Artists
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.
