Name	Mötley Crüe
Landscape	Yes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre	Heavy metal, glam metal, hard rock
Years active	1981–present
Label	Mötley, Eleven Seven Music, Elektra, Leathür, Warner Music Group
Associated acts	Sixx:A.M., Methods of Mayhem, 58, Rock Star Supernova, Brides of Destruction
Website
Current members	Nikki SixxMick MarsTommy LeeVince Neil
Past members	John CorabiRandy CastilloSamantha Maloney }}

Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold more than 80 million album copies worldwide, including 25 million in the U.S.

The band members have often been noted for their hedonistic lifestyles, and the persona they maintained. All the members have had numerous brushes with the law, spent time in prison, suffered from alcoholism, long addictions to drugs such as cocaine and heroin, had countless escapades with women and are heavily tattooed. Their ninth studio album, ''Saints of Los Angeles'', was released on June 24, 2008. They are currently writing new material for their next album.

Band history[link]

Formation and early years (1981–1983)[link]

Mötley Crüe was formed on January 17, 1981 when bass guitarist Nikki Sixx left the band London and began rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon. Lee had worked previously with Leon in a band called Suite 19 and the trio practiced together for some time with Leon eventually deciding not to continue. Tommy took over from previous drummer Butch Brusco due to undisclosed addiction problems. Nikki and Tommy then began a search for new members. Sixx and Lee soon met guitarist Bob "Mick Mars" Deal. Mars was quickly auditioned and subsequently hired by Sixx and Lee. Although a lead vocalist named O'Dean was auditioned, Lee had known Vince Neil from their high school days at Charter Oak High School in Covina, California and the two had performed in different bands on the garage band circuit. On seeing him perform with the band Rock Candy at the Starwood in Hollywood, California, Mars suggested they have Neil join the band. At first Neil refused the offer, but as the other members of Rock Candy became involved in outside projects, Neil grew anxious to try something else. When Lee made one final appeal to audition, Neil accepted and was hired April 1, 1981. The newly formed band did not yet have a name. While trying to find a suitable name, Mars remembered an incident which occurred when he was playing with a band called White Horse, when one of the other band members called the group "a motley looking crew." He had remembered the phrase and later copied it down as Mottley Cru-. After modifying the spelling slightly, "Mötley Crüe" was eventually selected as the band's name, with the stylistic decision suggested by Neil to add the two sets of metal umlauts supposedly inspired by the German beer Löwenbräu, which the members were drinking at the time.

The band soon met their first manager, Allan Coffman, "the thirty-eight-year-old brother-in-law of Mick’s driver friend Stick". The band's first release was the single "Stick to Your Guns/Toast of the Town", which was released on their own record label, Leathür Records, which had a pressing & distribution deal with Greenworld Distribution in Torrance, California. In November 1981, their debut album ''Too Fast for Love'' was self-produced and released on Leathür, selling 20,000 copies. Coffman's assistant Eric Greif set up a tour of Canada, while Coffman and Greif used Mötley Crüe's success in the Los Angeles club scene to negotiate with several record labels, eventually signing a recording contract with Elektra Records in late spring 1982. At Elektra's insistence, the debut album was then re-mixed by producer Roy Thomas Baker and re-released on August 20, 1982, two months after its Canadian Warner Music Group release using the original Leathür mixes, to coincide with the tour.

During the "Crüesing Through Canada Tour '82," there were several widely-publicized incidents. First, the band was arrested and then released at Edmonton International Airport for wearing their spiked stage wardrobe (considered "dangerous weapons") through Customs and for Neil arriving with a small carry-on filled with porn magazines (considered "indecent material"); both were staged PR stunts. Customs eventually had the confiscated items destroyed. Second, while playing Scandals Disco in Edmonton, a spurious "bomb threat" against the band made the front page of the Edmonton Journal (June 9, 1982); assistant band manager Greif and Lee were interviewed. This too ended up being a staged PR stunt perpetrated by Greif. Lastly, Lee threw a television set from the upper story window of the Sheraton Caravan Hotel. Canadian rock magazine Music Express noted that the band were "banned for life" from the city. Despite the tour ending prematurely in financial disaster, it was the basis for the band's first international press.

In 1983, the band changed management from Coffman to Doug Thaler and Doc McGhee. McGhee is best known for managing Bon Jovi and later KISS (starting with their reunion tour in 1996). Greif subsequently sued all parties in a Los Angeles Superior Court action that dragged on for several years, and coincidentally later re-surfaced as manager of Sixx's former band, London. Coffman himself was sued by several investors to whom he had sold "stock in the band", including Michigan-based Bill Larson. Coffman eventually declared bankruptcy, as he had mortgaged his home at least three times to cover band expenses.

Rise to international fame (1984–1991)[link]

After playing the US Festival, and with the aid of the new medium of MTV, the band found rapid success in the United States. The band members were as well known for their backstage groupie antics, outrageous clothing, extreme high-heeled boots, heavily applied make-up, and seemingly endless abuse of alcohol and drugs as for their recordings. Their mixture of heavy metal and glam rock stylings produced several best-selling albums during the 1980s, including ''Shout at the Devil'' (1983), ''Theatre of Pain'' (1985), and ''Girls, Girls, Girls'' (1987), which showcased their love of motorcycles, whiskey and strip clubs, and which told tales of substance abuse, sexual escapades, and general decadence.

