Vince Neil
Encyclopedia
Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American
vocalist
and musician
, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal
band Mötley Crüe
.
to Odie and Shirley Wharton. During the 1960s, his family moved around Southern California
from Inglewood
to Watts, before finally settling in Glendora
attending Sunflower Intermediate School and later Royal Oak High School. As well as having an interest in music while a teenager, Neil was also interested in surfing, basketball, baseball, football and wrestling.
in 1981. Neil had been friends with Tommy Lee
in high school. Mötley Crüe was looking for a lead vocalist at the time and were impressed by Neil after hearing him through Lee. Mötley Crüe released its first album, Too Fast for Love
, the same year. In 1983, Mötley Crüe released Shout at the Devil
, which established the band as a big act in rock and roll.
In 1985, Neil regrouped with Mötley Crüe to record Theatre of Pain
. In 1987, the band recorded the album Girls, Girls, Girls. In 1989, the band released their highest-selling album, Dr. Feelgood
.
Neil sued Motley Crue for 25% of their future profits and $5 million in damages for being fired.
In 1992, Neil released his first single. He stated that the song was written in twenty minutes with his friends Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw. The single "You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)" was featured on the Encino Man
soundtrack. Neil made a video for the song that featured a cameo by Pauly Shore
. The video does not feature guitarist Steve Stevens
as Stevens was hired after the song and video had been released. Stevens re-recorded the song for Neil's first solo album. Neil performed the song live on the MTV Movie Awards.
Exposed, was Neil's first solo album and was released in 1993. The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard charts. The album featured Stevens, who subsequently played all bass and guitar tracks on "Exposed", Dave Marshall, Robbie Crane
, and Vik Foxx. The band eventually went on tour, opening for Van Halen.
, an industrial
-oriented album produced by the Dust Brothers
. The album was recorded and was put on hold while Neil was dealing with the illness of his daughter Skylar. It sold fewer than 100,000 copies in the US, and Neil's contract with Warner Bros. Records
eventually came to an end. The album was re-released in 2004.
.jpg)
Vince Neil has toured his solo band, which consisted of Slaughter
members Jeff Blando
and Dana Strum
, as well as drummer Zoltan Chaney.
episode aired on VH1
in December 1998. The episode became the highest rated in the series. The DVD was issued with ten extra minutes of footage in December 1999.
By 1997, both Neil's solo career and Mötley Crüe's fortunes were declining and he accepted their invitation to rejoin the band. They released the album Generation Swine
which debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts. It wasn't long before tension erupted again, this time prompting Tommy Lee
to leave the band. They replaced him with Randy Castillo
and recorded New Tattoo
in 2000, but things came to a halt when Castillo died from cancer in 2002.
Motley Crue released the new studio album album "Saints of Los Angeles
" in 2008.
in 2010. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album Live at the Whisky: One Night Only
in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years. The album is a soundtrack to the book Vince released in the same year "Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen". Each song on the album corresponds with a chapter in the book.
In 1998, Mötley Crüe opened a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles called, "S’Crüe", which stocks clothes from both Sixx and Neil’s clothing lines (Outlaw and Bad Bones), along with CDs, the Mötley Brüe drink and other items. The store closed in January 1999, with the band deciding to sell the items online.
In 2006, Neil opened his own tattoo parlor called Vince Neil Ink. The shop is located on the Las Vegas Strip.
Neil founded Vince Vineyards, a winemaking venture that produced a 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Sonoma County Chardonnay. He also produces a limited edition Petite Sirah through EOS Estate Winery.
In 2005, Neil created the "Off The Strip Poker Tournament", which takes place in Las Vegas.
In 2007, Neil launched his own brand of tequila called Tres Rios. Neil debuted the tequila at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February 2007.
Neil opened Dr. Feelgood's Bar and Grill in West Palm Beach. It took over two and a half years for all of the members of Mötley Crüe to agree and sign off on the bar concept and location. It was finally determined that it would be located in downtown West Palm Beach, a stone's throw away from the ocean and within the high rent district of downtown. On January 19, 2008, Neil played a free concert on the streets of downtown West Palm Beach to celebrate the grand opening of Dr Feelgood's. In March 2009, Neil opened another Feelgood's in Miami Beach. Vince also owns a Feelgood's in Las Vegas.
