Steven Patrick Morrissey, known primarily as Morrissey, is a British musician. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. After the band's breakup in 1987, Morrissey began a solo career, in which he continued the jangle pop sound of The Smiths. Morrissey's solo albums have garnered ten Top 10 singles in the United Kingdom. Music magazine NME has described Morrissey as "one of the most influential artists ever" and The Independent has stated that "most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that he has reached in his lifetime."

Morrissey's sardonic, literate lyrics tend to be "dramatic...bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home."   His "forthright, often contrary opinions" led to a number of media controversies, and he has also attracted media attention from his advocacy of vegetarianism and animal rights.

In early 1982 Morrissey met John Maher, a guitarist and songwriter; the two began a songwriting partnership. Maher changed his name to Johnny Marr to avoid confusion with the Buzzcocks drummer, and Morrissey performed solely under his surname. After recording several demo tapes with the drummer from The Fall, Simon Wolstencroft, they recruited drummer Mike Joyce in the autumn of 1982. As well, they added bass player Dale Hibbert, who also provided the group with demo recording facilities at the studio where he worked as a factotum. However, after two gigs, Marr's friend Andy Rourke replaced Hibbert on bass, because neither Hibbert's bass playing or personality fit in with the group. Signing to independent record label Rough Trade Records, they released their first single, "Hand in Glove", in May 1983. The record was championed by DJ John Peel, as were all of their later singles, but failed to chart. The follow-up singles "This Charming Man" and "What Difference Does It Make?" fared better when they reached numbers 25 and 12 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.   Aided by praise from the music press and a series of studio sessions for John Peel and David Jensen at BBC Radio 1, The Smiths began to acquire a dedicated fan base. In February 1984, the group released their debut album The Smiths, which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.

On 15 August 2008 Warner Music Entertainment announced the upcoming release of Morrissey: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, a DVD documenting the live performance that took place at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, on 8 June 2007 on the first leg of Morrissey's 2007/2008 'Greatest Hits' tour.   Morrissey greeted news of the DVD's release by imploring fans not to buy it.Originally due to be released 6 October 2008, the DVD has subsequently been delayed until 1 March 2009 by Warner Music according to HMV. Further Morrissey-related items to be released preceding Years of Refusal are a remastered version of 1995's Southpaw Grammar which features three previously unreleased bonus tracks and a remastered version of 1997's Maladjusted. Both items are set to be released on 2 March 2009. As part of the upcoming Tour of Refusal, Morrissey will follow a lengthy US tour with concerts booked in Ireland, Scotland, England, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. This will mark the first time since 2002 that Morrissey has performed in Australia and 1991 for New Zealand. He has never performed in Russia.