List of Motörhead band members

Motörhead were a British heavy metal band from London. Formed in 1975, the group originally featured former Hawkwind bassist and vocalist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, former Pink Fairies guitarist and vocalist Larry Wallis, and drummer Lucas Fox. The band went through several lineup changes, before settling on its final incarnation of Lemmy, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee in 1995. Motörhead disbanded upon Lemmy's death on 28 December 2015.

Two lineups of Motörhead performing live in 1982 (top) and 2013 (bottom).

History

1975–1982

Bassist and vocalist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister was sacked from space rock group Hawkwind in May 1975, after he was arrested for suspected possession of cocaine (later determined to be amphetamines) during a North American concert tour.[1] After moving back to London, Lemmy quickly formed Motörhead (named after the final song he wrote for Hawkwind) with guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox.[2] By December, Fox had been replaced by Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor after his performances had been deemed "unreliable" during early recording sessions.[3] Taylor re-recorded all songs the band had tracked earlier (with the exception of "Lost Johnny", following an arrest which prevented him from being able to get to the studio in time), which were later issued in 1979 as On Parole.[4]

The 1976–82 lineup of Lemmy, Eddie Clarke and Phil Taylor became known as the "classic lineup" of the band.

In March 1976, Motörhead auditioned "Fast" Eddie Clarke, a friend of Taylor's, as an intended second guitarist; however, after rehearsing just one song as a four-piece, Wallis decided to leave and Clarke took over as the sole guitarist.[4] The lineup of Lemmy, Clarke and Taylor became known as the "classic Motörhead lineup", releasing five successful studio albums between 1977 and 1982 including Ace of Spades.[5] Prior to any of these releases, however, the group almost broke up in April 1977 due to poor reviews of their live shows and little to no interest from record companies.[6] They remained together though, and their self-titled debut album followed in August.[6]

1982–1995

After a string of successful releases, Clarke left Motörhead in May 1982 due to his disapproval with the recording of the EP Stand by Your Man with singer Wendy O. Williams.[7] His place was soon taken by former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian "Robbo" Robertson, initially to complete the touring cycle, after which he accepted a full-time role with the band.[8] Robertson only remained for a year and a half, however, playing his last show on 11 November 1983 before leaving the band.[9] In subsequent interviews, Lemmy claimed that working with Robertson on Another Perfect Day as "fucking torture",[8] as well as criticising him for "dress[ing] like a cunt" on stage.[10]

Motörhead became a quartet for the first time in their history at the beginning of 1984, when both Michael "Würzel" Burston and Phil "Wizzö" Campbell were hired to take over Robertson's place in the band, following a string of auditions.[6] The new lineup recorded a new version of "Ace of Spades" for the TV series The Young Ones in February, after which Taylor also left the band.[11] He was replaced by Pete Gill, formerly of Saxon.[12] After recording four new tracks for the No Remorse compilation and issuing one full-length album, Orgasmatron, Phil Taylor returned to Motörhead in March 1987 to replace Gill, who left "by mutual agreement ... for business reasons".[13] Lemmy would later claim that Gill had tried to get him fired from Motörhead.[10]

With "Philthy Animal" Taylor back on drums, Motörhead released Rock 'n' Roll in 1987 and 1916 in 1991.[14] After recording just one song for the band's 1992 follow-up March ör Die, however, he was fired, with Lemmy later explaining that "I would never have fired Phil if he had been pulling his weight, but he wasn't, and I couldn't make him do it."[15] Much of the rest of the album's recording was completed by session drummer Tommy Aldridge, most recently departed from Whitesnake.[16]

1995–2015
Mikkey Dee took over as Motörhead's drummer in 1992 and remained with the band until Lemmy's death in 2015.