Mötley Crüe were on tour in the U.S. Crue Fest
. Mötley Crüe announced that they will play the entire Dr. Feelgood album every night of Crüe Fest 2 to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.
playing the character
of Bobby Black, lead vocalist of the fictional rock band that consisted of Carlos Cavazo
, Randy Castillo
, and Phil Soussan
. Opening sequences of the film featured the band playing at Red Rocks Amphitheater, where Neil's character makes a grand entrance by swooping on stage via zip-line
. He then proceeds to die onstage under suspicious circumstances. Black's misfortunes continue even in death when at his funeral a mêlée takes place resulting in his cylindrical
plexiglass casket
rolling down a hill (obviously containing a dummy
of Neil).
In 2002, Neil was one of the cast member
s on the first season of The Surreal Life
. In 2004, Neil appeared on the special Remaking Vince Neil, which showed him trying to recharge his solo career. He also recorded the single "Promise Me" produced by Desmond Child
. The song was for sale on iTunes
for a brief period of time, but a solo album never surfaced.
Mötley Crüe's fortunes got a boost when Neil and Tommy Lee
put aside their differences and toured in support of the compilation album Red, White and Crüe
. The tour, dubbed Carnival of Sins, featured acrobats
, fire breathers
and a midget
as part of the overall circus atmosphere the band created.
In 2004, Neil played a tattoo artist in an episode of the CBS
sitcom Still Standing
.
In 2009, Neil worked on a pilot
for an A&E
reality-TV show
. According to Neil, the program would follow the singer and his family after his parents moved in with him. Neil told Eddie Trunk
of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show, "My wife [Lia] hasn't talked to my mom since the wedding," which took place January 9, 2005, in Las Vegas.
In 2010, he was cast on ABC
's Skating with the Stars
as a celebrity contestant who skated with professional ice skater
Jennifer Wester
.
and fashion model. The couple had one daughter, Skylar, before divorcing in 1993.
In early 1993, he began dating actress and Playboy Playmate Heidi Mark
after a blind date
arranged by her makeup artist. The two were engaged within two months, and married in 2000. After just 15 months of marriage, and several attempts at reconciliation
, they divorced in 2001.
Neil married his fourth wife, Lia Gerardini, in January 2005. The ceremony
was officiated
by MC Hammer
, an ordained
minister and fellow cast member
on The Surreal Life. In 2010, Neil announced their separation.
at the age of 4. He founded the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund in her honor. Since that time, Neil and the foundation have raised awareness and funding for various children’s illnesses. The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation has donated millions of dollars to The T.J. Martell Foundation, and it sponsors an annual golf
tournament to raise money for children with cancer. In the summer of 2011 Neil hosted a series of benefits called Rockin' The Red Carpet that benefitted MUSIC for RELIEF as part of his tour with Motley Cruëi, Poison and the New York Dolls.
hard rock band Hanoi Rocks
was on their second American tour and a first one ever to reach California. The two gigs meant to be held in Los Angeles sold out in twenty minutes. On the day they arrived in Los Angeles, December 8, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and the other members of the band (with the exception of singer Michael Monroe
, who was recovering from a fractured ankle) visited Neil's home and spent the day at Redondo Beach
. After partying for hours, Neil and Razzle decided to take a trip to a local liquor store in Neil's De Tomaso Pantera
. Neil, who was drunk, lost control of the car and hit an oncoming vehicle. The two occupants of the other car were seriously injured and suffered brain damage
, and Dingley was killed. Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, well above the California legal limit at that time of 0.10. In July 1986, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward Hinz, Jr. sentenced Neil to 30 days in jail, five years probation
, $2.6 million in restitution to the victims of the crash and 200 hours of community service
. Neil got out of jail in 15 days for good behavior; Mötley Crüe dedicated their third studio album, Theatre of Pain
, to Razzle.
Neil was arrested in 2002 for punching record producer Michael Schuman to the ground in a nightclub parking lot. Neil was ordered to pay restitution and complete community service.
In 2003, Neil was arrested again after accusations that he assaulted a sex worker at the Moonlight BunnyRanch by grabbing her around the throat and throwing her against a wall. On April 9, 2004, Neil pled no contest to battery charges and he was sentenced to a 30-day jail suspension, 60 days anger management, and was fined $1,000 plus court fees of $132.
On December 15, 2004, an arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault was issued for Neil after a fight during a show on October 30 where he left a soundman unconscious for 45 minutes.Police had given the singer a criminal-trespass warning before he left the club and headed to Houston for a Halloween show.
