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Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.

Early life

Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton. During the 1960s, his family moved around Southern California from Inglewood to Watts, before finally settling in Glendora attending Sunflower Intermediate School and later Royal Oak High School. Neil eventually got in trouble at school for fighting and drug use, and was subsequently expelled. As well as having an interest in music while a teenager, Neil was also interested in surfing, basketball, baseball, football, and wrestling.

Career

First stint with Mötley Crüe

Neil was discovered while performing with his band, Rock Candy in 1980, and joined Mötley Crüe in 1981. Neil had been friends with Tommy Lee in high school (at one point, Neil lived in Lee's van, then Lee's parents invited him in, and Neil slept beside Lee's bed). 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. In 1983, Mötley Crüe released Shout at the Devil, a blockbuster success that has established the band as a big act at the time in rock and roll.

In 1985, Neil regrouped with Mötley Crüe to record Theatre of Pain. The band subsequently recorded the hugely successful Girls, Girls, Girls (1987). The band then released their highest-selling album, Dr. Feelgood, in 1989 after going through drug rehabilitation. The band's stint in rehab was due to bassist Nikki Sixx's overdose on heroin in December 1987. Sixx was revived by two adrenaline shots to the heart, which inspired the hit song "Kickstart My Heart," but the band's management nevertheless cancelled an upcoming European tour and insisted that all members of the group go to drug rehabilitation with the admonition: "If you guys go to Europe, at least one of you will be coming back in a bodybag."

Going solo

In February 1992, Mötley Crüe parted ways with Vince Neil, both sides issuing different statements. Mötley Crüe claimed that Neil was more interested in car racing and partying than the band's new music, and claims that Neil quit the band on his own accord. Neil claims that he was fired from the band, because he didn't approve of the band's new musical direction. Vince has stated that he was fired for being late to a rehearsal.

Neil had taken up indie racing a few years prior, often turning up at celebrity races. Neil enjoyed the sport so much, that he eventually formed Vince Neil Racing. Neil 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.

Exposed

Vince quickly signed a solo deal with Warner Brothers for $4 Million Dollars. Vince received a $2 Million Dollar advance on his first record.

Vince sued Motley Crue for 25% of their future profits, and $5 million in damages for being fired.

In 1992 Vince released his first single. Vince has stated that the song was written in twenty minutes with his good friends Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw. The single "You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)" was featured on the Encino Man soundtrack. Neil quickly made a video for the song which featured a cameo by Pauly Shore. The video does not feature guitarist Steve Stevens as Stevens was hired after the song and video had been released. Stevens re-recorded the song for Neil's first solo album. Vince performed the song live on the MTV Movie Awards.

Exposed, was Neil's first solo album, and was released in 1993. The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard charts. The album featured Steve Stevens (former Billy Idol guitarist and Atomic Playboys founder, and who subsequently played all bass and guitar tracks on 'Exposed'), Dave Marshall, Robbie Crane, and Vik Foxx.The band eventually went on tour, opening for Van Halen.

Neil started dating playboy Playmate Heidi Mark during this time. It was during a vacation to Hurricane Hole on Paradise Island in the Bahamas that Neil had a jet skiing accident and broke a few ribs.

Carved In Stone

In September 1995, Neil released Carved in Stone, an industrial-oriented album produced by the Dust Brothers. The album was recorded and was put on hold while Neil was dealing with the illness of his daughter Skylar. It sold less than 100,000 copies in the US, and Neil's contract with Warner Bros. Records eventually came to an end. The album was re-released in 2004.

By 1997, both Neil's solo career and Mötley Crüe's fortunes were declining and he accepted their invitation to rejoin the band. They released the album Generation Swine which debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts. It wasn't long before tension erupted again, this time prompting Tommy Lee to leave the band. They replaced him with Randy Castillo, who later on recorded New Tattoo with the band in 2000, but things came to a halt when Castillo died from cancer in 2002.