The band members have also had their share of scrapes with the law and life. In 1984, Neil was driving home from a liquor store when he was in a head-on collision; his passenger, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, was killed. Neil, charged with a DUI and vehicular manslaughter, was sentenced to 30 days in jail (though he only served 18 days). The band would later release two box sets entitled "Music to Crash Your Car to".

On December 23, 1987, Sixx suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose. He was declared legally dead on the way to the hospital, but the medic, who was a Crüe fan, revived Sixx by giving him two shots of adrenaline to the heart, bringing him back to life. His two minutes in death were the inspiration for the song "Kickstart My Heart", which peaked at #16 on the Mainstream U.S. chart, and which was featured on the 1989 album ''Dr. Feelgood''. From 1986 to 1987, Sixx kept a daily diary of his heroin addiction and eventually entered rehab in January 1988. In 2006, Sixx published his diaries as a best selling novel: ''The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star'', and in 2007 Sixx's side project band Sixx:A.M. released ''The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack'' as a musical parallel to the novel.

In 1988 McGhee was convicted for smuggling 40.000 pounds of marijuana, as punishment he had to organize an anti-drug campaign. In addition, another controversy that hit the band in 1988 was a prosecution made by Matthew Trippe. Trippe claimed that Nikki Sixx was hospitalised in 1983 after a carcrash involving drugs and that he had been hired as Nikki's doppelganger. The prosecution was regarding the loss of royalties from his time in Mötley Crüe and the case was not closed until 1993 when Trippe dropped his charges and disappeared from the general public.

Their decadent lifestyles almost shattered the band, until managers Thaler and McGhee pulled an intervention, and refused to allow the band to tour in Europe, fearing that "some [of them] would come back in bodybags". Shortly after, all the band members except for Mars underwent drug rehabilitation; Mars cleaned up on his own.

After finding sobriety in 1989, Mötley Crüe reached its peak popularity with the release of their fifth album, the Bob Rock produced ''Dr. Feelgood'', on September 1, 1989. On October 14 of that year, it became a No. 1 album and stayed on the charts for 109 weeks after its release. The band members each stated in interviews that, due in no small part to their collective push for sobriety, ''Dr. Feelgood'' was their most solid album musically to that point, and indeed, it was their best selling album to date. The title track and "Kickstart My Heart" were both nominated for Grammys in the Best Hard Rock Category. The band did find some success at the American Music Awards, as ''Dr. Feelgood'' was nominated twice for Favorite Hard Rock/Metal Award, losing once to Guns N' Roses' ''Appetite for Destruction'', but winning the following year, beating out Aerosmith's ''Pump'' and Poison's ''Flesh And Blood''. Mötley Crüe was also nominated twice for Favorite Hard Rock/Metal Artist.

In 1989, Doc McGhee was fired after breaking several promises that he made to the band in relation to the Moscow Music Peace Festival including giving his other band, Bon Jovi, advantages in terms of slot placement. Doug Thaler then soldiered on as sole band manager.

On October 14, 1991, the band's first compilation album, ''Decade of Decadence'', was released. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was reportedly designed as "just something for the fans" while the band worked on the next "all new" album.

Years of turmoil (1992–2003)[link]

After ''Decade of Decadence'' was released, Neil left the band in February 1992, at a time when other bands in the 1980s glam metal scene (Ratt, Stryper, White Lion, Winger, Europe & Britny Fox) also broke up because of the rise in popularity of Grunge. A controversy exists to this day over whether Neil was fired or quit. Sixx has long maintained that Neil quit the band. However, Neil disputes this and insists that he was fired. Neil was replaced by John Corabi (formerly of Angora and The Scream). Mötley Crüe's commercial success waned throughout the 1990s, although their self-titled March 1994 release made the Billboard top ten (#7). Thaler would manage the band alone until 1994, at which time the band did a mass-firing when their album, ''Mötley Crüe'', failed to meet commercial expectations.

The band reunited with Neil in 1997, after their current manager, Allen Kovac, and Neil's manager, Bert Stein, set up a meeting between Neil, Lee, and Sixx. Agreeing to "leave their egos at the door," the band released ''Generation Swine''. Although it debuted at #4, and in spite of a live performance at the American Music Awards, the album was a commercial failure, due in part to the band's label's lack of support. The band soon left Elektra and created their own label, Mötley Records.

In 1998, Mötley Crüe's contractual ties with Elektra Records had expired, putting the band in total control of their future. This included the ownership of the masters of all of their albums. In announcing the end of their relationship with Elektra Records, the band became one of the few groups in history to own and control their publishing and catalogue of recorded masters. In 1999, the band re-released all their albums, dubbed as ''Crücial Crüe''. The limited-edition digital re-masters included demos, live, instrumental, and previously unreleased tracks.

