Motley Crue

White text over an illustration of a person with shaggy black and red hair a white vest, holding a gun and a paper with a red background

Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band that formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The band's original lineup includes bassist Nikki Sixx, lead singer Vince Neil, lead guitarist Mick Mars, and drummer Tommy Lee. Known for their flamboyant and hedonistic style, Mötley Crüe was part of the first wave of glam metal in the 1980's. Nikki Sixx has previously stated that he was originally “thinking about calling the band Christmas,” an idea that the other band members rejected. Mick Mars came up with the name Mötley Crüe, based on a phrase he had heard a former bandmate use - “a motley looking crew”. The band altered the spelling to Mötley Crüe at the suggestion of Vince Neil, with the two sets of “metal umlauts” possibly inspired by the German beer Löwenbräu, the band’s beer of choice at the time.

Mötley Crüe is one of the best-selling bands of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide. The band has survived multiple break-ups and changes in lineup, reuniting and retiring many times over the years. The original members are currently back together – still rocking and recording new music. The image on this button is Mötley Crüe's band mascot, Allister Fiend, a character created by Nikki Sixx and featured on a lot of early Mötley merchandise.