Motörhead

In the late 1970s Motörhead forged a thunderously rapid and ferocious brand of heavy metal that ranked among the most innovative forces then shaping the style. Although founder Lemmy Kilmister had previously played in the hard-driving space-rock outfit Hawkwind, the new group abandoned that ensemble’s progressive leanings and instead intensified its biker-rock core by injecting punk’s velocity. Motörhead never aligned with punk itself—the band predated the Sex Pistols and remained too devoted to outlaw biker imagery to adopt the safety-pin aesthetic—yet it became the first metal act to channel that same urgency, thereby giving rise to speed metal and thrash metal. Unlike most peers, the group kept performing well into the following century. Despite frequent personnel shifts—Lemmy, who died in 2015, being the sole constant member—the band never softened its ferocious attack.

Born Ian Fraiser Kilmister on December 24, 1945, the son of a vicar, Lemmy first took up rock & roll in 1964 by joining the Rainmakers and the Motown Sect, two local R&B groups in Blackpool, England. Throughout the remainder of the decade he performed with the Rockin’ Vickers, Gopal’s Dream, and Opal Butterfly while also serving briefly as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. In 1971 he became bassist for the heavy prog-rock band Hawkwind; originally contracted for only six months, he remained four years and contributed songs, among them the signature U.K. number-three hit “Silver Machine” from 1972.

Kilmister was dismissed from Hawkwind in spring 1975 after serving five days in a Canadian jail on drug charges. Back in England he promptly assembled a new trio, first intended to be called Bastard but soon renamed Motörhead after the final track he had written for Hawkwind. He recruited Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox; the band made its live debut supporting Greenslade that July. Two months later the group entered the studio with producer Dave Edmunds for United Artists, yet creative clashes led to Edmunds’s dismissal and the hiring of Fritz Fryer. By year’s end Fox departed and Lemmy installed his friend Philthy Animal—born Philip Taylor—in the drum chair.

Motörhead submitted its debut album to United Artists early in 1976, only to have the label reject it. Shortly afterward “Fast” Eddie Clarke, formerly of Blue Goose and Continuous Performance, joined on guitar. After a single rehearsal as a quartet, Wallis exited, leaving the classic three-piece lineup that would later be celebrated as the band’s definitive era. Throughout 1976 the trio endured lean times, gigging without management or a contract and earning little income. Late that year they recorded the single “White Line Fever”/“Leavin’ Here” for Stiff Records, though it remained unreleased for two years. In summer 1977 Chiswick Records issued a one-album deal; the self-titled debut appeared in June and climbed to number 43 on the U.K. chart. The following year the band moved to Bronze Records.

Overkill, Motörhead’s Bronze debut, emerged in spring 1979, reaching number 24 while its title track became the group’s first Top 40 single. Momentum continued as sold-out shows proliferated and the autumn follow-up Bomber entered the chart at number 12. United Artists then released the previously shelved album as On Parole at year’s end. Ace of Spades arrived in fall 1980, peaking at number four; the single of the same name reached number 15. Although Ace of Spades marked Motörhead’s first American release, the band remained a cult attraction stateside; in Britain, however, popularity peaked in 1981 with the Headgirl collaboration alongside Girlschool and the chart-topping live set No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith. Internal friction grew, especially between Clarke and Lemmy; Clarke quit during the 1982 Iron Fist tour after learning of Kilmister’s planned work with Wendy O. Williams. Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson stepped in.

Another Perfect Day, issued in summer 1983, stalled at number 20 and prompted Robertson’s exit two months later. Phillip Campbell, late of Persian Risk, and Wurzel—born Michael Burston—joined as dual guitarists. Taylor soon departed for Robertson’s band Operator and was replaced by former Saxon drummer Pete Gill. This configuration released the single “Killed by Death” in September 1984 before leaving Bronze; the label promptly obtained an injunction that barred the band from issuing any recordings, including a curious Lemmy–Samantha Fox duet, for two years.

Motörhead resurfaced in 1986 with a contribution to the Hear ’n Aid charity album and the Bill Laswell-produced Orgasmatron on the new GWR imprint. The record earned strong reviews and found favor with the group’s loyal following on both sides of the Atlantic. Rock ’N’ Roll followed in 1987 with comparable success. The live album No Sleep at All appeared in 1988, the same year Lemmy made his acting debut in the comedy Eat the Rich. Two years later the band signed with WTG and issued The Birthday Party. Taylor returned briefly for 1991’s 1916 before Mikkey Dee, formerly of King Diamond, assumed drumming duties. Dee’s first outing, March or Die (1992), bypassed the U.S. chart yet sustained the band’s British cult audience. After WTG dropped them, Motörhead launched its own label—distributed through ZYX—and released Bastards in 1994.

For the rest of the decade the group prioritized touring over recording. Outside the band Lemmy appeared in British insurance commercials and took acting roles in Hellraiser 3 and John Wayne Bobbit Uncut. In 1997 Motörhead moved to the metal-oriented Receiver label for Stone Dead Forever; the live set Everything Louder Than Everyone Else followed in 1999, and We Are Motörhead arrived the next year. Hammered surfaced in 2002 and Inferno in 2004. Sanctuary reissued expanded two-CD editions of Overkill, Ace of Spades, and Iron Fist in 2005. Fresh material returned with Kiss of Death in 2006 and Motorizer in 2008. A 35th-anniversary tour supported the 2010 album The Wörld Is Yours, issued via German label UDR. After a 2012 hiatus forced by Lemmy’s laryngitis, the band recorded Aftershock at NRG Studios in North Hollywood with producer Cameron Webb; the aggressively toned album appeared in October 2013.

Although the fan base remained robust, Lemmy—now well into his sixties—faced mounting health issues stemming from decades of smoking and drinking. Heart problems and diabetes led to implantation of an internal defibrillator in 2013. European festival dates were canceled after diagnosis of a hematoma, and the set at that year’s Wacken Open Air Festival was truncated when Lemmy lacked the strength to continue. He eventually quit cigarettes and substituted wine or occasional vodka for bourbon and cola. By late 2014 Motörhead resumed its demanding schedule and entered the studio in early 2015 for what became XXX: Bad Magic, released in late August. Health continued to deteriorate; the day after Christmas 2015 brought a cancer diagnosis, and Lemmy died two days later on December 28. The final recordings captured two sold-out performances at Munich’s Zenith concert hall just a month earlier. Issued in spring 2016, the live album Clean Your Clock marked the conclusion of the band’s forty-year career after the understandable choice not to proceed without its longtime frontman.