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 Tommy
Lee, one of the most recognizable personalities in music, burst from
Sunset Strip obscurity to worldwide success with Motley
Crue, and later
with several of his own bands including Methods of Mayhem. With Motley
Crue, Tommy Lee reaped unprecendented acclaim, platinum sales, and
notorious excess. On more than one occasion he broke ranks to pursue
other interests but always found his way back, as in the reconciliation
that led to Motley Crue's sold out 2005 tour.
The phrase "larger-than-life" may be overused but it describes
well the many dimensions of Tommy Lee. Two massive-diameter bass drums
seem to embody his over-blown stage persona, dramatic personal life,
and forceful musical expression (wherein two drums serve his style
better than a single kick drum with two pedals). On Tommy's right bass
drum sits an LP cowbell, a necessary staple of heritage rock and roll.
Born in Athens, Greece in 1962, he lived most of his life in California.
During his late teens he met future Motley
Crue bassist Nikki Sixx
and tried his luck on seventies era Hollywood Boulevard. Motley Crue's
national and subsequent global success followed quickly. The band seemed
at once his destiny and his nemesis, as musical consensus and personal
camaraderie were often accompanied by disagreements in band, causing
Tommy to break ranks on several occasions.
Tommy Lee has always been a prevalent figure in the media and his
popularity seemed to reach a peak with the debut of his reality TV
show Rock Star Supernova and other television offers soon followed.
While in the early years his desire to bring drummers out of the shadows
(an intent he shared with legends Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Sonny
Greer, Keith Moon led to death-defying stage stunts in various suspended
capsules, for the long run it has entailed self-analysis and practice.
For this reason, Tommy Lee has never suffered critical slagging. A
powerful artist constantly seeking to stay contemporary his recorded
work that immortalizes at core a sensitive musician who knows the role
of drums implicitly.
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