Original Motorhead Guitarist Larry Wallis Dead At 70

Glass Onyon | 09-21-2019

(Glass Onyon) Original Motorhead guitarist Larry Wallis died at the age of 70 this past Thursday, September 19th, according to Glass Onyon. They sent over the following:

Wallis was not only a member of the hugely influential psychedelic underground troupe The Pink Fairies but also was selected by Lemmy Kilmister himself to be the original guitarist for the mighty Mot�rhead. He also had an underground hit single in the UK with his solo track "Police Car."

Wallis's playing was as electrifying and thrilling as it was unorthodox and groundbreaking, which earned him accolades from everyone from Thin Lizzy to The Damned to The MC5. He had his first taste of the rock n' roll big leagues in 1972 when he joined UFO for a brief stint. Later that year he replaced Mick Wayne in The Pink Fairies.

In 1975, Wallis joined Mot�rhead where he recorded alongside Kilmister on the infamous 1976 On Parole album that was set to be the band's debut until shelved by the band's then label United Artists for its supposed lack of commercial appeal. The album was later released in 1979 but by that time Wallis had traded a spot on the stage for a seat behind the board, becoming a highly sought after producer particularly for bands from the Stiff Records label including The Adverts, Mick Farren and the debut single from The Members. In the decades that followed, Wallis would go on to sporadically release more of his own music and reunite with The Pink Fairies in 1987.

In 2017, Wallis teamed up with L.A.-based indie label Cleopatra Records to re-issue his 2001 solo album Death In The Guitarfternoon as well as a rarities collection called The Sound Of Speed. He will also be included in the next album from Alan Davey's Hawkwind-inspired supergroup, Hawkestrel in 2020.

The Cleopatra Records family would like to extend its deepest condolences to Wallis's wife, Janet, and their extended family.

Glass Onyon submitted this story.
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