Name |
Stone Roses |
Height |
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Naionality |
England |
Date of Birth |
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Place of Birth |
Manchester, England |
Famous for |
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Vocalist Ian Brown and guitarist John Squire knew each other from senior school, and formed a short-lived band called The Patrol in 1980 along with Andy Couzens and drummer Simon Wolstencroft.[1] While working as an animator for Cosgrove Hall during the day, Squire continued to play guitar, while Brown gave up performing in bands and ran a Northern soul night in a Salford club. Squire started a new band, The Waterfront, along with bassist Gary "Mani" Mounfield and a singer named Kaiser, which was influenced by the 1960s and by bands such as Orange Juice.[1] Kaiser was replaced by Brown in 1983, and shortly afterwards the band changed their name to The Stone Roses (the name was derived from the name of the 1959 spy thriller novel from Sarah Gainham, with John Squire owning the book). By 1984, the line-up was Squire, Brown, bassist and former roadie Peter Garner, guitarist Andy Couzens, and drummer Alan Wren.
In 1985, already with a strong following, the band recorded tracks with producer Martin Hannett that were intended to comprise their debut album, but the band's sound changed and they abandoned the album (it was later released as Garage Flower). The Stone Roses released their first single, the Hannett-produced double A-side "So Young"/"Tell Me". At this point the band had a more goth/punk sound, more in line with Manchester bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s period such as Joy Division or Magazine,[citation needed] although by the time of their next single, "Sally Cinnamon", the group's sound had changed considerably. Released in 1987 on FM Revolver records, "Sally Cinnamon" contained chiming guitar hooks and a strong melody.
In late 1986 Andy Couzens left the band due to differences with manager Gareth Evans, joining Steve Diggle in Buzzcocks F.O.C., and less than a year later, bassist Pete Garner left the band, in August 1987. The Stone Roses then brought in Waterfront bassist Mani (Gary Mounfield); Brown recalled, "When Mani joined it almost changed overnight. It became a totally different groove [...] Straight away, everything just fell into place". A single, the psychedelic-tinged "Elephant Stone", followed, along with an album deal with Jive/Zomba offshoot Silvertone Records.