In 2007, Neil was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas after police spotted him making some erratic moves in his Ferrari. Neil later worked out a deal with prosecutors where he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in exchange for them to drop the DUI charge.
In June 2010, Neil was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Las Vegas after having allegedly smashed
a fan's camera and was released on $2,000 bond. On January 26, 2011, Neil plead guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to 15 days in the Clark County jail and 15 days under house arrest.
In March 2011, Neil was charged with battery and disorderly conduct after an altercation with ex-girlfriend, Alicia Jacobs. On May 2, 2011, Neil’s attorneys plead not guilty on his behalf during an arraignment and he was ordered to stay away from Jacobs then was scheduled to appear in court on August 8. On August 8, 2011, Neil’s trial was rescheduled for November 7 due to an unexplained emergency.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
.
Early life
Neil was born in Hollywood, CaliforniaHollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
to Odie and Shirley Wharton. During the 1960s, his family moved around Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
from Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
to Watts, before finally settling in Glendora
Glendora, California
Glendora is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073....
attending Sunflower Intermediate School and later Royal Oak High School. As well as having an interest in music while a teenager, Neil was also interested in surfing, basketball, baseball, football and wrestling.
First stint with Mötley Crüe
Neil was discovered while performing with his band Rock Candy in 1980, and joined Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
in 1981. Neil had been friends with Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass , best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
in high school. Mötley Crüe was looking for a lead vocalist at the time and were impressed by Neil after hearing him through Lee. Mötley Crüe released its first album, Too Fast for Love
Too Fast for Love
Too Fast For Love is the debut record of American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe; 900 copies were released in November 1981 on the band's Leathür Records label. Elektra Records signed the band the following year, at which point the album was remixed and partially re-recorded...
, the same year. In 1983, Mötley Crüe released Shout at the Devil
Shout at the Devil
Shout at the Devil is the second album by heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on September 26, 1983. "Looks That Kill" and "Too Young to Fall in Love" became huge hits and "Shout at the Devil" became very popular as well.-Reception:...
, which established the band as a big act in rock and roll.
In 1985, Neil regrouped with Mötley Crüe to record Theatre of Pain
Theatre of Pain
-Personnel:*Vince Neil - vocals*Mick Mars - guitar*Nikki Sixx - bass*Tommy Lee - drums, piano-Singles:*"Smokin' In the Boys Room" was released on June 24, 1985.*"Home Sweet Home" was released on September 30, 1985.-Charts:...
. In 1987, the band recorded the album Girls, Girls, Girls. In 1989, the band released their highest-selling album, Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood (album)
*Disc one contains the original albumThe original Korean LP edition does not contain the first two tracks, "T.N.T. " and "Dr...
.
Going solo
In February 1992, Mötley Crüe parted ways with Vince Neil. Neil had taken up Indy racing a few years earlier, often turning up at celebrity races. Neil enjoyed the sport so much that he eventually formed Vince Neil Racing. He was racing in the Indy Lights open wheel developmental series at the time. Neil retired from racing in 1992 after crashing his car during a race in Long Beach after the third lap.Exposed
Neil signed a solo deal with Warner Brothers for $4 million. He received a $2 million advance on his first record.Neil sued Motley Crue for 25% of their future profits and $5 million in damages for being fired.
Encino Man
Encino Man, released in Europe as California Man, is a 1992 comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin and Pauly Shore. The plot revolves around two geeky teenagers from Encino, Los Angeles, California played by Astin and Shore, who discover a caveman in their...
soundtrack. Neil made a video for the song that featured a cameo by Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
. The video does not feature guitarist Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...
as Stevens was hired after the song and video had been released. Stevens re-recorded the song for Neil's first solo album. Neil performed the song live on the MTV Movie Awards.
Exposed, was Neil's first solo album and was released in 1993. The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard charts. The album featured Stevens, who subsequently played all bass and guitar tracks on "Exposed", Dave Marshall, Robbie Crane
Robbie Crane
Robert Crane is the current bassist of the band Ratt.He moved to the Fairfax District of Hollywood, California at the age of 9 were he attended Bancroft Junior High and Fairfax high school. For his 14th birthday his father bought him his first bass guitar from Fairfax Music School in Hollywood...
, and Vik Foxx. The band eventually went on tour, opening for Van Halen.