In 1999, Lee put his role in the band on hold to pursue a solo career due to increasing tension with frontman Neil. He was replaced by Randy Castillo, who drummed on several Ozzy Osbourne albums. Randy died of cancer on March 26, 2002. No replacement had been named, which sent the band into a hiatus following a 2000 tour in support of their studio release, ''New Tattoo''. ''New Tattoo'' charted at #41 and sold fewer than 200,000 copies. Former Hole drummer Samantha Maloney filled in on the tour to promote the album. The Salt Lake City performance of the tour is featured on the DVD ''Lewd, Crüed & Tattooed''.

Within the following six years, Sixx played in the bands 58 and Brides of Destruction, while Lee formed Methods of Mayhem and performed as a solo artist. Neil continued touring on an annual basis as a solo artist, singing mostly Mötley Crüe songs. Mars, who suffers from a rare hereditary form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, went into seclusion in 2001.

A 2001 autobiography entitled ''The Dirt'' packaged the band as "the world's most notorious rock band". The book made the top ten on ''The New York Times Best Seller list'' and spent ten weeks there.

Reunion and renewed success (2004–2007)[link]

A promoter in England, Mags Revell, began clamoring for a Mötley Crüe reunion, ostensibly presenting himself as the voice of anxious fans waiting for more from the band. After meeting with management several times, in September 2004, Sixx announced that he and Neil had returned to the studio and had begun recording new material. In December 2004, the four original members announced a reunion tour which began February 14, 2005, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The resulting compilation album, ''Red, White & Crüe'', was released in February 2005. It features the band members' favorite original songs plus three new tracks, "If I Die Tomorrow", "Sick Love Song" (co-written by Sixx and James Michael), and a cover of The Rolling Stones' classic "Street Fighting Man". A small controversy was caused when it was suggested that neither Lee nor Mars played on the new tracks (duties were supposedly handled by Vandals drummer Josh Freese). However, a VH1 documentary of the band's reunion later showed that Lee did indeed play on some of the tracks. The Japanese release of ''Red, White & Crüe'' includes an extra new track titled "I'm a Liar (and That's the Truth)". ''Red, White & Crüe'' charted at #6 and has since gone platinum.

In 2005, Mötley Crüe was involved in an animation-comedy spoof ''Disaster!'', which was written by Paul Benson and Matt Sullivan and which was used as the introduction film to concerts on their Carnival of Sins tour.

In 2006, Mötley Crüe went on the Route of All Evil Tour, co-headlining with Aerosmith and taking performers from Lucent Dossier Experience on the road with them. This was another well attended tour following the Carnival of Sins tour of 2005. In June 2007, Mötley Crüe set out on a small European tour. A lawsuit was filed by Neil, Mars and Sixx against Carl Stubner, Lee's manager. The three sued him for contracting for Lee to appear on two unsuccessful reality shows the band claim hurt its image. It was reported on Motley.com that the lawsuit has been settled.

Saints of Los Angeles (2008-2010)[link]

On June 11, 2008, the band and manager Burt Stein filed suit against each other. Stein was Vince Neil's personal manager and also, according to the band and rival manager Allen Kovac, served as the band's manager at one time. The band and Kovac sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming Stein was not entitled to a cut of Mötley Crüe's earnings. Stein sued the same day in Nashville's federal court, saying he was entitled to 1.875 percent of what the band makes. Other litigation between the parties also ensued in Nevada. In July 2009, lawyers for both sides announced that the disputes had been "amicably resolved" through a "global settlement".

Mötley Crüe's ninth studio album, titled ''Saints of Los Angeles'', was released in Japan on June 17, 2008 and in America on June 24, 2008. The album was originally titled ''The Dirt'', as it was loosely based on the band's autobiography of the same name, but the title was later changed. ''Saints of Los Angeles'' features the band's original lineup. In the US, the album was released by Eleven Seven Music. Eleven Seven also took over US distribution of their back catalog.

In the summer of 2008, Mötley Crüe headlined the popular 'Crüe Fest' music festival, which included opening acts Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt, and Nikki Sixx's successful side project, Sixx:A.M.

Mötley Crüe had announced that the movie ''The Dirt'', based on the book written by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss, might be released in 2009. However, as of September 2009, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) lists 2011 as the probable release date. This is still subject to change, particularly because the "status" of the movie was listed as "unknown" in April 2009 (the date of IMDb's last update to "The Dirt").

iTunes picked "Saints of Los Angeles" in their "Best of 2008" in the Rock category as the number one song; the song was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Hard Rock Performance" category. The song was released in the music game series ''Rock Band'' as downloadable content the day the single was released. Additionally, the entire ''Dr. Feelgood'' album was released as downloadable content in ''Rock Band'' as well, excluding "T.n.T. (Terror 'n Tinseltown)".

The band played the Download Festival in Donington Park (June 12–14, 2009), playing on the second stage on Friday night.

The band made a guest appearance in the season finale of "Bones" on May 14, 2009 entitled "The End In The Beginning", performing the classic song "Dr. Feelgood".

