Lemmy Killmister is a man whose influence on heavy music no one denies. It was he who became the founder and the only constant member of the legendary metal band Motorhead.
Over the 40-year history of its existence, the band has released 22 studio albums, which have always had commercial success. And until the end of his days, Lemmy continued to be the personification of rock and roll.
Early Motorhead period
Back in the 1970s, Lemmy was actively interested in music. The British scene has already given birth to such titans as Black Sabbath, who inspired hundreds of young guys to their own achievements. Lemmy also dreamed of a career as a rock musician, which led him to the ranks of the psychedelic band Hawkwind.
But Lemmy did not manage to stay there for a long time. The young man was expelled from the group for the abuse of illegal substances, under the influence of which the musician was uncontrollable.
Without thinking twice, Lemmy decided to create his own group. The team, within which he was going to realize his creative potential, was called Motӧrhead. Lemmy dreamed of playing dirty rock and roll that no one else could match. The first line-up of the group included: drummer Lucas Fox and guitarist Larry Wallis.
Lemmy took over as bassist and frontman. Motӧrhead's first official performance took place in 1975 as the opening act for Blue Öyster Cult. Soon, a new member, Phil Taylor, was behind the drum kit, who stayed in the team for many years.
After a series of successful performances, the group began recording their debut album. And although the album On Parole is now considered a classic, at the time of recording the record was rejected by the manager. He released the release only after the success of the next two albums of Motӧrhead.
Soon guitarist Eddie Clark joined the band, while Wallis left the band. The backbone of the group, which was considered "golden", was created. Ahead of Lemmy, Clark and Taylor were records that forever changed the image of contemporary rock music for them.
Motorhead's rise to fame
Despite the failure to record the debut album, which was released only a few years later, the single Louie Louie had some success on television.
The producers had no choice but to give Motӧrhead a second chance. And the musicians took full advantage of it, releasing the main hit Overkill.
The composition became popular, turning British musicians into international stars. The debut album, also called Overkill, broke into the UK Top 40, taking the 24th position there.
In the wake of Lemmy's increasing popularity, a new album, Bomber, was released, which was released in October of the same year.
The album took the 12th position of the hit parade. After that, the musicians went on their first full-fledged tour, timed to coincide with the release of these two albums.
Building on success in the 1980s
Motӧrhead's music featured not only the frantic rhythm of punk rock rather than heavy metal, but also Lemmy's raucous vocals. The frontman also played bass guitar connected to an electric guitar amplifier.
Musically, the band transcended the emergence of two 1980s fashionable genres, speed metal and thrash metal.
At the same time, Lammy preferred to attribute his music to the category of rock and roll, not thinking about terminology.
The peak of Motӧrhead's popularity was in 1980 after the release of the single Ace of Spades. It surpassed the release of the eponymous record. The song became a major hit in Lemmy's career, which made a splash. The composition took a leading position in both the British and American charts, proving that success does not have to give up the "dirty" and "aggressive" sound.
The album, which was released in October 1980, became one of the most influential for the metal scene. Ace of Spades is now a classic. It is included in almost all lists of the best metal albums of all time.
Over the next two years, the band continued active studio and live activities, releasing one release after another. Another classic album was Iron Fist (1982). The release was a major success, taking the 6th position in the ratings. But then, for the first time, changes took place in the composition of the Motӧrhead group.
Guitarist Clark left the band and was replaced by Brian Robertson. With him, as part of Lemmy, he recorded the next album, Another Perfect Day. It was recorded in a melodic manner unusual for the band. For this reason, Brian immediately said goodbye.
Further activities
Over the following decades, the composition of the Motӧrhead group underwent many changes. Dozens of musicians managed to play with Lemmy. But not everyone was able to withstand the frantic pace of life that the unchanging leader of the group adhered to.
Despite the decrease in popularity, the Motӧrhead group continued to release a new album every 2-3 years, invariably staying afloat. But the real revival of the group occurred only at the turn of the century. By the beginning of the new century, the group had noticeably heavier their sound, while retaining the spirit of the first albums.
Death of Lemmy Kilmister and breakup of the band
Despite the turbulent youth and advanced age, Lemmy continued to tour with the group almost all year round, being distracted only by recording new albums. This continued until December 28, 2015.
On this day, it became known about the death of the unchanged leader of the Motӧrhead group, after which the group officially broke up. The cause of death was several factors at once, including prostate cancer, heart failure and arrhythmia.
Despite Lemmy's death, his music lives on. He left behind a great legacy that will be remembered for decades to come. Despite the genre component, it was Lemmy Kilmister who was the real personification of rock and roll, giving himself to music until his very last breath.
Motorhead team in 2021
In April 2021, the premiere of the live LP by Motorhead took place. The record was called Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin. The tracks were recorded at the Velodrom venue back in 2012. The collection was topped by 15 songs.
