
He soon started to show an interest in rock and roll, girls, and horses.Īt school, Lemmy noticed a pupil who had brought a guitar to school and had been "surrounded by chicks." His mother had a guitar, which he then took to school, and was himself surrounded by girls even though he could not play. He attended Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones, a comprehensive school in Amlwch, where he was nicknamed "Lemmy." It was later suggested by some that the name originated from the phrase "lemmy a quid 'til Friday" because of his alleged habit of borrowing money from people to play slot machines, although Lemmy himself said that he did not know the origin of the name. They later moved to a farm in the Welsh village of Benllech, with Lemmy commenting that "funnily enough, being the only English kid among 700 Welsh ones didn't make for the happiest time, but it was interesting from an anthropological point of view".

Willis, who already had two older children from a previous marriage, Patricia and Tony, whom Ian disliked. When Ian was 10, his mother married former rugby player George L. He moved with his mother and grandmother to nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme, then to Madeley. When he was three months old, his father, an ex- Royal Air Force chaplain and concert pianist, separated from his mother. Lemmy was born Ian Fraser Kilmister in the Burslem area of Stoke-on-Trent on 24 December 1945.

It was once declared "one of the most recognisable voices in rock".


He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member, and a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975.Ī foundational force in the genre following the advent of the new wave of British heavy metal, Lemmy was known for his appearance, which included his signature friendly mutton chops, his military-influenced fashion sense and his gravelly rasp of a voice. Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy, was an English musician.