Mötley Crüe headlined ''Crüe Fest 2'' festival, which ran from July to September 2009. Supporting them were Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool, and Charm City Devils. In addition to performing a set featuring material from ''Saints of Los Angeles'', the band also celebrated the 20th anniversary of ''Dr. Feelgood'' by performing the album in its entirety on each night of the tour and re-releasing the album as a special 20th anniversary deluxe edition.

Mötley Crüe headlined Ozzfest in 2010, along with Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford.

Recent events (2011-present)[link]

Mötley Crüe co-headlined a summer tour with Poison and special guests New York Dolls in 2011 for Mötley Crüe's 30th Anniversary and Poison's 25th anniversary.

Asked in July 2011 if Mötley Crüe has begun writing new material, Lee replied, "Nikki's got some stuff kickin' around, I've got a few things kickin' around. Whether I'm writing solo stuff, electronic stuff or material for Mötley, I just write to write. I come up with it and put things in different piles. I guess some of the things I have could be for Mötley Crüe."

On August 30, 2011, Mötley Crüe, along with co-headliners Def Leppard and special guests Steel Panther, announced a UK Tour commencing in December 2011.

Asked in a November 2011 interview with Examiner.com if Mötley Crüe will be making another album in 2012 or plan another Crüefest tour, Vince Neil replied, "We're looking at another Crüefest. This tour doesn't end until November of next year." Tommy Lee commented on recording a new album, stating: "I'm sure we're due for one. All of us have been writing individually, I write, Nikki's been writing, and Mick as well, at some point here, we'll pull all of our ideas together as we always do, and then we'll start sorting through it at that point. But we haven't gotten to that point yet. I would imagine we'll probably get there some time in the next year and start working on that."

The band announced a three-week residency in Las Vegas, with bassist Nikki Sixx stating, "This is the beginning of what will be the biggest probably four to five years of the band's career. We're negotiating with a couple of other extremely huge bands on doing a co-headline tour, something that's never happened before. There's new music in the future." Sixx also noted that the band may break-up in the near future: "The band sat down and had a pow-wow as brothers and friends and guys who've been doing this for over thirty years, and we said, 'When is it time?' We've always said since we were kids we didn't want to hobble in to the sunset. So after the movie, at some point – whether it's within a year or a few years – we're probably gonna have that conversation about maybe it's time, maybe it's time to go out on top. [...] If I'm watching my favorite boxer and he's just won the heavyweight championship of the world and he retires it kind of makes the guy a legend. I always respected Led Zeppelin, and I'd rather Motley Crue be thought of as that type of band rather than a band that's just going through the motions. We're a hundred percent engaged. We're sounding better than we've ever sounded musically. [...] We're really proud of what we've done, whether critics like us or not, whether we've won Grammys or not, whether any of that stuff. We're proud that we did it on our own terms."

Motley Crue announced a tour with Kiss in March 2012. The tour kicks off July 20 in Bristow, Virginia and runs through September 23.

It was also announced that the band was recording a new song for release, which was later revealed to be titled "Sex".

Legacy and influence[link]

Mötley Crüe has been featured on a number of VH1 countdown shows, "Dr. Feelgood" was ranked the #7 Greatest Air Guitar Song, "Live Wire" was ranked the #17 Greatest Metal Song Of All Time, and "Home Sweet Home" was ranked the #12 Greatest Power Ballad Of All Time. Mötley Crüe was featured several times on VH1's 100 Most Metal Moments, the highest spot being #3. VH1 included the Tommy Lee sex tapes, ''The Dirt'', and Ozzy Osbourne's and Nikki Sixx's pee incident. Mötley Crüe has been one of the bands featured on VH1's Behind the Music. The band was ranked #29 on VH1's list of the greatest hard rock bands.

Mötley Crüe was ranked tenth on MTV's list "Top 10 Heavy Metal Bands of All-Time". Mötley Crüe has influenced many bands and artists such as Slipknot, Buckcherry, Poison, Skid Row, Children Of Bodom, White Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Black Veil Brides among others.

Band members[link]

;Current members

Mick Mars – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–present)

Nikki Sixx – bass, backing vocals (1981–present)

Vince Neil – lead vocals (1981–1992, 1996–present)

Tommy Lee – drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals (1981–1999, 2004–present)

;Former members

John Corabi – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1992–1996)

Randy Castillo – drums, percussion (1999–2002)

Samantha Maloney – drums, percussion (2002–2004, touring drummer)

Discography[link]

''Too Fast for Love'' (1981)

''Shout at the Devil'' (1983)

''Theatre of Pain'' (1985)

''Girls, Girls, Girls'' (1987)

''Dr. Feelgood'' (1989)

''Mötley Crüe'' (1994)

''Generation Swine'' (1997)

''New Tattoo'' (2000)

''Saints of Los Angeles'' (2008)

Tours[link]

Anywhere, USA – Northern California Tour (1981)

Too Fast For Love Tour (1981–1982)

Crüesing Through Canada (1982)

Mötley Crüe World Tour (1983–1984)

Welcome To The Theatre Of Pain Tour (1985–1986)

Girls, Girls, Girls World Tour 87/88 (1987)

Moscow Music Peace Festival (1989)

Dr. Feelgood World Tour '89–'90 (1989–1990)

