Lemmy

Lead singer of the heavy metal band Motorhead.

Born:

24 DEC 1945

Place of Birth:

Burslem, Stoke on Trent

School:

Syr Thomas Jones, Amlwch

Trivia:

He's called Lemmy because he always used to say 'len'me a quid'!

Biography:

From drawing on the garage walls to being big Buddy Holly fans, Bill Murrell from Benllech tells us what he and Lemmy used to get up to.

"Lemmy's real name is Ian Fraser Willis, though he was Fraser Kilmister. Kilmister was the name of his father, a minister, but I think his parents parted and his mother married a former football pro, George Willis, who used to play for Bolton Wanderers.

The family moved to Benllech when Ian (Lemmy) was about 10 and they lived opposite us in a house called Proskairon on Bay View Road.

We went to Syr Thomas Jones high school in Amlwch, but Lemmy got expelled before the end of the fifth year - well, he sort of left of his own accord after an argument with a teacher.

They moved from Benllech when his mum bought a smallholding in the Conwy Valley and he went to work at the Hotpoint factory in Llandudno Junction - but he hated it - the work was really repetitive and it drove him crazy. He always wanted to get into music and moved down to London.

He was always really into music and we used to play a bit in Benllech. He played an old guitar his gran bought him which was inlaid with mother of pearl!

We were really big Buddy Holly fans and Lemmy was also in to Ricky Nelson and Elvis. But one of the first records to really make an impression on him was a B-side of Cliff Richard's Living Doll single, Move It.

We used to go and watch the Anglesey Stranglers, a group from our school who played in Benllech's Memorial Hall (which doubled as a cinema in the summer). Another big band in the area at the time was Mo and the Mystics - I think one of them, the 'mystic', is a magician/hypnotist around north Wales these days.

I met up with Lemmy again quite by accident while I was at college in Manchester and he was on tour with his band, the Rocking Vicars. They drove a white van with lipstick all over it. He went on to be in Hawkwind and they had a hit with Silver Machine.

Lemmy then formed Motorhead and they were one of the loudest rock bands in the world!

I think he liked Benllech as a child but then he wanted a bigger stage and moved down to London. He didn't have overnight success and really earned it in the end.

I recently went to see his old house to see if anything had changed. Unfortunately, the two ladies who now live there weren't in but I did see that the shed which Lemmy had turned into a stable still had it's door, cut in half - he was really in to horses as a boy. I'll have to go back to see if all the drawings of Messerschmitts and lyrics and things we wrote on the garage wall is still there. My mum's friend bought the house after Lemmy's family left and I asked her not to scrub the drawings off because I knew he'd be famous one day.

I heard somewhere that he'd designed wallpaper with a Messerschmitt design in it so those ideas he'd had as a kid were still in his head years later.

I've had a few letters from Lemmy over the years, especially before his book came out. He's invited me to go and stay with him in LA one day - I'll have to go." Bill Murrell

Lemmy's god-like status in the world of heavy metal looks set to be confirmed by the release of Lemmy the Movie in 2009. He continues to tour with Motorhead and release albums.

your comments

Jim Marsh from Blackpool
I knew Lemmy for several years during the 60's when he played lead guitat fro Rev Black and the rocking vicars. I went around with them with several of my friends and Lemmy came to my 21st in May 1965. I still have a live recording i did of them in 1966 at beat city in the Palatine Hotel in 1965. On this Lemmy sings a Yardbirds song "She's so respectable". As the lead guitarist he did crazy stuff like playng his guitar with a Cymbal stand and then launching it across the stage, as well as pushing the neck of his guitar through the front of one of the Vox speakers. They also appeared on the bill on the south peir supporting top band The Who. But most of the locals were in there to see the Rocking Vicars who were a legend in the resort
Fri Aug 3 09:30:15 2007

