Vince Neil

Vince Neil (born Vince Neil Wharton, February 8, 1961 in Hollywood, California) was the singer for American hair metal band Mötley Crüe. He was found while performing with his band, Rock Candy, and joined the band in 1981 (see 1981 in music).

In 1983 (see 1983 in music), Mötley Crüe released Shout at the Devil, a blockbuster success that established the band as one of the biggest acts of the early 1980s. After a tour with Ozzy Osbourne, Neil was in a drunk driving accident near Redondo Beach, California. One of the passengers, Razzle Dingley (of Hanoi Rocks) died.

After completing rehabilitation, Neil and Mötley Crüe released a series of albums that continued to top the charts before Neil was fired following the release of Dr. Feelgood in 1989 (see 1989 in music). The reasons for the firing remain shrouded in multiple competing versions.

With Steve Stevens (formerly with Billy Idol), Neil began a solo career which quickly petered out, and he was asked to rejoin the flailing Mötley Crüe in 1997 (see 1997 in music). Despite the departure of Tommy Lee, Mötley Crüe released New Tattoo in 2000 (see 2000 in music).