American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. Classic lineup: Vince Neil (vocals), Nikki Sixx (bass), Mick Mars (guitar), and Tommy Lee (drums). The band has rarely deviated from this lineup — except for John Corabi (vocals, 1992-1996) and the 2022 retirement of Mick Mars due to ankylosing spondylitis.
Nine studio albums between 1981 and 2008. Commercial peak: Theatre of Pain (1985), Girls, Girls, Girls (1987), and Dr. Feelgood (1989, their only #1 album). Bassist Nikki Sixx's The Heroin Diaries (2007) and the band's autobiography The Dirt (2001, later a Netflix film) chronicled the band's substance-abuse history. The 2014 "final tour" was reversed when the band returned to touring in 2019.