Monsters Of Rock Tour 1991 (1991)

Anywhere There's Electricity Tour Of The Americas 1994 (1994)

Anywhere There's Electricity Japan Tour (1994)

Live Swine Listening Party (1997)

Mötley Crüe vs. The Earth Tour (1997)

Greatest Hits Tour (1998–1999)

Maximum Rock Tour (with Scorpions – 1999)

Welcome To The Freekshow Tour (1999)

Maximum Rock 2000 Tour (with Megadeth – 2000)

New Tattoo Japan Tour 2000 (2000)

Red, White & Crüe Tour 2005...Better Live Than Dead (2005)

Carnival Of Sins Tour (2005–2006)

Route of All Evil Tour (with Aerosmith – 2006)

Mötley Crüe Tour 2007 (2007)

Crüe Fest (with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt – 2008)

Saints Of Los Angeles Tour (2008–09)

Saints of Los Angeles European Tour (2009)

Crüe Fest 2 (with Godsmack, Theory Of A Deadman, Drowning Pool and Charm City Devils – 2009)

The Dead of Winter Canadian Tour (2010)

Ozzfest 2010 Tour (2010)

Sonisphere Festival (2010)

Glam-A-Geddon (2011) (with Poison and New York Dolls)

Mötley Crüe 30th Anniversary Japan　Tour (October 2011)

Mótley Crúe tour of England (2011)

The tour 2012 with Kiss

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Vince Neil's official website

Mick Mars' official website

Nikki Sixx's official website

Tommy Lee's official website

Mötley Crüe Videos

Mötley Crüe Tour Page

Dr. Feelgood 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition Review

Film : "The Monster of Camp Sunshine" on mondo-digital.com, Film : "The Monster of Camp Sunshine" on moviesaboutgirls.com. Curiously, this name appears in 1964 but without umlauts : "Photographed and Edited by Motley Crue", 17 years before the formation of the group. All information on this person or group is welcome.

Motley Crue live photo gallery

Category:Mötley Crüe Category:Glam metal musical groups Category:Heavy metal musical groups from California Category:American hard rock musical groups Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles, California Category:Musical groups established in 1981 Category:Musical quartets Category:Kerrang! Awards winners

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name	Vince Neil
background	solo_singer
birth name	Vincent Neil Wharton
birth date	February 08, 1961
Birth place	Hollywood, California
instrument	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
genre	Heavy metal, hard rock, glam metal
occupation	Musician, songwriter
years active	since 1981
label	Warner Bros.,
associated acts	Mötley Crüe, Hear 'n Aid
website	www.vinceneil.net }}

Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.

Early life[link]

Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton. He has Mexican ancestry on his mother's side and Native American ancestry on his father's. During the 1960s, his family moved around Southern California from Inglewood to Watts, before finally settling in Glendora attending Sunflower Intermediate School and later Royal Oak High School. As well as having an interest in music while a teenager, Neil was also interested in surfing, basketball, baseball, football and wrestling.

Music career[link]

First stint with Mötley Crüe[link]

Neil was discovered while performing with his band Rock Candy in 1980, and joined Mötley Crüe in 1981. Neil had been friends with Tommy Lee in high school. Mötley Crüe was looking for a lead vocalist at the time and were impressed by Neil after hearing him through Lee. Mötley Crüe released its first album, ''Too Fast for Love'', the same year. In 1983, Mötley Crüe released ''Shout at the Devil'', which established the band as a big act in rock and roll.

In 1985, Neil regrouped with Mötley Crüe to record ''Theatre of Pain''. In 1987, the band recorded the album ''Girls, Girls, Girls''. In 1989, the band released their highest-selling album, ''Dr. Feelgood''.

Going solo[link]

In February 1992, Mötley Crüe parted ways with Vince Neil. Neil had taken up Indy racing a few years earlier, often turning up at celebrity races. Neil enjoyed the sport so much that he eventually formed Vince Neil Racing. He was racing in the Indy Lights open wheel developmental series at the time. Neil retired from racing in 1992 after crashing his car during a race in Long Beach after the third lap.

Exposed[link]

Neil signed a solo deal with Warner Brothers for $4 million. He received a $2 million advance on his first record.

Neil sued Motley Crue for 25% of their future profits and $5 million in damages for being fired.

In 1992, Neil released his first single. He stated that the song was written in twenty minutes with his friends Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw. The single "You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)" was featured on the ''Encino Man'' soundtrack. Neil made a video for the song that featured a cameo by Pauly Shore. The video does not feature guitarist Steve Stevens as Stevens was hired after the song and video had been released. Stevens re-recorded the song for Neil's first solo album. Neil performed the song live on the MTV Movie Awards.

''Exposed'', was Neil's first solo album and was released in 1993. The album debuted at #13 on the ''Billboard'' charts. The album featured Stevens, who subsequently played all bass and guitar tracks on "Exposed", Dave Marshall, Robbie Crane, and Vik Foxx. The band eventually went on tour, opening for Van Halen.