Vince Neil has toured his solo band, which consisted of Slaughter members Jeff Blando and Dana Strum, as well as drummer Zoltan Chaney.

Neil released a live album tiled Live at the Whisky: One Night Only, through Image Entertainment in 2003.

Reunion with Mötley Crüe

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The band got back together and released the album Generation Swine. To curb Neil's drinking, Sixx had the idea of fining band members $25,000 if they were caught drunk on tour. After a show in San Francisco, Neil's taxi driver told Sixx that Neil had been drinking the night before, which caused a fight between Sixx and Neil in the lobby of their hotel. Neil left the band telling the others that he would be better on his own. Sixx and Neil met a few days later in Los Angeles to discuss Neil's debts and drinking problems. Neil and Sixx became really close after that meeting; the only problem was with Tommy Lee, who at that point could not stand to be around Neil.

After the Mötley Crüe tour ended, Neil checked himself into rehab. He was also dealing with bankruptcy issues, and creditors were going after his assets, some of which were partly owned by other members of Mötley Crüe. It was during this time that Neil gave the green light for I.E.G. to release his sex tape.

Work on a new album in 1998 was halted due to Tommy Lee serving time in jail. Management decided to release a Greatest Hits album instead.

The band came back into the spotlight after their Behind the Music episode aired on VH1 in December 1998. The episode became the highest rated in the series. The DVD was issued with ten extra minutes of footage in December 1999.

In 1999, Neil got into a fight with Tommy Lee at an airport in Las Vegas. Lee happened to be under probation, and Neil started yelling for the police. Lee insisted that Mötley Crüe find a new drummer after the band finished the Greatest Hits tour. He also insisted that management keep Neil away from him before and after the shows.

Business ventures

In 1994, Neil gave up ownership of his, "Bar One" club.

In 1997, Neil opened a strip club called Girls, Girls, Girls which was located very close to Shibuya Station in Japan. Neil eventually pulled out of the venture.

In 1998, Mötley Crüe opened a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles called, "S’Crüe" which stocks clothes from both Sixx and Neil’s clothing lines (Outlaw and Bad Bones), along with CD's, the Mötley Brüe drink and other items. The store closed in January 1999, with the band deciding to sell the items online.

In 2006, Neil opened his own tattoo parlor called, "Vince Neil Ink." The shop is located in Las Vegas inside O'Sheas casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Neil founded Vince Vineyards, a winemaking venture that produced a 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Sonoma County Chardonnay. He also produces a limited edition Petite Sirah through EOS Estate Winery.

In 2005, Neil created the, "Off The Strip Poker Tournament" which takes place in Las Vegas.

In 2007, Neil launched his own brand of tequila called, "Tres Rios." Neil debuted the tequila at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February 2007.

Neil opened the Dr. Feelgood's Bar and Grill in West Palm Beach. It took over 2 1/2 half years for all of the members of Mötley Crüe to finally agree and sign-off on the bar concept and location. It was finally determined that it would be located in downtown West Palm Beach on Clematis street, a stone's throw away from the ocean and within the high rent district of downtown. On January 19, 2008, Neil played a free concert on the streets of downtown West Palm Beach, Florida to celebrate the grand opening of his club "Dr Feelgood's". In March 2009, Vince Neil opened another "Feelgoods" in Miami Beach. Vince also owns "Feelgoods"- located on West Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas.

Mötley Crüe were on tour in the U.S. Crue Fest. Mötley Crüe announced that they will play the entire Dr. Feelgood album every night of Crüe Fest 2, to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.

Television & film

Neil had a cameo in Police Academy 6: City Under Siege.

In 1990, Neil had a small part in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane playing the character of Bobby Black, lead vocalist of the fictional rock band "Black Plague", which also consisted of Carlos Cavazo, Randy Castillo, and Phil Soussan. Opening sequences of the film feature the band playing at Red Rocks Amphitheater where Neil's character makes a grand entrance by swooping on stage via zip-line. He then proceeds to die onstage under suspicious circumstances. Bobby Black's misfortunes continue even in death when at his funeral, a mêlée takes place resulting in his cylindrical plexiglass casket rolling down a hill (obviously containing a dummy of Vince Neil).

