were one of the most influential hair metal bands of the '80s, boasting a striking visual presence and hedonistic reputation rivaled only by
. By combining
, they helped establish hair metal as a commercial genre, sending their first five albums to platinum status in the process. Such success was at least partially due to
's reputation as a riotous pack of rabble-rousers, replete with drug addictions, near-death experiences, groupie encounters, and celebrity girlfriends. Of course, that same self-indulgence nearly derailed the band, forcing the musicians to embrace sobriety during the creation of their most successful album to date, 1989's
. Like most hair metal bands,
's album sales waned during the 1990s, as the popularity of grunge overshadowed most of the music that immediately prefaced it. Nevertheless, the band soldiered through the decade with modest success, releasing two gold-selling albums along the way. The new millennium brought similar luck, as
established themselves as a fashionable touring act (with Crüe Fest becoming the summer's highest-grossing festival in 2008) while continuing to release new material.
Formed in January 1981,
Mötley Crüe were originally the pet project of bassist
Nikki Sixx (born
Frank Ferrana), vocalist/guitarist
Greg Leon, and drummer
Tommy Lee (born
Thomas Lee Bass).
Leon was a veteran of the Hollywood scene, having replaced
Randy Rhoads in
Quiet Riot two years prior. He butted heads with the strong-willed
Sixx, however, resulting in his departure from the lineup several months later. Local guitarist
Bob "Mick Mars" Deal joined in his place, bringing the moniker "Mottley Krue" with him. After altering the name and adding a pair of umlauts (allegedly in tribute to German beer), the trio began efforts to recruit
Vincent Neil Wharton, vocalist for the L.A.-based band
Rock Candy.
Neil initially refused the advances, only joining the band after his
Rock Candy cohorts announced their decision to transform their group into a new wave act. With
Vince Neil now on board,
Mötley Crüe became a cult favorite on the L.A. circuit, infamously known for such theatrics as setting
Sixx's pants on fire midsong.
The band soon secured management with Allan Coffman, who financed recording sessions for a debut album. Initially released in November 1981 by Lethur Records -- a small, independent label launched by Coffman and the band --
Too Fast for Love sold a surprising 20,000 copies. It also prompted a Canadian tour, where the musicians made headlines by wearing their spike-laden stage attire onto the plane, carrying suitcases of pornographic material through airport security, and fielding death threats from incensed fans in Edmonton. Such exposure only served to fuel
Mötley Crüe's sensationalist appeal, generating the sort of shocked press coverage that the band desired.
Back at home, Elektra Records had become impressed by the band's popularity in local venues, prompting the label to sign
Mötley Crüe before releasing a new, remastered version of
Too Fast for Love. Following the band's return to California, Elektra also released the sophomore effort
Shout at the Devil in 1983. The video for "Looks That Kill" became an MTV hit, broadcasting the group's glammed-up theatrics to an audience unfamiliar with
Mötley Crüe's popularity on the club circuit, and the record went platinum as a result.
Shout at the Devil sold an additional million copies in 1984, but the party was brought to a temporary standstill when
Vince Neil crashed his car on December 8, killing passenger
Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley of
Hanoi Rocks. The other victims emerged with broken bones and brain damage, while a relatively unscathed
Neil was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. He was ultimately incarcerated for 15 days in 1986, in addition to performing community service and paying a large cash settlement. By the time
Neil was sentenced, however, the band's newest record,
Theatre of Pain, had already enjoyed a lengthy stay on the charts, cementing the band's mainstream status and producing
Mötley Crüe's first Top 40 hit with a cover of
Brownsville Station's "Smokin' in the Boys' Room."
Neil's stint in jail was brief, and the band was free to continue its decadent reign.
Under the management of Doug Thaler and Doc McGhee, the latter of whom also managed
Bon Jovi,
Mötley Crüe's popularity expanded throughout the latter half of the '80s. "Home Sweet Home," a power ballad from
Theatre of Pain, yielded another popular music video, while a 44-minute home video cassette entitled Uncensored was issued in 1986 to multi-platinum sales. Meanwhile,
Lee married actress Heather Locklear, and the band returned to the studio to record a fourth album,
Girls, Girls, Girls. Released during the band's substance-addled heyday in 1987, the album debuted at number two, with the raunchy title track becoming
Mötley Crüe's second Top 40 hit. The group quickly embarked on a headlining tour, but the European dates were canceled when
Sixx suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose. He was pronounced legally dead en route to the hospital, only to be revived by two shots of adrenaline to the heart. Upon returning home,
Sixx immediately shot up once again. Shocked, Thaler and McGhee urged their clients to enter a drug rehabilitation program, and
Mötley Crüe remained out of the spotlight while the bandmates cleaned up their act.
