Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (born 27 April 1959, London, England)[1] frequently credited simply as Marco,[2][3] is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many others from the late 1970s to the present day.[4]
Early years
Born to Italian parents,[5] a mainstay of the UK punk scene, Pirroni made his first appearance on stage with Siouxsie and the Banshees in their début gig, at 100 Club Punk Festival in 1976. Sid Vicious, future bassist for the Sex Pistols, was on drums.[6] Pirroni also formed a short-lived punk band called the Models with future fellow Ants member Terry Lee Miall[7][8] and future Wolfgang Press member Mick Allen, plus singer Cliff Fox. They recorded a Peel Session and released the single (the first of Marco's career) "Freeze"/"Man of the Year" on the Step Forward label in 1977.[9]
Adam and the Ants/Adam Ant
Pirroni was lead guitarist and co-songwriter in the second incarnation of Adam and the Ants, co-penning two UK number onesingles and a further four Top Ten hits, with Ant. The two albums he co-wrote for Adam and the Ants, Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming, both made the Top 10 in the UK Albums Chart ("Kings" number 1; "Prince Charming" number 2).[10]
When Adam and the Ants disbanded in 1982, Pirroni was retained as Adam Ant's co-writer and studio guitarist; they produced another number-one single ("Goody Two Shoes") and an album (Friend or Foe), followed by four more Top 20 hits. Ant and Pirroni won two shared Ivor Novello Awards for "Stand and Deliver".
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