In 2002, Neil was one of the cast members on the first season of The Surreal Life.

In 2004, Neil appeared again on TV for the special Remaking Vince Neil, which showed him trying to recharge his solo career. He also recorded the single "Promise Me" produced by the acclaimed record producer Desmond Child. The song was for sale on iTunes for a brief period of time, but a solo album never surfaced.

It was Mötley Crüe that got the career boost as Neil and Tommy Lee put aside their differences and toured in support of the compilation album Red, White and Crüe which was supported by an extensive world-wide tour dubbed Carnival of Sins. The tour featured near-naked female acrobats, fire breathers and a midget as part of the overall 'circus' atmosphere the band created.

In 2004, Neil appeared in an episode of the CBS sitcom Still Standing, in which he played a tattoo artist.

In 2009 Vince Neil was working on a pilot for a new A&E reality-TV show. According to Neil, the program will follow the singer and his family after his parents have moved in with him. Neil told Eddie Trunk of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York City's Q104.3 FM last night (February 9), "My wife hasn't talked to my mom since the wedding," which took place January 9, 2005 in Las Vegas.

In 2010 he was cast on ABC's Skating with the Stars as a celebrity contestant who skated with professional ice skater Jennifer Wester.

Personal life

Marriages

Neil married his first wife, Beth Lynn, in 1981; they divorced in 1985. In April 1987, Neil married Sharise Ruddell, a mud wrestler and fashion model. The couple had one daughter, Skylar, before divorcing in 1993.

In early 1993, he began dating actress and Playboy Playmate, Heidi Mark after being hooked up on a blind date by her makeup artist. The two were engaged within two months, and married in 2000. After just 15 months of marriage, and several attempts at reconciliation, they divorced in 2001.

Neil married his fourth wife, Lia Gerardini, in January 2005. The ceremony was officiated by MC Hammer, an ordained minister and fellow cast member on The Surreal Life. In 2010, he announced their separation.

Daughter's death

On August 15, 1995, Neil and Ruddell's daughter, Skylar Neil, died of cancer at the age of 4. He founded the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund in her honor. Since that time, Neil and the foundation have raised awareness and funding for various children’s illnesses. The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation has donated millions of dollars to The T.J. Martell Foundation, and it sponsors an annual golf tournament to raise money for children with cancer.

In 1999, Neil filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Rocketdyne, claiming the company's alleged toxic waste dumping was responsible for the death of his daughter. Neil's suit charges that Rocketdyne knowingly dumped fuel in an area adjacent to property where the rocker and his family lived without warning to him and other residents. Neil says workers at Rocketdyne's plant and other nearby residents have been pursuing claims against the company due to increased cancer rates in the area.

DUI and vehicular manslaughter

In late 1984, Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks was on their second American tour and a first one ever to reach California. The two gigs meant to be held in Los Angeles sold out in twenty minutes. On the day they arrived in Los Angeles, December 8, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and the other members of the band (with the exception of singer Michael Monroe, who was recovering from a fractured ankle) visited Neil's home and spent the day at Redondo Beach. After partying for hours, Neil and Razzle decided to take a trip to a local liquor store in Neil's De Tomaso Pantera. Neil, who was drunk, lost control of the car and hit an oncoming vehicle. The two occupants of the other car were seriously injured and suffered brain damage, and Dingley was killed. Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, well above the California legal limit at that time of 0.10.

In July 1986, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward Hinz, Jr. sentenced Neil to 30 days in jail, five years probation, $2.6 million in restitution to the victims of the crash and 200 hours of community service. Neil got out of jail in 15 days for good behavior; Mötley Crüe dedicated their third studio album, Theatre of Pain, to Razzle.

