Billy Duffy

Billy Duffy is best known as the guitarist of The Cult.

He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at 14. Duffy got his start playing in different punk line-ups in the late 1970s, but these earlier years were more notable for his introducing Johnny Marr (The Smiths) to the guitar and encouraging Morrissey to make his singing debut with Duffy in The Nosebleeds.

When the initial punk rock movement (led by the Sex Pistols) died out, Duffy eventually settled as guitarist for the moodier and more arty Theatre of Hate. He eventually met Ian Astbury (the front man for positive punk band Southern Death Cult) who was so impressed with Duffy's playing that he abandoned SDC to start a new band with him. Together, they exploited the Southern Death Cult's success by calling themselves Death Cult. After initial fanfare and a couple of singles, Duffy, following a trip to New York City, influenced Astbury to agree to shortening the band's name to The Cult.

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