Remember When Madonna Opened for…The Smiths?

March 19, 2014 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

Believe it not, it actually happened. And this isn’t as weird as it seems.

Madonna was first signed by Seymour Stein, the head of NYC indie label, Sire Records. As he was dealing with her, Seymour was also signing American distribution deals for a variety UK acts. This included the English Beat, the Pretenders and, yes, the Smiths. It only made sense from a business point of view to bundle his acts together for gigs.

Both Madonna and The Smiths were still quite new when this show happened. She was still a part-time coat check girl at a club called Danceteria; The Smiths were making their first trip to the US. The date was December 31, 1983. Johnny Marr remembers it well.

(Via Bowery Boogie)

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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