Motörhead were the loudest, fastest, and most uncompromising band in rock & roll. Founded by Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister after his firing from psychedelic space-rockers Hawkwind, the band existed at the intersection of punk and metal, playing with a ferocity that made them heroes to both tribes. Lemmy's growled vocals, overdriven bass, and outlaw persona defined the band's image: a skull named Snaggletooth, a wall of Marshall stacks, and a take-no-prisoners attitude that never wavered across four decades.
The classic lineup of Lemmy, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor produced the band's definitive work, including the incendiary live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981), which hit #1 in the UK. Their song "Ace of Spades" became one of metal's most recognizable anthems — a two-minute blast of pure adrenaline. Motörhead are widely credited as a key influence on thrash metal, with Metallica, Slayer, and countless others citing them as foundational. Lemmy continued touring relentlessly until his death on December 28, 2015, just four days after his 70th birthday. The band died with him — because Motörhead was Lemmy, and Lemmy was Motörhead.
British slang for a speed freak — someone who uses amphetamines. Lemmy named the band after the last song he wrote for Hawkwind before being fired from that group in 1975.
Their concerts were measured at over 130 decibels — comparable to a military jet at takeoff. In 1984, the Guinness Book of World Records listed them as the world's loudest band after a concert in Cleveland left three people deaf.
At the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, where he'd play video poker for hours every day. He lived in a small apartment nearby and was such a fixture that the bar installed a dedicated video poker machine for him.
22 studio albums, from Motörhead in 1977 to Bad Magic in 2015 — released just four months before Lemmy's death. Even at 70 and in serious ill health, he refused to stop working.