Sex tape

It was during a vacation to Hawaii in 1993 that Neil recorded a sextape with pornstar Janine Lindemulder and model Brandy Ledford. The Internet Entertainment Group had plans to release the sex tape, and was the same company that went on to market the Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson sex tape. However, Ledford was just starting to make a name for herself in the movie and TV industry and refused to sign her consent. The sex tape was released anyway, but it was titled Janine and Vince Neil Hardcore Uncensored. Brandy Ledford's name was not mentioned, and the company blurred out her face.

Legal troubles

In 2002, Neil was the subject of an arrest warrant after assaulting a music producer outside a Los Angeles nightspot. The rocker eventually pleaded no contest to the charge and had his record wiped clean after paying restitution and completing 100 hours of community service.

In 2003, police in Nevada issued a warrant for Neil's arrest, after he allegedly attacked a prostitute at the Moonlite BunnyRanch, near Carson City.

The warrant stems from a July 10 incident involving Andrea Terry, a sex worker at the brothel, who accused Neil of grabbing her around the throat and throwing her against the wall. Neil faced misdemeanor battery charges and a bail of at least $1,000, according to a Dayton Township court clerk. He entered a no-contest plea to the charge and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, pay restitution and go through the booking process, which placed his fingerprints on file with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

In 2004, Neil was accused of knocking out an employee of the nightclub Gilley's Dallas, after a disagreement over sound levels during a concert. An arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault was issued for Neil after a fight during a show on 30 October. Police had given the 43-year-old singer a criminal-trespass warning before he left the club and headed to Houston for a Halloween show.

In June 2010, Neil was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Las Vegas after having allegedly smashed a fan's camera and was released on $2,000 bond.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

See also

• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

1. "Vince Neil". The New York Times.
2. Adam Lambert: Posted (1961-02-08). "Vince Neil | View the Music Artists Biography Online". VH1.com. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
3. Hoyt, Jeff (2006-06-20). "Wine-ing Celebrities". feature article. Novus Vinum. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
4. "Vince Fact Sheet" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-11-05.
5. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/11/11/pro-skater-pairings-host-and-color-commentator-for-abcs-skating-with-the-stars-announced-11114/20101111abc03
6. http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/group/vinceneil
7. Biography for Vince Neil at IMDb
8. http://www.lyricsfreak.com/v/vince+neil/biography.html
9. "Heidi Mark Files For Divorce… Motley's Vince Neil Now Single Again".
10. http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_1715751/vince-neil-and-heidi-mark/
11. Biography for Heidi Mark at IMDb
12. Love Notes people.com, January 31, 2005. Retrieved on 2010-09-13
13. Robin Leach. "Vince Neil confirms separation and reveals shockers in his new tell-all".
14. "www.skylarneil.org Skylar's Story".
15. "www.skylarneil.org Skylar Neil Memorial Fund Information".
16. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~cruekiss/84.htm
17. http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-10/news/cb-9353_1_rock-band
18. Frank Meyer (January 1, 2002). "Back To The Mystery City Of Hanoi Rocks". KNAC.com.
19. http://www.theprovince.com/news/Neil+arrested/3214629/story.html
20. "Vince Neil has been arrested on DUI suspicion". The Washington Post.
21. "Vince Neil Album & Song Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
22. "Vince Neil Album & Song Chart History (Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
23. "Vince Neil Album & Song Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
24. ^ "Chart Stats - Vince Neil". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

External links

• Vince Neil - Official website
• Vince Neil Official Fan Club - Official website
• Mötley Crüe - Official website
• Official Cruefest 2009 Tour website
• Vince Neil at IMDb

Template:Persondata

• Misplaced Pages introduction cleanup from November 2009
• Living people
• American heavy metal singers
• American male singers
• American racecar drivers
• American people of Mexican descent
• American musicians of Mexican descent
• Musicians from California
• Glam metal musicians
• Indy Lights drivers
• Mötley Crüe members
• The Surreal Life participants
• People from Los Angeles, California
• Vince Neil Band members
• People convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses
• 1961 births