They returned in 1989 -- clean and sober this time -- with the release of
Dr. Feelgood, a muscled album that became
Mötley Crüe's first release to top the Billboard charts. Meanwhile, the title track became the band's first Top Ten hit, and a string of additional singles -- "Kickstart My Heart" (inspired by
Sixx's brush with death), "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," and "Without You" -- made
Dr. Feelgood the most successful
Crüe album to date. After another worldwide tour, the compilation album
Decade of Decadence arrived in 1991, propelled to multi-platinum status by a new version of "Home Sweet Home" that became the band's final Top 40 hit.
After creating their own record label, Mötley Records, the bandmates signed a renewed contract with Elektra for $25 million. The music industry had begun to devote most of its attention to grunge music, however, and the pressure to keep pace with changing trends took its toll on the band's camaraderie. In 1992, sessions for
Mötley Crüe's next album turned ugly, leading to the dismissal (or departure, depending on the source) of
Neil, who was replaced by
the Scream's
John Corabi. The revised band issued
Mötley Crüe in 1994, which peaked at number seven in the U.S. and eventually went gold. Such an attempt to embrace a new, grungier sound proved to be a commercial disappointment, however, as did the band's supporting tour.
Corabi was fired in 1997 at the label's behest, and
Neil returned to the lineup for the release of
Generation Swine. The subject of a heavy marketing campaign,
Generation Swine debuted at number four, although it failed to generate any significant singles. Meanwhile,
Corabi resurfaced alongside former
Kiss guitarist
Bruce Kulick in the group
Union.
Shortly after the release of
Greatest Hits in 1998,
Tommy Lee was arrested for spousal abuse against
Pamela Anderson. He spent most of the year in jail, effectively killing any momentum generated by the gold-selling status of
Greatest Hits and
Generation Swine. Meanwhile, the group's contract with Elektra fell apart, prompting Mötley Records to switch its affiliation to the Beyond label. The band acquired the rights to its back catalog in the process.
After numerous bitter encounters with
Neil,
Tommy Lee left the band in 1999 to form
Methods of Mayhem, which released a self-titled debut album later that year. He was replaced by former
Ozzy Osbourne drummer
Randy Castillo, and the revamped lineup celebrated its acquisition of the
Crüe catalog by issuing remastered editions of every studio album, as well as the rarities collection
Supersonic and Demonic Relics. A collection of new material,
New Tattoo, appeared in the summer of 2000 to a lukewarm reception, and
Castillo became stricken with an undisclosed illness on the eve of the requisite tour. While he recuperated at home, the band temporarily enlisted
Hole's drummer (and lifelong
Crüe fan),
Samantha Maloney, to handle percussion duties.
In May 2001, the band issued a best-selling, tell-all biography entitled The Dirt. During the downtime that followed its release,
Neil launched a brief solo tour of U.S. clubs and
Sixx wrote material for other artists, including
Tantric,
Meat Loaf,
Faith Hill,
Tim McGraw, and
James Michael. Sadly,
Castillo succumbed to cancer during the following spring, prompting the band to continue its hiatus. Although
Sixx speculated publicly about the possibility of a reunion tour,
Tommy Lee quickly rebutted such rumors, claiming that his relationship with
Vince Neil was simply too poor for any sort of reconciliation. Controversy surrounded the band again as former producer
Tom Werman sued for unpaid royalties,
Neil's former wife Heidi Mark publicly accused him of physical abuse, and
Neil was kicked off a nationally syndicated radio show for being too drunk to maintain an interview.
Rumors of a reunion continued to swirl throughout the following two years, even as
Mötley Crüe's members remained loyal to their individual projects. Both
Tommy Lee and
Vince Neil participated in celebrity TV shows --
Lee as the focus of an NBC series that featured the drummer attending college classes, and
Neil in the first season of The Surreal Life -- while
Sixx toured and released an album with his new band,
Brides of Destruction. In late 2004, however, the four original members announced a full-scale reunion tour for the following year, marking their first outing since the late '90s. The tour coincided with the February release of
Mötley Crüe's double-disc greatest-hits collection,
Red, White & Crüe, which went platinum within six months of its release. The reunion tour was further celebrated by the release of a concert album,
Carnival of Sins Live, in 2006, while a record of new material,
Saints of Los Angeles, arrived in 2008. In keeping with their recent dedication to the road, the bandmates subsequently unveiled plans for Crüe Fest, a summer package tour that netted over $40 million during its inaugural year.
– Andrew Leahey, Rovi