Motörhead

Motörhead are a rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and singer Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister. Their name is slang for an amphetamine user and reflects the intense nature of their sound as can be heard in their hits "Ace of Spades" and "Motörhead".

The band has changed personnel over the course of their 30 year career, but the fans regard the classic line-up as the 1976 to 1982 incarnation, featuring Lemmy on bass, Fast Eddie Clark on guitar and Philthy Animal Taylor on drums.

Their career was very nearly short-lived as they had planned their farewell gig and had organised a friend to record it for posterity. The tapes eventually became the basis for their debut album, Motörhead, released in 1977, which made it to the Top 50 in the UK with their no-compromise approach to music appealing not only to rock fans but also to punks.

The Motörhead album signalled the start of a steady climb to the top, with TV appearances and touring building the fanbase. After the release of the follow-ups Overkill and Bomber, they released the landmark Ace of Spades album in 1980 to great critical acclaim; the album went on to gold sales. In 1981 the band toured the US, supporting Ozzy Osbourne on his Blizzard of Ozz tour, while in the UK the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith was released. The album was their most successful, going straight to No.1 in the UK and earning rave reviews from music writers.

More albums and more touring helped to build on and extend the band's popularity, and they were the first metal band to appear on the Jay Leno TV show. In 2005 the band were awarded a Grammy for Best Metal Performance for their contribution of "Whiplash" to Metallic Attack: Metallica: The Ultimate Tribute Album.

After 30-plus years of hard and fast living the band are still going strong with a new album planned for 2008/09.