Towards the end of sessions for March ör Die, former King Diamond drummer Mikkey Dee was brought in to take over from Phil Taylor, initially on a temporary basis but soon as a permanent replacement.[17][18] He featured only on the album's lead single, "Hellraiser".[16] With Dee in place, Bastards and Sacrifice followed in quick succession.[19] After the recording of the latter finished in early 1995, Motörhead went through its final lineup change when guitarist Würzel left the band, which Lemmy claimed "became clearer every day" during the sessions.[19] Following his departure, Würzel was not replaced and Motörhead returned to their "classic" three-piece setup.[20]

The lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee remained constant from 1995 to 2015, the longest in the band's history.[21] During summer 2003, Campbell was substituted at two shows by former Danzig guitarist Todd Youth after his mother had died, before joining him for a third date and performing as a four-piece.[22] In September 2009, former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum filled in for Dee, who took part in the Swedish TV show Kändisdjungeln.[23] Lemmy later cited a "breakdown in communication" as the reason for Dee's absence, explaining that "Our management didn't know that he'd signed up for this when they booked the tour."[24]

On 28 December 2015, Lemmy died of what was later revealed to be prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure.[25] The next day, Mikkey Dee confirmed that "Motörhead is over, of course," adding that "Lemmy was Motörhead."[26] Several other former members of the band have also died – Michael "Würzel" Burston on 9 July 2011,[27] Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor on 11 November 2015,[28] "Fast" Eddie Clarke on 10 January 2018,[29] and Larry Wallis on 19 September 2019.[30]

Members

Official
Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
 Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister 1975–2015 (until his death)
  • bass
  • lead and backing vocals
  • occasional acoustic guitar and harmonica
 all Motörhead releases
Larry Wallis 1975–1976 (died 2019)
  • guitar
  • backing and occasional lead vocals
 On Parole (1979)
Lucas Fox 1975 drums
Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor
  • 1975–1984
  • 1987–1992
  • guest 2014 (died 2015)
"Fast" Eddie Clarke
  • 1976–1982
  • guest 2014 (died 2018)
  • guitar
  • backing and occasional lead vocals
  • all Motörhead releases from Motörhead (1977) to What's Words Worth? (1983) (except On Parole)
  • The Birthday Party (1986) – guest appearance on one track only
  • Blitzkrieg on Birmingham '77 (1989)
  • Lock Up Your Daughters 1978 (1990)
  • Live at Brixton Academy (2003) – guest appearance on two tracks
  • BBC Live & In-Session (2005)
 Brian "Robbo" Robertson 1982–1983
  • guitar
  • backing vocals
  • occasional piano
  • Another Perfect Day (1983)
  • The Birthday Party (1986) – guest appearance on one track only"
 Phil "Zööm/Wizzö" Campbell 1984–2015
  • rhythm and lead guitars (primarily lead from 1995 onwards)
  • backing vocals
 all Motörhead releases from No Remorse (1984) onwards
Michael "Würzel" Burston 1984–1995 (died 2011)
  • lead and rhythm guitars
  • backing vocals
  • all Motörhead releases from No Remorse (1984) to Sacrifice (1995)
  • BBC Live & In-Session (2005)
Pete Gill 1984–1987 drums
  • No Remorse (1984)
  • The Birthday Party (1986)
  • Orgasmatron (1986)
  • BBC Live & In-Session (2005)
 Mikkey Dee 1992–2015 all Motörhead releases from March ör Die (1992) onwards (except Live at Brixton '87 and BBC Live & In-Session)

Backup
Image Name Years active Instruments Details
 Garry Bowler 1991 (session) drums Bowler recorded a number of demos with guitarists Würzel and Phil Campbell in December 1991.[31]
 Tommy Aldridge 1992 (session) Following the departure of Phil Taylor, Aldridge performed drums on the majority of 1992's March ör Die.[16]
Todd Youth 2003 (touring; died 2018) guitar Youth stood in for Campbell at several dates in the summer of 2003, after the guitarist's mother died.[22]
 Matt Sorum 2009 drums Sorum filled in for Mikkey Dee on a September 2009 tour, as the drummer took part in Kändisdjungeln.[23]

