Joe Moss was the original manager of The Smiths and a lifelong mentor to guitarist Johnny Marr who said of him;

"Joe was a one off, an amazing person and totally unique. He started looking after me when I was 17; it was Joe who put the idea in my head to go and knock on Morrissey's door. He invested his time and money in us when no one else wanted to know, and his belief in us kept us going. Without him there wouldn't have been any Smiths."

The Stockport-born fashion entrepreneur was the owner and founder of the iconic Crazy Face clothing with two shops in Stockport on Mealhouse Brow and Tiviot Dale and two shops in Manchester. It was through his Manchester shop on Chapel Walks, that he met a 17-year-old Johnny Marr who worked next door in X Clothes. Johnny and Joe were kindred spirits with a love of music and fashion.

After the formation of The Smiths, Joe provided a rehearsal space for the band above the Crazy Face shop on Portland Street in Manchester. Joe guided them through the early stages of their career, paying for the recording of their debut single 'Hand In Glove' which was recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport in February 1983.

This investment from Joe led to The Smiths being signed to Rough Trade records in the UK and Sire Records in America. Having secured recording and publishing contracts and agency deals which set the band firmly on the road to international success, Joe stepped down as The Smiths' manager on the eve of their first tour of America.

In 1999, Joe returned to his role as Johnny Marr's manager and worked closely with him until he passed away in October 2015, aged 72, after a battle with cancer. Joe's contribution to the development of one of Britain's most important and influential bands, deserves to be recognised and celebrated.

Our Smiths Walking Tour starts at Stockport Station at 11am, where we will meet in the main station entrance outside the ticket office. We will take a walk through some sites of musical significance to the Smiths story, including both locations of Strawberry Studios and St Mary's Church, before arriving at the plaque unveiling.

The Joe Moss Plaque Unveiling will take place at midday at 11 Lower Hillgate underneath the Crazy Face sign.

After this, all visitors will be welcome to join us in The Underbank bar to share stories and listen to a playlist specially curated by DJ Jason Boardman, comprising of songs played at the Crazy Face shops and early Smiths tracks. Jason worked at Crazy Face from being a teenager and got to know Joe well.

All ticket proceeds from the Walking Tour will go to The Christie charity, in honour of Joe. Our thanks to Avanti West Coast and the South East Manchester and Crewe to Manchester Community Rail Partnerships for their kind support to make these walking tours possible.

Heartfelt thanks also to David Moss from The Joe Moss Archive and The Moss Family for all their help and support curating the plaque for Joe and to Vivian Lally Art for her amazing artwork.

Description supplied by the event organiser.