The importance of The Clash to modern music is almost impossible to overstate. One of the first bands of the punk tsunami that swept England and the US, The Clash is credited with kick starting a movement and infusing their music with elements of reggae, rockabilly, and even a little dance, leading the way to the wild genre crossovers found in today�s groups. While the entire band was integral to the success of The Clash, it was their charismatic front man, Joe Strummer, who personified the mission and ideals of the burgeoning punk movement to a generation. REDEMPTION SONG: The Ballad of Joe Strummer is journalist and friend Chris Salewicz�s biography of both sides of Joe Strummer�the rock n roll outlaw whose lyrics to songs like �Rock the Casbah� and �London Calling� are still a must-know for aspiring musicians, and the more introspective John Mellor (Joe Strummer�s given name), a man deeply influenced by the early loss of his older brother to suicide and unable to escape a lifelong depression.