Fans Have New Reason to Worship Johnny Marr Johnny Marr, the guitarist and songwriter for the seminal 1980s band the Smiths, has been named the winner of this year's NME Godlike Genius Award, which will be given out just days after Mr. Marr releases a solo album, "The Messenger," Reuters reported. Mr. Marr, 49, founded the Smiths with Morrissey in 1983, and they wrote the band's songs together before splitting up in 1987. Since then he has collaborated with several other groups, among them the Pretenders, Modest Mouse and the Cribs. The award will be given out at a ceremony in London on Feb. 27. The awards, named for the music magazine NME (New Musical Express), are handed out in 22 categories, with music fans casting votes. "The NME seems to be good at giving this award to people I like, so I'm in good company," Mr. Marr said in a statement. I guess it means that some things are all right with the world. NME's editor, Mike Williams, said Mr. Marr had played a role in rewriting the history of music with the Smiths. Previous winners of the NME Godlike Genius Award include the Clash and Dave Grohl. Last year's winner was Noel Gallagher. An earlier version of this post misstated the name of a group that Johnny Marr has collaborated with. It is Modest Mouse, not Modest House.