Mike Wilmore, Old Colwyn
I knew Lemmy when we both worked in the old Hotpoint factory in Llandudno Junction. Lemmy worked in the machine shop on the milling section mainly on the nightshift and myself in the tool room. His stepfather George was a fitter in the maintenance department. Lemmy, along with another machine shop worker, was sent home and told not to return until (for safety reasons) he either had a hair cut or agreed to wear a hairnet. Can you imagine Lemmy agreeing to wear a hairnet? Dave came back complete with short back and sides and Lemmy walked. There was a tale that he had been thrown out of the house and was living with a mate of his in a cave on the Great Orme in Llandudno. One night he could not make it to work as his mate had not returned with the good pair of shoes they were sharing.
Fri Jan 5 15:42:21 2007

wynn roscoe DJ
Hi everyone, including ian willis (lemmy)!! by the way you still owe me at least 3 games on the pin ball m/c at the caffe in amlwch port. if you dont agree then we need a new challenge. Anyway, I did my bit and ended up in South Africa having had great fun as a DJ in Wales - Here Comes the Judge Roscoe. Seems we Benllech lads had great fun when it cam to Motown sound in those days. Cheers and have one for me.
Fri Nov 3 09:54:48 2006

Steve Haywood(aka Yogi back then), Deganwy
Interesting discussions about Lemmy's early whereabouts. I have said before that I thought he was living in Colwyn Bay in the 'Ven' days. There is no doubt that he used to spend a lot of time in there and I remember him well. He had very long hair way before The Beatles, Stones, etc. I can remember being in the Ven with him and he was on the bandit or similar when some heavies came in and thinking he was a girl (from the back) were throwing sugar lumps at him. He turned round and scowled and growled, it didn't half surprise them and shut them up.

He always was a bit crazy, eccentric and unconventional so he's never really changed it seems. He used to be friendly with 'Ming' and they used to hitch hike all over the place before returning and regaling us with tales of adventures 'on the road'. After The Rocking Vicars he was in a band called The Motown Sect(who I think were based in Manchester), also the singer was from Colwyn Bay - I can't remember his name for sure - it might have been Hadyn? I believe he is sadly deceased. They played a tremendous gig supporting The Pretty Things at Rhos swimming pool - does anyone remember that. Also Hawkwind played in Colwyn Bay theatre with a very early Genesis. Anyone with tales of yore please get in touch.
Thu Oct 12 09:28:36 2006

keith llandudno
lemmy used to babysit for me when I was a baby boy he was a good babysitter and he was known by the name of Ian Willis and he was good mates of dave jones, haden banister, dave ushur and robbie watkins. unfortunately they are all deceased.
Mon Oct 9 10:17:22 2006

Les Howarth from Trearddur Bay
I first met Ian Willis (Lemmy) in 1959 in Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones in Amlwch. We had a bunch of friends including Bill Murrell, Christo, Roscoe, Hutchinson, all from Benllech. In 1960, both Lemmy and I met again in Llandudno, where he worked for Hotpoint and I worked for David Williams & Son, Builders St. Another friend of mine was John Richards, who still lives in Llandudno. The 3 of us used to visit the Venetian Cafe to listen to Lemmy strumming on the guitar and on the week-ends, we were all on the beer in the Washington Hotel, which was the in place at that time. ! You couldn't miss us walking down Llandudno as we had fake leather jackets, drainpipes and winkle pickers and Lemmy had painted a large eagle on the back of each of our jackets. I went off to sea and lost touch with Lemmy and the only news I have now is from Bill Murrell, whom I see every now and again in Bangor.
Mon Jun 19 11:59:32 2006

Martin Davies, St. Louis MO
My sister Cilla and Lemmy used to date each other in the early 70s during the Hawkwind days... before he got booted out and went on to form Motorhead. We would all hang out at the Greyhound pub in Fulham Palace Rd in West London to check out up and coming bands. And, what a really small world it is, Cilla and I lived at Rhos Newydd in NE Angelsey from 63 to 65, but never knew him then. Our social focus was more towards Llangoed and Beaumaris and Menia Straits - the tyranny of the Crosville bus routes.

So Lemmy my lad, if you stop by to read these emails, hi from USA.. oh yes you owe me a pint... :-) so take care and if your travels bring you to sunny old St Louis let me know.
Wed Mar 15 08:54:22 2006

Matt Lee from North Wales
Years ago before he was in Motorhead my mum used to go out with Lemmy and she says he's actually called Lemmy because people used to say his head looked like a lemon.
Tue Nov 23 18:26:33 2004

Joe Stoner, Bethesda
Lemmy was after any amount not just a quid! I met Lemmy many times in the 70s & 80s late at night at Service Stations where his addiction to one arm bandits was ledgendary, his need to feed the beasts had him accosting anyone who came within range. Hi Lemme, if you read this mate, I can't remember if I ever did lend you some change but I do remember backstage at the Hammersmith Odeon :) Is the bomber still in hock?
Tue Jul 6 17:37:34 2004

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