Phil Campbell

Philip Anthony Campbell (7 May 1961 – 13 March 2026) was a Welsh rock musician best known as the guitarist of Motörhead from 1984 until the band disbanded in 2015 following the death of its founder and frontman Lemmy. He also performed with his band Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, which included three of his sons. Campbell was born in Pontypridd, Wales, on 7 May 1961. He began playing guitar at the age of 10 and cited influences including Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, Jan Akkerman, Michael Schenker, and Todd Rundgren. At the age of 12 he met Lemmy after a concert by Hawkwind and asked him for an autograph. By the age of 13 he was playing semi-professionally with a cabaret band called Contrast. He later performed with the pub rock band Roktopus in venues across South Wales. In 1978 he purchased his first Gibson Les Paul guitar at a New Year’s Day sale at a shop on Ealing Broadway in London; the instrument was later stolen but eventually recovered. In 1979 Campbell formed the heavy metal band Persian Risk. With the group he recorded the singles "Calling for You" (1981) and "Ridin' High" (1983). Some of these recordings later appeared on compilation releases featuring the band’s early material. On 8 February 1984, following the departure of Brian Robertson, Motörhead held auditions for a new guitarist. The final candidates were Campbell and Michael Burston, known as Würzel. Although Lemmy initially planned to hire only one guitarist, he decided to recruit both musicians after hearing them perform together. On 14 February 1984 the band appeared as the musical guest in the episode "Bambi" of the television series The Young Ones. Later that year the compilation album "No Remorse" was released.