For four decades now, Vince Neil has been one of rock's most popular frontmen. To chronicle his long and impressive career, we've gathered photos from every year since he first burst onto the scene as Motley Crue's singer.

Born Vince Neil Wharton on Feb. 8, 1961, in Hollywood, Neil joined the Crue in early 1981. Later that year, the group released its debut album, Too Fast for Love, and quickly began building a rabidly loyal fan base and establishing itself as hard rock's new "bad boys." They spent the '80s releasing multi-platinum albums -- four, to be exact -- and selling out stadiums all over the world.

They also regularly made headlines for their wild and sometimes destructive offstage activities, which they documented in the unvarnished 2001 autobiography The Dirt. (The book was later turned into a successful movie.)

Neil began a solo career after being fired from the Crue in 1992, but returned to the group five years later. He spent the next two decades alternating between solo shows, Crue reunion and farewell tours and multiple appearances on reality TV shows.

In 2014 Motley Crue signed a document swearing they would never tour together again, only to blow it up five years later and announce a return to touring. The Stadium Tour would have seen the band trekking across the U.S. with Def Leppard, Joan Jett and Poison throughout 2020, however it was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here's a pictorial look at Neil's long and impressive career, in honor of the rocker's 60th birthday.

 


More From