Rock Hall Excludes Motörhead's Longest-Serving Lineup From Nomination

57th GRAMMY Awards - Arrivals

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's inexplicable blind spot for hard rock and heavy metal is well-documented, but that doesn't make the organization's handling of Motörhead's long-awaited and well-deserved nomination any less mind-boggling.

With any artist's induction comes the question of what members will be enshrined with the band.

The Rock Hall's new crop of nominations, announced Tuesday, includes only the band's Ace of Spades-era lineup with iconic bassist/front man Lemmy Kilmister, drummer Phil Taylor and guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke.

Controversially, the nomination excludes the band's longest-serving lineup, which includes Lemmy with drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell. Dee and Campbell played in the band from when Dee joined in 1992 until the band dissolved in 2015 with Lemmy's death. Campbell joined the band back in 1984.

The lineup of Lemmy, Dee and Campbell recorded 12 albums together and even won a Grammy in 2005 for the song "Whiplash."

"That is pure wrong, I would say, and I know Phil will be very disappointed, too," Dee, now the drummer for Scorpions, told Billboard upon receiving the news. "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 lineup. I don't think we would've been where we are today without the 25 years we spent touring."

Overkill and Ace of Spades albums, it's hard to argue the band would have the legacy it does if it dissolved in 1984 and was never heard from again.

Of course, given the Rock Hall's distaste for heavy metal and its impact on modern music, it's not hard to imagine the organization simply has no plans to induct Motörhead at all, and as such, didn't really look into it that much.

If the Rock Hall doesn't change the nomination to include Cambell and Dee, it's unclear who would actually accept the award if Motörhead is inducted, seeing as how all the band's original members are dead.

Photo: Getty Images


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