Carved In Stone
In September 1995, Neil released Carved in StoneCarved in Stone (Vince Neil album)
Carved in Stone is the second album by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil and was released in 1995.It featured guitarist Brent Woods, who had previously played with Wildside and was later a touring guitarist for Warrant....
, an industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
-oriented album produced by the Dust Brothers
Dust Brothers
The Dust Brothers are the Los Angeles, California based, Grammy Award winning producers, E.Z. Mike and King Gizmo , famous for their sample-based music in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work on the albums Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys, Odelay by Beck, and the soundtrack to...
. The album was recorded and was put on hold while Neil was dealing with the illness of his daughter Skylar. It sold fewer than 100,000 copies in the US, and Neil's contract with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
eventually came to an end. The album was re-released in 2004.
Slaughter (band)
Slaughter is an American heavy metal band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada by lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum. The band reached stardom in 1990 with their first album, Stick It to Ya which spawned several hit singles including "Up All Night", "Spend My Life", "Mad...
members Jeff Blando
Jeff Blando
Jeff "Blando" Bland is an American guitarist who played for Michigan based cover Band, KODY LEE, Left For Dead and Saigon Kick...
and Dana Strum
Dana Strum
Dana Strum is the bassist of heavy metal band Slaughter. Before that, he was in Vinnie Vincent Invasion together with fellow bandmate, Mark Slaughter...
, as well as drummer Zoltan Chaney.
Reunion with Mötley Crüe
The band came back into the spotlight after their Behind the MusicBehind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
episode aired on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
in December 1998. The episode became the highest rated in the series. The DVD was issued with ten extra minutes of footage in December 1999.
By 1997, both Neil's solo career and Mötley Crüe's fortunes were declining and he accepted their invitation to rejoin the band. They released the album Generation Swine
Generation Swine
Generation Swine is the seventh studio album and final for Elektra Records by the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 1997. The album is the first to feature singer Vince Neil since Dr...
which debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts. It wasn't long before tension erupted again, this time prompting Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass , best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
to leave the band. They replaced him with Randy Castillo
Randy Castillo
Randolpho Francisco Castillo was best known as Ozzy Osbourne's drummer during the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, and later as drummer for Mötley Crüe, from 1999-2002.-Early years:...
and recorded New Tattoo
New Tattoo
New Tattoo is the eighth studio album by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe released in 2000. Artistically, New Tattoo shows the band going back to their earlier musical style that gave them commercial success in the 1980s. Long time drummer Tommy Lee left the band a year before, and was...
in 2000, but things came to a halt when Castillo died from cancer in 2002.
Motley Crue released the new studio album album "Saints of Los Angeles
Saints of Los Angeles
-"Saints of Los Angeles":The first single, "Saints of Los Angeles", was released on April 11 and started airing on radio stations on April 15, 2008. The song was given further promotion through the music video game Rock Band, being released as downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace and...
" in 2008.
Tattoos & Tequila
Vince released his third solo album Tattoos & TequilaTattoos & Tequila
Tattoos & Tequila is the third solo studio album by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album Live at the Whisky: One Night Only in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years since 1995's Carved in Stone.The album is largely made up of...
in 2010. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album Live at the Whisky: One Night Only
Live at the Whisky: One Night Only
Live at the Whisky: One Night Only is a live album by Vince Neil, lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, recorded at the Whisky a Go Go. The album includes songs originally performed by Mötley Crüe...
in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years. The album is a soundtrack to the book Vince released in the same year "Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen". Each song on the album corresponds with a chapter in the book.
Business ventures
In 1994, Neil gave up ownership of his "Bar One" club.In 1998, Mötley Crüe opened a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles called, "S’Crüe", which stocks clothes from both Sixx and Neil’s clothing lines (Outlaw and Bad Bones), along with CDs, the Mötley Brüe drink and other items. The store closed in January 1999, with the band deciding to sell the items online.
In 2006, Neil opened his own tattoo parlor called Vince Neil Ink. The shop is located on the Las Vegas Strip.
Neil founded Vince Vineyards, a winemaking venture that produced a 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Sonoma County Chardonnay. He also produces a limited edition Petite Sirah through EOS Estate Winery.
In 2005, Neil created the "Off The Strip Poker Tournament", which takes place in Las Vegas.
In 2007, Neil launched his own brand of tequila called Tres Rios. Neil debuted the tequila at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February 2007.
