Poly Styrene

British punk musician (1957–2011)

Poly Styrene (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011),[1][2] was a British musician. She was best known as the singer in the early punk rock band X-Ray Spex.

Poly Styrene
Background information
Birth nameMarianne Joan Elliott-Said
Born3 July 1957
Bromley, Kent, England
Died25 April 2011(2011-04-25) (aged 53)
Sussex, England
GenresPunk, rock, New Wave, dub
Occupation(s)Vocalist, songwriter
Years active1976–2011
LabelsUniversal, EMI/Virgin, Future Noise Music

Early life

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She was born in 1957 in Bromley, Kent, and raised in Brixton, London.[3] Her mother raised her alone.[4] Her father was a Somali aristocrat.[5][6] She ran away from home as a teenager and lived in empty houses.[4] She saw the Sex Pistols perform on her birthday in 1975.[7] That gave her the idea to start her own punk band X-Ray Spex. She was an unusual music start because she wore braces, was mixed race, and dressed differently.[8]

Personal life

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Poly Styrene's real name was Marianne Joan Elliott-Said. She lived in St Leonards, East Sussex.[5] She joined the Hare Krishna movement in 1983.[9]

In 1991, Poly Styrene was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[3] She had breast cancer which metastasised to her spine. She died of breast cancer on 25 April 2011 at the age of 53.[1][2][10]

List of solo recordings

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Albums

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  • Gods & Goddesses (Awesome, 1986)

Singles

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  • "Silly Billy"/"What A Way"—as Mari Elliot (GTO, 1976)
  • "Talk In Toytown"/"Sub Tropical" (United Artists, 1980)
  • "City Of Christmas Ghosts"—Goldblade featuring Poly Styrene (Damaged Goods, 2008)
  • "Black Christmas" (2010)[12]
  • "Virtual Boyfriend" (2011)[13]
  • "Ghoulish" (2011)

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "Punk icon Poly Styrene dies at 53". BBC News. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Poly Styrene dies, aged 53 Archived 2013-04-20 at Archive.today, Digital Spy, 26 April 2011
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Poly Styrene". 26 April 2011 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  4. 4.0 4.1 ""The return of punk's first lady". [[The Independent]] 21 November 2008". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Philby, Charlotte (April 19, 2008). "My secret life: Poly Styrene, Singer, 51". The Independent. London. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  6. Abbene, Jillian (2008). "on the record with Poly Styrene". Sugarbuzz Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  7. "x-ray spex official site/diary3". www.x-rayspex.com. Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  8. "Poly Styrene Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  9. "When 'gay' Boy George was rejected to be part of Hare Krishna movement". www.topnews.in. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  10. "X-Ray Spex's Poly Styrene dies of cancer". New Musical Express. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  11. "x-ray spex official site - poly's solo activity". www.x-rayspex.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  12. "X-Ray Spex Poly Styrene to release solo album". NME. October 29, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  13. "Poly Styrene Takes Aim at Technology's Failings in 'Virtual Boyfriend' Video". Spinner UK. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.

Other websites

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