Timeline

Lineups
Period Members Releases
June – December 1975
December 1975 – March 1976
  • On Parole (1979) – remaining tracks
March 1976 – May 1982
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • "Fast" Eddie Clarke – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums
May 1982 – November 1983
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • Brian "Robbo" Robertson – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums
January – February 1984
Spring 1984 – March 1987
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • Michael "Würzel" Burston – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Gill – drums
March 1987 – April 1992
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • Michael "Würzel" Burston – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums
April – May 1992
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • Michael "Würzel" Burston – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitar, backing vocals
  • Tommy Aldridge – drums (session member)
  • March ör Die (1992) – nine tracks
May 1992 – early 1995
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • Michael "Würzel" Burston – guitar, backing vocals
  • Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitar, backing vocals
  • Mikkey Dee – drums
Early 1995 – December 2015
  • Lemmy Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
  • Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – guitar, backing vocals
  • Mikkey Dee – drums

References
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  2. Gottsegen, Will (20 September 2019). "Original Motorhead Guitarist Larry Wallis Dead at 70". Spin. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. Earls, John (14 June 2016). "Motorhead drummer Philthy Phil Taylor leaves £1.3m to his sisters in his will". NME. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. Wall, Mick (14 April 2016). Lemmy: The Definitive Biography. London, England: Hachette UK. pp. 94–96. ISBN 978-1409160281. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. Hill, John (12 January 2018). "Motorhead: The 21 Best Songs From Their Classic Lineup". Loudwire. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. Needs, Kris. "Remember Me Now, Motörhead". Record Collector. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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  12. Ling, Dave (9 August 2016). "Between A Rock And A Hard Place - Motörhead's Troubled Times". Classic Rock. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  13. Cooper, Mike. "Music Now!" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 21. Medford Lakes, New Jersey: Hard Report Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  14. Lawson, Dom (11 November 2016). "One Year Gone: Phil 'Philthy' Taylor - One Man Rock 'N' Roll Wrecking Machine". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  15. Perrone, Pierre (13 November 2015). "Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor: Hell-raising Motörhead drummer whose pounding mastery of his kit kick-started the 1980s thrash metal explosion". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  16. Popff, Martin (24 December 2017). "The Motörhead brotherhood". Goldmine. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  17. Fabricus, Jodie (1 May 1992). "Metal Filings" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 274. Medford Lakes, New Jersey: Hard Report Inc. p. 51. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  18. "Heavy Hitters" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 285. Medford Lakes, New Jersey: Hard Report Inc. 17 July 1992. p. 45. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  19. Rivadavia, Eduardo (11 July 2015). "Revisiting Motorhead's Furious 'Sacrifice'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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  21. McIver, Joel (29 December 2015). "Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  22. "Former Danzig Guitarist Speaks Out On Motörhead Stint". Blabbermouth.net. 13 June 2003. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  23. "Motörhead Drummer's Jungle Adventure To Launch Next Week". Blabbermouth.net. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  24. "Motörhead's Lemmy Says 'Breakdown In Communication' Is To Blame For Dee's Absence From Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  25. Childers, Chad (19 January 2016). "Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister Official Cause Of Death Revealed". Loudwire. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  26. Hartmann, Graham (29 December 2015). "Drummer Mikkey Dee Confirms Motorhead Is Over, Pays Tribute To Lemmy Kilmister". Loudwire. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  27. Erickson, Anne (10 July 2011). "Ex-Motorhead Guitarist Michael 'Wurzel' Burston Passes Away". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  28. Grow, Kory (12 November 2015). "Ex-Motorhead Drummer Phil Taylor Dead at 61". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  29. Munro, Scott (11 January 2018). "Motorhead ex "Fast" Eddie Clarke dead at 67". Classic Rock. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  30. Kaufman, Spencer (20 September 2019). "R.I.P. Larry Wallis, original Motörhead guitarist dies at 70". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  31. "Magpie, February 2005". Motorhead.it. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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