Neil opened Dr. Feelgood's Bar and Grill in West Palm Beach. It took over two and a half years for all of the members of Mötley Crüe to agree and sign off on the bar concept and location. It was finally determined that it would be located in downtown West Palm Beach, a stone's throw away from the ocean and within the high rent district of downtown. On January 19, 2008, Neil played a free concert on the streets of downtown West Palm Beach to celebrate the grand opening of Dr Feelgood's. In March 2009, Neil opened another Feelgood's in Miami Beach. Vince also owns a Feelgood's in Las Vegas.
Mötley Crüe were on tour in the U.S. Crue Fest
Crüe Fest
Crüe Fest was a summer 2008 tour by Mötley Crüe, which commenced on July 1, 2008 and concluded on August 31, 2008. It featured Mötley Crüe themselves, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M., and Trapt. Crüe Fest was said to be "the Loudest Show on Earth"...
. Mötley Crüe announced that they will play the entire Dr. Feelgood album every night of Crüe Fest 2 to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.
Television & film
In 1990, Neil had a small part in the film The Adventures of Ford FairlaneThe Adventures of Ford Fairlane
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is a 1990 American action/comedy film starring comedian Andrew Dice Clay as Ford Fairlane, a "Rock n' Roll Detective," whose beat is the music industry in Los Angeles. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
playing the character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of Bobby Black, lead vocalist of the fictional rock band that consisted of Carlos Cavazo
Carlos Cavazo
Carlos Cavazo is a Mexican-born American guitarist best known as the guitarist for Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. Born July 8, 1957, Cavazo is originally from Mexico City where their first band with his brother Antonio Cavazo was called Speed of Light...
, Randy Castillo
Randy Castillo
Randolpho Francisco Castillo was best known as Ozzy Osbourne's drummer during the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, and later as drummer for Mötley Crüe, from 1999-2002.-Early years:...
, and Phil Soussan
Phil Soussan
Phil Soussan is a bass guitarist, songwriter and producer who has gained notoriety as a member of a host of famed rock and roll bands, including some who have been fronted by such vocalists as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Johnny Hallyday and John Waite, as well as a membership in Beggars...
. Opening sequences of the film featured the band playing at Red Rocks Amphitheater, where Neil's character makes a grand entrance by swooping on stage via zip-line
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
. He then proceeds to die onstage under suspicious circumstances. Black's misfortunes continue even in death when at his funeral a mêlée takes place resulting in his cylindrical
Cylinder (geometry)
A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes, the surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given line segment, the axis of the cylinder. The solid enclosed by this surface and by two planes perpendicular to the axis is also called a cylinder...
plexiglass casket
Casket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
rolling down a hill (obviously containing a dummy
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
of Neil).
In 2002, Neil was one of the cast member
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
s on the first season of The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life is a reality television series that sets a select group of past-their-prime celebrities and records them as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks...
. In 2004, Neil appeared on the special Remaking Vince Neil, which showed him trying to recharge his solo career. He also recorded the single "Promise Me" produced by Desmond Child
Desmond Child
Desmond Child is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Career:...
. The song was for sale on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
for a brief period of time, but a solo album never surfaced.
Mötley Crüe's fortunes got a boost when Neil and Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass , best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
put aside their differences and toured in support of the compilation album Red, White and Crüe
Red, White and Crüe
Disc 2Single Disc Version track listing#"Live Wire"#"Piece of Your Action"#"Black Widow"#"Looks That Kill"#"Too Young to Fall in Love" #"Shout at the Devil"#"Girls, Girls, Girls"#"Wild Side"#"Kickstart My Heart"#"Dr...
. The tour, dubbed Carnival of Sins, featured acrobats
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, fire breathers
Fire breathing
Fire breathing is the act of creating a fireball by breathing a fine mist of fuel over an open flame. Proper technique and the correct fuel create the illusion of danger to enhance the novelty of fire breathing, while reducing the risk to health and safety...
and a midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
as part of the overall circus atmosphere the band created.
In 2004, Neil played a tattoo artist in an episode of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom Still Standing
Still Standing (TV series)
Still Standing is an American sitcom television series. It debuted on CBS on September 30, 2002, and ended March 8, 2006. Lifetime obtained the United States syndication rights to the show in February 2005 and aired it until 2009...
.
