When Motörhead were nominated for induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, only singer-songwriter and bassist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor were named as band members.
That left out two of the Birmingham heavy metal band’s longer-serving musicians, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee. Following complaints from fans and Dee himself, the Hall moved to correct its error.
Kilmister and Taylor died in 2015 and Clarke in 2018. Campbell joined the band in 1984 and stayed until Kilmister’s death. Before the Hall made its correction, Dee, the drummer from 1992, told Billboard the snub from the Hall of Fame was “pure wrong”.
“I know Phil will be very disappointed too,” he said. “We’ve been carrying the flag for 25 years together, and actually brought Motörhead to what it was. We did 25 years out of the 40.
“The original band lasted just a few years. They started it off, but as Lemmy said himself they wouldn’t have lasted another six months doing that line-up. I don’t think we would’ve been where we are today without the 25 years we spent touring.”
As the Hall biography now says, Dee and Campbell are generally credited with “pushing [Mötorhead’s] sound into new directions”, including seminal albums Orgasmatron, Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1916 and Bastards.
After Campbell and Dee were added to the Hall’s listing, a message posted to Mötorhead’s Twitter account said: “Thanks to everyone who spoke up loudly. Thanks to the Rock Hall for listening and adding Phil and Mikkey. All for one and one for all!”
The other nominations for induction in 2020 are Notorious BIG, Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, T Rex and Thin Lizzy.
A public vote is under way and the ceremony will be held in Cleveland next May.
This year’s ceremony is unlikely to be as Brit-heavy as last year, when Radiohead, the Zombies, Roxy Music, the Cure and Def Leppard were inducted.
Asked how he thought Kilmister would respond to the nomination, Dee told Billboard the singer would be delighted.
“I remember when we won a Grammy [in 2005] he was prouder than any of us,” he said. “He really glowed.
“I said, ‘Lem, this is pretty fucking cool,’ and he said, ‘You’re right, mate. This is great.’ And when we got our hands in the Rock Walk on Sunset in Hollywood, that was also a moment for him, and he was really proud. And this here [nomination] is the king of kings, if you will, so he would’ve been very, very proud.”