Carved In Stone[link]

In September 1995, Neil released ''Carved in Stone'', an industrial-oriented album produced by the Dust Brothers. The album was recorded and was put on hold while Neil was dealing with the illness of his daughter Skylar. It sold fewer than 100,000 copies in the US, and Neil's contract with Warner Bros. Records eventually came to an end. The album was re-released in 2004.

Vince Neil has toured his solo band, which consisted of Slaughter members Jeff Blando and Dana Strum, as well as drummer Zoltan Chaney.

Reunion with Mötley Crüe[link]

The band came back into the spotlight after their ''Behind the Music'' episode aired on VH1 in December 1998. The episode became the highest rated in the series. The DVD was issued with ten extra minutes of footage in December 1999.

By 1997, both Neil's solo career and Mötley Crüe's fortunes were declining and he accepted their invitation to rejoin the band. They released the album ''Generation Swine'' which debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts. It wasn't long before tension erupted again, this time prompting Tommy Lee to leave the band. They replaced him with Randy Castillo and recorded New Tattoo in 2000, but things came to a halt when Castillo died from cancer in 2002.

Motley Crue released the new studio album album "Saints of Los Angeles" in 2008.

Tattoos & Tequila[link]

Vince released his third solo album ''Tattoos & Tequila'' in 2010. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album ''Live at the Whisky: One Night Only'' in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years. The album is a soundtrack to the book Vince released in the same year ''"Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen"''. Each song on the album corresponds with a chapter in the book.

Other ventures[link]

Business ventures[link]

In 1994, Neil gave up ownership of his "Bar One" club.

In 1998, Mötley Crüe opened a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles called, "S’Crüe", which stocks clothes from both Sixx and Neil’s clothing lines (Outlaw and Bad Bones), along with CDs, the Mötley Brüe drink and other items. The store closed in January 1999, with the band deciding to sell the items online.

In 2006, Neil opened his own tattoo parlor called Vince Neil Ink. The shop is located on the Las Vegas Strip.

Neil founded Vince Vineyards, a winemaking venture that produced a 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Sonoma County Chardonnay. He also produces a limited edition Petite Sirah through EOS Estate Winery.

In 2005, Neil created the "Off The Strip Poker Tournament", which takes place in Las Vegas.

In 2007, Neil launched his own brand of tequila called Tres Rios. Neil debuted the tequila at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February 2007.

Neil opened Dr. Feelgood's Bar and Grill in West Palm Beach. It took over two and a half years for all of the members of Mötley Crüe to agree and sign off on the bar concept and location. It was finally determined that it would be located in downtown West Palm Beach, a stone's throw away from the ocean and within the high rent district of downtown. On January 19, 2008, Neil played a free concert on the streets of downtown West Palm Beach to celebrate the grand opening of Dr Feelgood's. In March 2009, Neil opened another Feelgood's in Miami Beach. Vince also owns a Feelgood's in Las Vegas.

Mötley Crüe were on tour in the U.S. Crue Fest. Mötley Crüe announced that they will play the entire Dr. Feelgood album every night of Crüe Fest 2 to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.

Television & film[link]

In 1990, Neil had a small part in the film ''The Adventures of Ford Fairlane'' playing the character of Bobby Black, lead vocalist of the fictional rock band that consisted of Carlos Cavazo, Randy Castillo, and Phil Soussan. Opening sequences of the film featured the band playing at Red Rocks Amphitheater, where Neil's character makes a grand entrance by swooping on stage via zip-line. He then proceeds to die onstage under suspicious circumstances. Black's misfortunes continue even in death when at his funeral a mêlée takes place resulting in his cylindrical plexiglass casket rolling down a hill (obviously containing a dummy of Neil).

In 2002, Neil was one of the cast members on the first season of ''The Surreal Life''. In 2004, Neil appeared on the special ''Remaking Vince Neil'', which showed him trying to recharge his solo career. He also recorded the single "Promise Me" produced by Desmond Child. The song was for sale on iTunes for a brief period of time, but a solo album never surfaced.

Mötley Crüe's fortunes got a boost when Neil and Tommy Lee put aside their differences and toured in support of the compilation album ''Red, White and Crüe''. The tour, dubbed ''Carnival of Sins'', featured acrobats, fire breathers and a midget as part of the overall circus atmosphere the band created.

In 2004, Neil played a tattoo artist in an episode of the CBS sitcom ''Still Standing''.

In 2009, Neil worked on a pilot for an A&E; reality-TV show. According to Neil, the program would follow the singer and his family after his parents moved in with him. Neil told Eddie Trunk of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show, "My wife [Lia] hasn't talked to my mom since the wedding," which took place January 9, 2005, in Las Vegas.

In 2010, he was cast on ABC's ''Skating with the Stars'' as a celebrity contestant who skated with professional ice skater Jennifer Wester.

Personal life[link]

name	Vince Neil
birth name	Vincent Neil Wharton
birth date	February 8, 1961
birth place	Hollywood, California
occupation	Musician, songwriter, vocalist, actor
yearsactive	1981-present
spouse	Beth Lynn (1981-1985) (divorced) 1 childSharise Ruddell (1987-1993) (divorced) 1 childHeidi Mark (2000-2001) (divorced)Lia Gerardini (2005-present) (separated) }}

Marriages[link]

Neil married his first wife, Beth Lynn, in 1981; they divorced in 1985. In April 1987, Neil married Sharise Ruddell, a mud wrestler and fashion model. The couple had one daughter, Skylar, before divorcing in 1993.

