File:John_lydon_live_27_10_2013_photo_13.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
John Lydon
Sign in to saveAlso known as Johnny Rotten, John Joseph Lydon
British-born Irish-American singer and songwriter
John Lydon is a British-born Irish-American singer and songwriter who became a prominent figure in rock music. He is notable for his distinctive vocal style and contributions to influential musical projects throughout his career.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Holloway
- Spouse
- Nora Forster
- Occupation
- record producer
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Genre
- post-rock
- Instrument
- voice
- Official website
- www.johnlydon.com
- Image
- John Lydon - 2010.jpg
- Residence
- London
- Voice type
- lyric tenor
Show 10 more facts
- birth name
- John Joseph Lydon
- Commons category
- John Lydon
- date of birth
- 1956-01-31
- member of
- Public Image Ltd.
- influenced by
- Alice Cooper
- name in native language
- John Lydon
- pseudonym
- Johnny Rotten
- start of work period
- 1975-00-00
- social media followers
- 64941
- copyright representative
- PRS for Music
Sources (11)
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
John Joseph Lydon (/ˈlaɪdən/ LY-dən; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was active from 1975 to 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. He is also the lead vocalist and the only consistent member of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded and fronted from 1978 until 1993, and again since 2009.
Lydon's outspoken personality, rebellious image and fashion style convinced Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren to invite Lydon to join the group as its lead vocalist. With the Sex Pistols, he co-wrote singles including "Anarchy in the U.K.", "God Save the Queen", and "Holidays in the Sun", the content of which precipitated what one commentator described as the "last and greatest outbreak of pop-based moral pandemonium" in Britain. The band scandalised much of the media, and Lydon was seen as a figurehead of the burgeoning punk movement. Due to their controversial lyrics and disrepute at the time, they are regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “John Lydon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.