How Lemmy Became One of the Biggest Rock and Roll Icons of All Time

It has been almost two years since legendary Motörhead frontman Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister passed away. Before passing in December 2015, Lemmy had battled numerous health issues such as hematoma and an irregular heartbeat that had forced him to cancel shows, but it was ultimately cancer that caused his death at 70 years old.

Following his death, friends and fans alike around the world expressed their condolences and grief. It was clear that Lemmy had had a huge impact on millions of fans as well as fellow musicians and performers throughout his life, often being referred to as legendary and iconic by the people who knew and loved him.

The Legendary Life of Lemmy Kilmister

When it comes to living a rock and roll lifestyle, there are few who could compete with Lemmy. As we’re sure dedicated Motörhead fans will know, Lemmy was born on Christmas Eve, 1945 in Stoke-On- Trent, England. As a teenager, Lemmy worked in a number of local factories and in his spare time practiced the guitar, a hobby he picked up having become a fan of The Beatles. As his guitar-prowess improved, Lemmy began to join bands including The Sundowners, The Motown Sect, Sam Gopal, The Rainmakers, Opal Butterfly and The Rockin’ Vickers.

As the ’60s came to an end, Lemmy spent some time touring as part of Jimi Hendrix’s crew before eventually joining Hawkwind as a bassist. He soon became the central piece of the space-rock band’s sound, as his bass techniques led to powerful, pulsating, aggressive rhythms. Not too long after joining, Lemmy was named the lead singer and after the release of “Silver Machine”, Hawkwind became a pillar in the London music scene.

Motörhead & Lemmy’s Impact on Music

In 1975, Lemmy left Hawkwind and decided to form his own band named after the last song he had written: Motörhead. Joined by guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, Motörhead soon made a name for themselves on the local circuit. Of course, their most well-known song “Ace of Spades” was a huge hit in the ’80s, though fans will of course recognize “Stay Clean” and “Overkill”. The band sounded completely different to anything that’d been heard before thanks to Lemmy’s gravely snarl, and soon inspired new waves of British heavy metal, D-beat and thrash metal.

Needless to say, Lemmy’s impact on music cannot be overstated. His band managed to straddle the worlds of punk and metal with ease, something that few other bands have done successfully. Lemmy worked with and has been cited as inspiration for some of the world’s leading musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, Slash and Brian May. He cast himself as a loner who rarely shared any information about his personal life, and yet he was so relatable in his music that thousands of fans adored him.

Industry-Transcending Influence

Of course, Lemmy’s reach outstretched the music industry, as he was known to appear in movies from time to time, often playing a caricature of himself. Tromeo and Juliet (1996), Down and Out with The Dolls (2001) and Return to Nuke ‘Em High Vol. 1 (2013), where just some of the movies he acted in, though he appeared in far more documentaries as himself. Over one hundred documentaries in fact, including Ozzy Osbourne: Don’t Blame Me (1991), Sonic Revolution: A Celebration of the MC5 (2003) and Foo Fighters: Hyde Park (2006). Motörhead also starred in a number of documentaries chronicling their career, with the most renowned being Lemmy (2016). As for television, it seems you couldn’t look at any media without being reminded of Lemmy. Motörhead even made an appearance in The Young Ones, an extremely popular British sitcom watched by millions on BBC.

Never one to let an opportunity in a new industry pass him by, Lemmy also became involved in video games offering his voice talents, music and acting skills to a number of titles. Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006) was the first, but before long Lemmy and Motörhead were featuring on the incredibly popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band games series. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the name of their most well-known song, Motörhead also joined the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Ray Charles in the Las Vegas-related music Hall of Fame. In fact, online casino software developer NetEnt dedicated an entire slot to Motörhead in their NetEnt Rocks Trilogy which also has Guns N Roses and Jimi Hendrix-centric slots. There’s no doubt these games introduced the band’s music to an entirely new generation, ensuring that they would live on even when the members could not.

So, there we have it: the detailed history of how Lemmy Kilmister became one of the most iconic, legendary musicians of all time. Even two years after his passing, Lemmy remains an astonishingly famous individual, and we hope this continues for many years to come.

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