In early 1993, he began dating actress and Playboy Playmate Heidi Mark after a blind date arranged by her makeup artist. The two were engaged within two months, and married in 2000. After just 15 months of marriage, and several attempts at reconciliation, they divorced in 2001.

Neil married his fourth wife, Lia Gerardini, in January 2005. The ceremony was officiated by MC Hammer, an ordained minister and fellow cast member on ''The Surreal Life''. In 2010, Neil announced their separation.

Charity work[link]

On August 15, 1995, Neil and Ruddell's daughter, Skylar Neil, died of cancer at the age of 4. He founded the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund in her honor. Since that time, Neil and the foundation have raised awareness and funding for various children’s illnesses. The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation has donated millions of dollars to The T.J. Martell Foundation, and it sponsors an annual golf tournament to raise money for children with cancer. In the summer of 2011 Neil hosted a series of benefits called ''Rockin' The Red Carpet'' that benefitted MUSIC for RELIEF as part of his tour with Motley Cruë, Poison and the New York Dolls.

Legal troubles[link]

In late 1984, Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks was on their second American tour and a first one ever to reach California. The two gigs meant to be held in Los Angeles sold out in twenty minutes. On the day they arrived in Los Angeles, December 8, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and the other members of the band (with the exception of singer Michael Monroe, who was recovering from a fractured ankle) visited Neil's home and spent the day at Redondo Beach. After partying for hours, Neil and Razzle decided to take a trip to a local liquor store in Neil's De Tomaso Pantera. Neil, who was drunk, lost control of the car and hit an oncoming vehicle. The two occupants of the other car were seriously injured and suffered brain damage, and Dingley was killed. Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, well above the California legal limit at that time of 0.10. In July 1986, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward Hinz, Jr. sentenced Neil to 30 days in jail, five years probation, $2.6 million in restitution to the victims of the crash and 200 hours of community service. Neil got out of jail in 15 days for good behavior; Mötley Crüe dedicated their third studio album, ''Theatre of Pain'', to Razzle.

Neil was arrested in 2002 for punching record producer Michael Schuman to the ground in a nightclub parking lot. Neil was ordered to pay restitution and complete community service.

In 2003, Neil was arrested again after accusations that he assaulted a sex worker at the Moonlight BunnyRanch by grabbing her around the throat and throwing her against a wall. On April 9, 2004, Neil pled no contest to battery charges and he was sentenced to a 30-day jail suspension, 60 days anger management, and was fined $1,000 plus court fees of $132.

On December 15, 2004, an arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault was issued for Neil after a fight during a show on October 30 where he left a soundman unconscious for 45 minutes. Police had given the singer a criminal-trespass warning before he left the club and headed to Houston for a Halloween show.

In 2007, Neil was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas after police spotted him making some erratic moves in his Ferrari. Neil later worked out a deal with prosecutors where he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in exchange for them to drop the DUI charge.

In June 2010, Neil was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Las Vegas after having allegedly smashed a fan's camera and was released on $2,000 bond. On January 26, 2011, Neil plead guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to 15 days in the Clark County jail and 15 days under house arrest.

In March 2011, Neil was charged with battery and disorderly conduct after an altercation with ex-girlfriend, Alicia Jacobs. On May 2, 2011, Neil’s attorneys plead not guilty on his behalf during an arraignment and he was ordered to stay away from Jacobs then was scheduled to appear in court on August 8. On August 8, 2011, Neil’s trial was rescheduled for November 7 due to an unexplained emergency.

Discography [link]

Studio albums[link]

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"
1993	style="text-align:left;"	* Release date: April 27, 1993	* Label: Warner Bros. Records	13	—	—	44
1995	style="text-align:left;"	* Release date: September 12, 1995	* Label: Warner Bros. Records	139	—	—	—
2010		* Release date: June 22, 2010	* Label: Eleven Seven Music	57	14	7	—

Live albums[link]

! Year	! Album details
2003		* Release date: May 27, 2003	* Label:

Singles[link]

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		! style="width:50px;"
1992		63
		—
	—
	—
1995		—
2005		—
2010		—

Motorsport career[link]

Along with Neil's passions of fast cars and fast women, he dabbled in motorsport in the early 1990s. This colminated in a part season in Indy Lights in 1992 with P.I.G Racing. He started four races finishing three of them and all point scoring positions. Also that year he took part in the celebrity race at the Gold Coast Indycar event.