In 2009, Neil worked on a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for an A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
reality-TV show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. According to Neil, the program would follow the singer and his family after his parents moved in with him. Neil told Eddie Trunk
Eddie Trunk
Eddie Trunk is an American music historian, radio personality, talk show host, and author best known as the host of several hard rock and heavy metal themed radio and television shows.- Current work :...
of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show, "My wife [Lia] hasn't talked to my mom since the wedding," which took place January 9, 2005, in Las Vegas.
In 2010, he was cast on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Skating with the Stars
Skating with the Stars
Skating with the Stars is an American reality TV show. The show features celebrities paired with professionals from the world of figure skating. The show is based on the British show, Dancing on Ice. The show has a schedule similar to the first season of Dancing with the Stars with performance...
as a celebrity contestant who skated with professional ice skater
Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
Jennifer Wester
Jennifer Wester
Jennifer Nicole Wester is an American ice dancer. With partner and husband Daniil Barantsev, she is the 2007 Nebelhorn Trophy champion. They teamed up in 2003.-Career:...
.
Marriages
Neil married his first wife, Beth Lynn, in 1981; they divorced in 1985. In April 1987, Neil married Sharise Ruddell, a mud wrestlerMud wrestling
Mud wrestling is defined as physical confrontation that occurs in mud or a mud pit. The popular modern interpretation specifies that participants wrestle while wearing minimal clothing and usually going barefoot, with the emphasis on presenting an entertaining spectacle as opposed to physically...
and fashion model. The couple had one daughter, Skylar, before divorcing in 1993.
In early 1993, he began dating actress and Playboy Playmate Heidi Mark
Heidi Mark
Heidi Mark is an American model and actress. Heidi is of Finnish origin. Her father was born in Helsinki, Finland. She worked at her father's law office and Hooters. She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in July 1995. Prior to being a Playmate, she appeared on the cover of April...
after a blind date
Blind date
A "blind date" is a date between two people who have not previously met. The phrase may also mean:Television*Blind Date , a dating game show in the United Kingdom*Blind Date , a reality show in the United States...
arranged by her makeup artist. The two were engaged within two months, and married in 2000. After just 15 months of marriage, and several attempts at reconciliation
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
, they divorced in 2001.
Neil married his fourth wife, Lia Gerardini, in January 2005. The ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
was officiated
Officiant
An officiant is someone who officiates at a service or ceremony, such as marriage, burial, or namegiving/baptism. Officiants may be ordained by any denomination as members of their clergy, or by secular/Humanist or interfaith/interspiritual religious bodies...
by MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
, an ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
minister and fellow cast member
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
on The Surreal Life. In 2010, Neil announced their separation.
Charity work
On August 15, 1995, Neil and Ruddell's daughter, Skylar Neil, died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of 4. He founded the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund in her honor. Since that time, Neil and the foundation have raised awareness and funding for various children’s illnesses. The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation has donated millions of dollars to The T.J. Martell Foundation, and it sponsors an annual golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament to raise money for children with cancer. In the summer of 2011 Neil hosted a series of benefits called Rockin' The Red Carpet that benefitted MUSIC for RELIEF as part of his tour with Motley Cruëi, Poison and the New York Dolls.
Legal troubles
In late 1984, FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
hard rock band Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after the death of their drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley...
was on their second American tour and a first one ever to reach California. The two gigs meant to be held in Los Angeles sold out in twenty minutes. On the day they arrived in Los Angeles, December 8, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and the other members of the band (with the exception of singer Michael Monroe
Michael Monroe
Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm , best known by his stage name, Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician, and multi-instrumentalist who rose to fame as the vocalist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23...
, who was recovering from a fractured ankle) visited Neil's home and spent the day at Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
. After partying for hours, Neil and Razzle decided to take a trip to a local liquor store in Neil's De Tomaso Pantera
De Tomaso Pantera
The Pantera was a sports car produced by the De Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 to 1991, the last one being delivered to a customer in 1992.The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther".-History:...
. Neil, who was drunk, lost control of the car and hit an oncoming vehicle. The two occupants of the other car were seriously injured and suffered brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
, and Dingley was killed. Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, well above the California legal limit at that time of 0.10. In July 1986, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward Hinz, Jr. sentenced Neil to 30 days in jail, five years probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
, $2.6 million in restitution to the victims of the crash and 200 hours of community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
. Neil got out of jail in 15 days for good behavior; Mötley Crüe dedicated their third studio album, Theatre of Pain
Theatre of Pain
-Personnel:*Vince Neil - vocals*Mick Mars - guitar*Nikki Sixx - bass*Tommy Lee - drums, piano-Singles:*"Smokin' In the Boys Room" was released on June 24, 1985.*"Home Sweet Home" was released on September 30, 1985.-Charts:...
