The Smiths were formed in early 1982 by Steven Morrissey and John Maher, a guitarist and songwriter, Maher later changed his surname to Marr to avoid confusion with the Buzzcocks drummer. During the five years of The Smiths, Marr and Morrissey produced four studio albums, one live album as well as nineteen singles, along with the two other band members, bass player Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. 