Complete CART Indy Lights results[link]

! Year

! Team

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! Rank

! Points

1992 Indy Lights season>1992

! P.I.G Racing

DET

LOU

TOR

CLE

VAN

MDO

NAZ

LS

!23rd

!5

See also[link]

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References [link]

External links [link]

Vince Neil – Official website

Vince Neil Official Fan Club – Official website

Mötley Crüe – Official website

Official Cruefest 2009 Tour website

Racing Reference profile

Category:1961 births Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American male singers Category:American racing drivers Category:Glam metal musicians Category:Indy Lights drivers Category:Living people Category:Mötley Crüe members Category:Musicians from Los Angeles, California Category:Racing drivers from California Category:The Surreal Life participants Category:Vince Neil Band members

cs:Vince Neil de:Vince Neil es:Vince Neil fo:Vince Neil fr:Vince Neil it:Vince Neil hu:Vince Neil ja:ヴィンス・ニール no:Vince Neil pl:Vince Neil pt:Vince Neil ru:Нил, Винс sk:Vince Neil fi:Vince Neil sv:Vince Neil tr:Vince Neil

name	For Real
background	group_or_band
genre	R&B;, Pop, Dance
years active	1993–1999
label	Arista RecordsA&M; Records, Rowdy Records
past members	Wendi WilliamsLatanyia BaldwinJosina ElderNecia Bray-Gates
notable instruments	}}

For Real was an American R&B; and soul quartet, that formed in 1993. In the latter part of that decade they were nominated for a Grammy, Billboard Music Award, and Soul Train Music Award.

Biography[link]

For Real secured their recording contract by accident. "We were picking up our manager from the airport. So we decided to greet him with an acappella song. Someone from A&M; records just happened to be in the airport and heard them perform. Not long after, they were signed," said Latanyia Baldwin.

The band released their debut album, ''It's a Natural Thang'', with production from Brian McKnight on A&M; Records in 1994, and it became a critical success, including a rare four stars from Rolling Stone Magazine. Their first single, "You Don't Wanna Miss" hit #28 on the ''Billboard'' chart, courtesy of a danceable new jack swing remix by Steve "Silk" Hurley, which was featured in the song's video. A second single, "Easy To Love," peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album scored another chart hit with the a cappella love song, "You Don't Know Nothin'," which was written and produced by Mervyn Warren, and which peaked at #27. The song peaked at #54 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1995. The album sold over one million copies worldwide, and peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200.

In 1995, the band appeared in Italian ''Vogue'', modeling mens suits. They toured alongside Stevie Wonder, and lent their voices to the Martin Scorsese film project ''Grace of My Heart.'' The foursome also forayed into acting with appearances in the film ''Shake, Rattle and Rock!'' starring Renée Zellweger and Howie Mandel on ''Showtime''.

They also hit the US Top 20 with the single "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" featuring Aaliyah, TLC, En Vogue, BlackGirl, SWV, and Vanessa Williams from the movie ''Panther''. They also recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder called "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", which appeared on the Marvin Gaye tribute album, ''Inner City Blues: The Music Of Marvin Gaye.'' For Real also recorded songs for the soundtracks of the films ''Waiting to Exhale'' and ''Fled'' respectively.

After a label change from A&M; to Dallas Austin's Arista imprint Rowdy Records in 1996, For Real struck again with the Austin-produced, 60s-leaning single "Like I Do," from their second album ''Free''. "Like I Do" hit #10 on the Billboard singles chart, the video also earned a Billboard nomination for Best R&B; Clip, the album made the Top 100, and nearly 400,000 copies in the US, the album's next and last single was the Diane Warren-penned pop ballad "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard" which hit #65 on the Top 100 singles chart. The band performed "Saddest Song" on the TV show All That. ''Free'' included production from top R&B;/pop producers like Babyface, Mario Winans, and Jon B.

The band also recorded three songs ("I Do", "Born to Love That Boy" and "Unwanted Number") and appeared in the critically acclaimed film ''Grace of My Heart''. The films soundstrack won a Satellite Award in 1997.

In January 1997, the band won an American Music Award for their work on the ''Waiting to Exhale'' soundtrack, in Summer 1997, the group earned a Soul Train Award nomination for Album Of The Year (By A Group, Band Or Duo) for "Free".

In 1999, Wendi Williams lent her voice to the Emmy winning film ''Introducing Dorothy Dandridge'', with Halle Berry, in which Berry plays a singer but Williams is behind her singing voice.

In 2002, their song "Love Will Be Waiting At Home", appeared in the movie, ''Two Can Play That Game'', that starred Vivica A. Fox and Morris Chestnut.

In 2009, CoryLavel began to work with Josina Elder on her new album.

Discography[link]

''It's a Natural Thang'' (1994)

''Free'' (1996)

Awards and nominations[link]

style="background:#bcbcbc;"	Year	Result	Award	Category	Work
	1996	Nominated	Grammy Award	Album of the Year	Waiting to Exhale
	1997	Nominated	Billboard Music Award	Best Clip - R&B;	"Like I Do"
	1998	Nominated	Soul Train Music Award	Album of the Year (By a Group, Band or Duo)	''Free''

References[link]

External links[link]

SingingFool.com Streaming music videos for "Like I Do" and "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard"

Allmusic Discography, biographies, and pictures

IUMA Group photos, lyrics, message board, audio streams, and bio.

Google Album info, photos, and lyrics

Category:American pop music groups Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:African American musical groups Category:American girl groups Category:American soul musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1992 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1999