Today (August 30, 2016) we want to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of Mikkey Dee to the Motörhead family!
In March 1992 Motörhead played what would turn out to be Phil Taylor’s last gig in Motörhead. The band had wanted Lemmy to get rid of their manager, Doug Banker, for some time. After an unsolicited visit from Todd Singerman, who insisted he should manage them despite never having managed a band before, the band met with Singerman and decided to take him on board, firing Banker. In the midst of this, the band recorded an album at Music Grinder Studios, in the city’s east part of Hollywood during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Three drummers participated in the making of the “March ör Die” album: Phil Taylor, Tommy Aldridge who recorded most of the material on the album; and Mikkey Dee, who recorded “Hellraiser”, a song originally written by Lemmy for Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears album. The March Ör Die album also features guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne and Slash.
Lemmy had known Mikkey Dee from the time when King Diamond had toured with Motörhead. He had asked Dee to become Motörhead’s drummer before, but Dee had declined due to his commitment to King Diamond. On this occasion, Dee was available and met the band to try out. Playing the song “Hellraiser” first, Lemmy thought, “he was very good immediately. It was obvious that it was going to work.”
Mikkey Dee’s first gig with Motörhead was on August 30 at the Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, NY. USA.
On 27 September, the band played a legendary show at the Los Angeles Coliseum with Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. They then toured Argentina and Brazil during October and conducted the ‘Bombers and Eagles in 92’ tour of Europe with Saxon throughout December.
Next, Motörhead recorded at A&M Studios and Prime Time Studios in Hollywood and the resultant album, “Bastards”, was released on 29 November 1993. In 1993 and 1994 Motörhead played 105 shows around the world.
The band’s 1995 touring schedule began in Europe in late April. In June, they went on another tour with Black Sabbath, until the band succumbed to influenza and headed back to Los Angeles, to Cherokee Studios in Hollywood where they were to record the “Sacrifice” album. During the sessions it became clear that Würzel was not his old self and he sadly left the band after the recording.
The band decided to continue as a three-man line-up and on June 13th 1995 the longest standing, world traveling, tireless and beloved by many, era of the band was born. The line up that blazed the globe for 19 years and 17 days, playing 1449 shows. Lemmy Kilmister, Philip Campbell and Mikkey Dee!
(The above two clips are from late summer 1995 and December 14th 1995 for Lemmy’s 50th Birthday party at the Whisky A Go Go.)
Stay tuned to this site and Facebook where we will share the definitive history of your favorite band and its never-ending legacy.
Here is some footage of Motörhead being inducted into the Rock Walk Hall of Fame in 2003, and some never seen footage of the Inferno tour of 2005.
