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In 2002, the angry young man of punk, and legendary frontman of the Clash, Joe Strummer, died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart defect.

To his legion of devoted fans, the leader of the Clash was a rebel genius – the John Lennon of his generation – according to his front-page obituary in The Independent. His sloganeering lyrics, fuelled by anger, idealism and the call for justice and unity, empowered the social consciences of countless thousands.

He had long resisted lucrative offers to reform The Clash; preferring instead to develop new music rather than dwell in the past. It had long irritated him that the spectre of the band cast its shadow over his solo work, yet that is the inevitable consequence of stardom. The general public remembers its earliest association with an artist’s work and little else – only the afficionados are along for the evolutionary journey.

Christened John Graham Mellor, he was born in Ankara, Turkey, on August 21, 1952, experiencing a nomadic childhood with his parents living in Ankara, Turkey; Bonn, Germany; Cairo, Egypt and Mexico City, Mexico before settling in Surrey, a suburb of London in 1959.

Strummer was eventually sent to boarding school, and generally only saw his parents during summer breaks. During his school years, he discovered and was inspired by rock ‘n’ roll music. Early influences included The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, and Captain Beefheart, and it was during this period, that he changed his name to Woody, a homage to American folk icon Woody Guthrie.

Strummer attended London’s Central School Of Art in September 1970 and immersed himself in films, music, and literature. Rock music became his consuming passion and he grew disillusioned with formal education. In 1974, he formed the band The 101’ers. They played their first gig at Elgin’s Pub in May 1975. It was during this period that he changed his name again—this time to Joe Strummer—to reflect his new guitar style.

In early 1976, the 101’ers played a couple of gigs with The Sex Pistols as an opening act. The shows with The Sex Pistols would propel Strummer into the emerging punk rock scene in London, and gain the attention of musicians Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, who were in the audience. The three men would coincidently cross paths the next week while in the unemployment line at the Lisson Grove Dole Office.

Jones, Simonon and Strummer were formally introduced a short time later by friend, and eventual manager, Bernie Rhodes. It was during this introduction that The Clash was formed — their name being derived from how often the term “clash” was used in an edition of the London Standard newspaper. Drummer Terry Chimes completed the 4-man original Clash line-up shortly thereafter.

The songwriting collaboration between Joe Strummer and Mick Jones is often compared to the chemistry between legendary duos such as Lennon and McCartney or Jagger and Richards. The pair wrote songs about political and social injustice, cultural apathy, repression, and militarism. Songs such as “White Riot,” “London’s Burning” and “I’m So Bored With the U.S.A.” have become punk rock anthems. As front man, writer and motivational force behind The Clash, Joe Strummer and his band became one of the most influential, expansive and enduring groups to come out of the 1976 British punk rock explosion.