Candy Mountain]]'' || Mario  ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Mystery Train (film)|Mystery Train]]'' || Johnny aka Elvis ||
|-
| 1990 || ''[[I Hired a Contract Killer]]'' || Himself || by [[Aki Kaurismäki]]
|-
| 1997 || {{ill|Doctor Chance|italic=yes|fr|Docteur Chance}} (French: ''Docteur Chance'') || as [[Vince Taylor]] || by {{ill|F. J. Ossang|fr}}
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Westway to the World|The Clash: Westway to the World]]'' || rowspan="7" | documentary subject ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones]]'' ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Let's Rock Again!]]'' ||
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten]]'' ||
|-
| 2008 || ''The Clash Live: Revolution Rock'' ||
|-
| 2011 || ''Quiero Tener Una Ferreteria En Andalucia'' ||
|-
| 2012 || ''The Rise and Fall of the Clash'' || by Danny Garcia
|-
|2014
|I Need a Dodge! Joe Strummer on the run
|documentary subject
|by Nick Hall
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
'''Books'''
{{Refbegin}}
<!--REFBEGIN: CITED Books in alphabetical order-->
* {{Cite book |last1=Coon |first1=Caroline |author-link1=Caroline Coon |title=1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion |url=http://homepage.mac.com/blackmarketclash/Bands/Clash/Clash%20gigography/1976%20DATES.html |year=1977 |publisher=Hawthorn |location=London |isbn=978-0-8015-6129-0 |oclc=79262599 |access-date=21 September 2011 |archive-date=26 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026052834/http://homepage.mac.com/blackmarketclash/Bands/Clash/Clash%20gigography/1976%20DATES.html |url-status=dead }}
* {{Cite book |last1=D'Ambrosio |first1=Antonino |author-link1=Antonino D'Ambrosio |title=Let Fury Have the Hour: Joe Strummer, Punk, and the Movement that Shook the World |url=http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=1568587198 |year=2012 |publisher=Nation Books |location=New York |isbn=9781568587196 |access-date=24 April 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031160514/http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=1568587198 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Salewicz |first=Chris |title=Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer |year=2006 |publisher=Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=978-0-571-21178-4 |oclc=76794852 |url=https://archive.org/details/redemptionsongba00sale }}
<!--REFEND-->
{{Refend}}

'''Films and documentaries'''
<!--REFBEGIN: CITED Films and documentaries in alphabetical order-->
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite video |ref={{sfnRef|Let Fury Have the Hour 2012}} |people=[[Antonino D'Ambrosio|D'Ambrosio, Antonino]]; Joe Strummer, [[Billy Bragg]], [[Wayne Kramer]], [[Tom Morello]], [[Gogol Bordello]], [[Eve Ensler]], [[Antibalas]], [[Thievery Corporation]], [[Tommy Guerrero]], [[Chuck D]], [[Boots Riley]], [[Manu Chao]], [[Ted Leo]], [[Hari Kunzru]], [[Edwidge Danticat]], [[Suheir Hammad]], [[Staceyann Chin]], [[the Coup]], [[John Sayles]], [[Lewis Black]], [[Ian Mackaye]], [[Fugazi]], [[Minor Threat]], [[Sean Hayes (musician)|Sean Hayes]], [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]], [[the Kominas]], [[Street Sweeper Social Club]], [[the Slackers]], El Meswy, [[DJ Spooky]], [[Eugene Hutz]] |date=2012 |title=Let Fury Have the Hour |medium=DVD |publisher=SNAGFilms; A Bricklayers Union Production |location=New York, NY |url=http://www.letfuryhavethehour.com/ |access-date=10 April 2013 |archive-date=12 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312073850/http://www.letfuryhavethehour.com/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite video |ref={{sfnRef|Westway 2001}} |people=[[Don Letts|Letts, Don]]; Rick Elgood, Joe Strummer, [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]], [[Paul Simonon]], [[Topper Headon]], [[Terry Chimes]], [[the Clash]] |date=2001 |title=[[The Clash: Westway to the World]] |medium=DVD |publisher=[[Sony Music Entertainment]]; Dorismo; Uptown Films |location=New York |isbn=0-7389-0082-6 |oclc=49798077 |time=3:50–4:50; 8:40–11:40 }}

