John McGeoch | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | John Alexander McGeoch |
Born |
Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland |
25 August 1955
Died | 4 March 2004 Launceston, Cornwall, England |
(aged 48)
Genres | Post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, synthpop, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
Instruments | Guitar, piano, saxophone |
Years active | 1970–1995 |
Labels | Polydor, Geffen |
Associated acts | Magazine, Visage, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Armoury Show, Public Image Ltd, Pacific |
Notable instruments | |
Yamaha SG1000 guitar |
John Alexander McGeoch (25 August 1955 – 4 March 2004) was a Scottish guitarist who played with several bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage, the Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd.
He was described as "one of the most influential guitarists of his generation" and he was also considered "the new wave Jimmy Page". In 1996, he was listed by Mojo in their "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" for his work on the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "Spellbound".
McGeoch was born and brought up in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and acquired his first guitar when he was 12. He first learned to play guitar learning blues songs, including the repertoire of Hendrix and Clapton. In 1970 he played in a local band called the Slugband. In 1971 he moved to London with his family, and in 1975 he began to attend Manchester Polytechnic, where he studied art.
McGeoch had a degree in fine art and an ongoing interest in photography, painting and drawing. He provided some of the cover art for his future band the Armoury Show, years later.
In April 1977, McGeoch's flatmate Malcolm Garrett introduced him to Howard Devoto, who had recently left Buzzcocks and was looking for a guitarist to form a band which would transcend the limitations of three-chord punk. Devoto found what he was looking for in McGeoch and the pair formed Magazine, along with Barry Adamson, Bob Dickinson and Martin Jackson.