Larry Wallis
AS THIS ISSUE went to press Motörhead’s original guitar player, Larry Wallis, had died of a yet-to-be determined cause. He was 70 years old. The passing of Wallis means that drummer Lucas Fox remains the last remaining member of the group’s first line-up. Wallis played on Motörhead’s On Parole album, intended as their debut when recorded in late 1975/early ’76, but to Lemmy Kilmister’s eternal chagrin, shelved until 1979 when group’s career was already three albums old. By that time Wallis had long since been replaced by ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke.
Prior to linking up with Motörhead, Wallis and also featured Steve Peregrin Took, freshly booted out of Tyranosaurus Rex, and Mick Farren, previously of proto-punks The Deviants. By the time Shagrat morphed into the Pink Fairies in 1970, Wallis had left for a short and frustrating spell with Bloodwyn Pig.