<!--REFEND-->
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Clash |first=The |author-link=The Clash |title=The Clash: Strummer, Jones, Simonon, Headon |date=1 October 2008 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-84354-788-4 |oclc=236120343 |ref=_note-The Clash-Strummer_Jones_Simonon_Headon }}
* {{cite book |last=D'Ambrosio |first=Antonino |author-link=Antonino D'Ambrosio |title=Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer |date=13 October 2004 |publisher=Nation Books |location=New York |isbn=978-1-56025-625-0 |oclc=56988650 |quote=Edited with an Introduction by Antonino D'Ambrosio. |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/letfuryhavehourp0000unse }}
* {{cite book |last=Davie |first=Anthony |title=Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: New and Previously Unpublished Photographs |year=2004 |publisher=Effective |location=Northampton |isbn=978-0-9548568-1-6 |oclc=64898380 }}
* {{cite book |last=Davie |first=Anthony |title=Vision of a Homeland: The History of Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros |year=2004 |publisher=Effective |location=Northampton |isbn=978-0-9548568-0-9 |oclc=123775358 }}
* {{cite magazine |last=DeCurtis |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony DeCurtis |year=2003 |title=1952–2002 Joe Strummer – A tribute to the late Clash singer and songwriter, plus his final remarks on the rise and fall of the legendary punk band |magazine=Rolling Stone |volume=914 |issue=27 |issn=0035-791X |oclc=96002520 }}
* {{cite news |url=http://exclaim.ca/Features/Timeline/joe_strummer_clash-revolution_rock |title=Joe Strummer & The Clash – Revolution Rock |access-date=22 December 2010 |last=Ferraz |first=Rob |date=August 2001 |work=[[Exclaim!]] |archive-date=8 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108133159/http://exclaim.ca/Features/Timeline/joe_strummer_clash-revolution_rock |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Gall |first=Gregor |title=The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer: Radicalism, Resistance and Rebellion |date=2022 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |location=Manchester |isbn=978-1-84513-113-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Pat |title=Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash |orig-year=2004 |edition=4th |year=2005 |publisher=[[Aurum Press]] |location=London |isbn=978-1526148988 }}
* {{cite book |last=Gray |first=Marcus |title=The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town |orig-year=1995 |edition=5th rev. |year=2005 |publisher=Helter Skelter |location=London |isbn=978-1-905139-10-1 |oclc=60668626 |ref=_note-Gray-The_Clash }}
* {{cite journal |last=Matula |first=Theodore |date=December 2003 |title=Joe Strummer, 1952–2002 |journal=Popular Music and Society |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=523–525 |issn=0300-7766 |oclc=89586252 |doi=10.1080/0300776032000144968 |s2cid=191412037 }}
* {{cite book |last=Needs |first=Kris |author-link=Kris Needs |title=Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash |date=25 January 2005 |publisher=Plexus |location=London |isbn=978-0-85965-348-0 |oclc=53155325 |url=https://archive.org/details/joestrummerlegen00need }}
* {{cite book |last=Yewdall |first=Julian Leonard |author2=Nick Jones  |title=Joe Strummer with the 101ers and the Clash, 1974–1976 |year=1992 |publisher=Image Direct |location=London |isbn=978-0-9519216-0-9 |oclc=28502630 |quote=Photographs by Julian Leonard Yewdall; introductory text by Nick Jones.}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* [https://www.joestrummer.com/ Official website]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000172041}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* [http://joestrummerfoundation.org/ The Joe Strummer Foundation website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721180620/https://joestrummerfoundation.org/ |date=21 July 2020 }}

{{Joe Strummer}}
{{The Clash}} 
{{The Pogues}}
{{2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strummer, Joe}}
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