Vince Neil

American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.

Neil joined Mötley Crüe in 1980. He 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. The band then began a string of hit releases throughout the decade—1983's Shout at the Devil, which established the band as a big act in rock and roll, 1985's Theatre of Pain, 1987's hit Girls, Girls, Girls, and their highest-selling album, 1989's Dr. Feelgood—establishing the quartet as one of the biggest hard rock/metal bands of the '80s.

Following the band's first compilation album Decade of Decadence 81-91 Mötley Crüe parted ways with Vince Neil in February 1992. 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.

In 1992, Neil released his first solo single, "You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)," which was featured on the Encino Man soundtrack. Exposed, Neil's first solo album, was released in 1993, followed in September 1995 by Carved in Stone, an industrial-oriented album.

By 1997, both Neil's solo career and Mötley Crüe's fortunes were declining, so the band reunited with Neil in 1997. They released the album Generation Swine, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts. Tension soon erupted within the band, however, this time prompting Tommy Lee to leave the band. The other band members replaced him with Randy Castillo and recorded the album New Tattoo in 2000. The renewed band went on hiatus when Castillo died from cancer in 2002.