, to Razzle.
Neil was arrested in 2002 for punching record producer Michael Schuman to the ground in a nightclub parking lot. Neil was ordered to pay restitution and complete community service.
In 2003, Neil was arrested again after accusations that he assaulted a sex worker at the Moonlight BunnyRanch by grabbing her around the throat and throwing her against a wall. On April 9, 2004, Neil pled no contest to battery charges and he was sentenced to a 30-day jail suspension, 60 days anger management, and was fined $1,000 plus court fees of $132.
On December 15, 2004, an arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault was issued for Neil after a fight during a show on October 30 where he left a soundman unconscious for 45 minutes.Police had given the singer a criminal-trespass warning before he left the club and headed to Houston for a Halloween show.
In 2007, Neil was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas after police spotted him making some erratic moves in his Ferrari. Neil later worked out a deal with prosecutors where he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in exchange for them to drop the DUI charge.
In June 2010, Neil was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Las Vegas after having allegedly smashed
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
a fan's camera and was released on $2,000 bond. On January 26, 2011, Neil plead guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to 15 days in the Clark County jail and 15 days under house arrest.
In March 2011, Neil was charged with battery and disorderly conduct after an altercation with ex-girlfriend, Alicia Jacobs. On May 2, 2011, Neil’s attorneys plead not guilty on his behalf during an arraignment and he was ordered to stay away from Jacobs then was scheduled to appear in court on August 8. On August 8, 2011, Neil’s trial was rescheduled for November 7 due to an unexplained emergency.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Rock |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||||||
| 1993 | Exposed
|
13 | — | — | 44 | ||||
| 1995 | Carved in Stone Carved in Stone (Vince Neil album) Carved in Stone is the second album by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil and was released in 1995.It featured guitarist Brent Woods, who had previously played with Wildside and was later a touring guitarist for Warrant.... |
139 | — | — | — | ||||
| 2010 | Tattoos & Tequila Tattoos & Tequila Tattoos & Tequila is the third solo studio album by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album Live at the Whisky: One Night Only in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years since 1995's Carved in Stone.The album is largely made up of... Eleven seven music Eleven Seven Music is a record label founded by Allen Kovac, who is the CEO of 10th Street Entertainment.Eleven Seven has recently enjoyed success with the rejuvenated Buckcherry, whose label debut has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M... |
57 | 14 | 7 | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Live at the Whisky: One Night Only Live at the Whisky: One Night Only Live at the Whisky: One Night Only is a live album by Vince Neil, lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, recorded at the Whisky a Go Go. The album includes songs originally performed by Mötley Crüe...
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||||||||
| 1992 | "You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)" | 63 | Exposed | ||||||
| 1993 | "Sister of Pain Sister of Pain "Sister of Pain" is a song by Vince Neil. It was the single from his debut album, Exposed. The song was released in 1993.-Track listing:# "Sister of Pain"# "Blondes "# "I Wanna Be Sedated"... " |
— | |||||||
| "Can't Change Me" | — | ||||||||
| "Can't Have Your Cake" | — | ||||||||
| 1995 | "Skylar's Song" | — | Carved in Stone | ||||||
| 2005 | "Promise Me" | — | Non-album song | ||||||
| 2010 | "Tattoos and Tequila" | — | Tattoos & Tequila | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Motorsport Career
Along with Neil's passions of fast cars and fast women, he dabbled in motorsport in the early 1990's. This colminated in a part season in Indy Lights in 1992 with P.I.G Racing. He started four races finishing three of them and all point scoring positions. Also that year he took part in the celebrity race at the Gold Coast Indycar event.Complete CART Indy Lights results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | P.I.G Racing |  PHX 12 |
LBH Ret |
DET |
POR 12 |
MIL 10 |
LOU |
 TOR |
CLE |
VAN |
MDO |
NAZ |
LS |
23rd | 5 |
External links
- Vince Neil – Official website
- Vince Neil Official Fan Club – Official website
- Mötley Crüe – Official website
- Official Cruefest 2009 Tour website
- Racing Reference profile