Morrissey was born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Manchester, England, on May 22, 1959. Singer-songwriter and cofounder of the Smiths (1982–1987), Morrissey has been a solo artist for 26 years, during which time he has had three #1 albums in England in three different decades. Achieving 11 Top 10 albums (plus nine with the Smiths), his songs have been recorded by David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithfull, Chrissie Hynde, Thelma Houston, My Chemical Romance, the Killers, and Christy Moore, among others. An animal protectionist, in 2006, Morrissey was voted the second greatest living British icon by viewers of the BBC, losing out to Sir David Attenborough. In 2007, Morrissey was voted the greatest northern male, past or present, in a nationwide newspaper poll. In 2012, Morrissey was awarded the Keys to the City of Tel-Aviv. It has been said, "Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that Morrissey has reached in his lifetime."