Mick Mars Lead Guitar for Motley Crue

Mick Mars
Born: Robert Alan Deal
Birth date: May 4, 1951
Birth Location Terre Haute, Indiana
Mick Mars is the lead guitarist for heavy metal/glam metal band Motley Crue.
Career of Mick Mars

After his family relocated from Indiana to California, Robert Deal dropped out of high school and began playing guitar in a series of unsuccessful blues based rock bands throughout the seventies, taking on menial day jobs to make ends meet. After nearly a decade of frustration with the California music scene, the 30 year-old Deal reinvented himself, changing his stage name to Mick Mars and dying his hair jet black, hoping for a fresh start. In April of 1981 he put in a want-ad in the Los Angeles "Recycler" newspaper describing himself as a "Loud, rude, and aggressive guitar player". Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee contacted him and the three decided to form a band together. Upon Mick's prodding, they persuaded local Rock Candy singer/frontman Vince Neil to hop on board. It was Mars' suggestion that the band be called Motley Crue, a name that had stuck in Mars' head from his days as a member of a band called White Horse, who had once considered the name for their own use.

Unlike many of the hard rock/heavy metal guitarists of his era, Mars' guitar style is steeped in the blues tradition. He employs frequent use of a metal slide in his soloing and takes on both the rhythm and lead guitar duties of the band. In the studio and live, Mars frequently tunes his guitar down to D (rather than the standard E) to get a stronger and crunchier rhythm sound. The altered tuning also increases string slack to enable his characteristic hammer-on trills, pitch bending, and pinch harmonics during soloing. Mars has introduced the pedal steel guitar to many of Motley Crue's later recordings and live sets.

For the sum of his career with Motley Crue, Mars has created the aura of being a somewhat mysterious figure, letting the other members of the band speak for him in public and in print, despite being the eldest and most articulate member of the band. In what public interviews he has conducted, Mars often comes off as a very reserved and somewhat quiet individual, though not shy by any means. A home video made in 1984 and posted on the web by one of his former White Horse bandmates reveals Mars to be a rather jovial, wisecracking, down-to-Earth person-- one who obviously saw his fair share of adversity during his long rise to the top.

After an eventual split of Motley Crue in 2001, Mars dealt with worsening health problems, depression and eventual financial bankruptcy, reportedly giving up guitar playing. Mars' situation improved with the reformation of Motley Crue, kindling the desire to play again. Mars underwent hip replacement surgery in the autumn of 2004 that was followed with intensive physical therapy. Despite his precarious health condition, he was able to perform in the Carnival of Sins tour in 2005 and the Route of all Evil Tour with Aerosmith in 2006.

Mars has recently contributed his songwriting talents to the Swedish band CRASHDIET. Their second album entitled, The Unattractive Revolution, was released on October 3, 2007 and featured two songs co-written by Mars.
Mars is currently co-writing songs with John LeCompt (ex-member of Evanescence) and the other band members of Machina.

Family of Mick Mars

* Mars is the second of five children of Tina and Frank Deal.
* Two children, Les Paul (1971) and Stormy (1973), with first wife Sharon.
* One child (estranged), Erik (1976), with former girlfriend Marcia.
* Married to Emi Canyn (1990-1994)
* Older brother to Susie Deal.

Influenced By

* Paul Butterfield
* Jeff Beck
* Johnny Thunders
* Mick Ronson
* Rick Nielsen
* Ace Frehley

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