Childhood and Early Life
Lemmy was born on Christmas Eve in 1945 in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, England. When Lemmy was three months old, his father, an ex-Royal Air Force chaplain, separated from his mother. His mother and grandmother settled in Newcastle-under-Lyme, then moved on to Madeley, Staffordshire.
When Lemmy was 10, his mother married George Willis, who already had two older children from a previous marriage, Patricia and Tony, with whom Lemmy did not get along. The family moved to a farm in Benllech, Anglesey, North Wales and it was during this time that he started to show an interest in rock and roll music, girls and horses. He attended Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones school in Amlwch, where he was nicknamed Lemmy, although he is unsure why and it would later be claimed that it originated from the phrase "lemmy a quid till Friday" because of his habit of borrowing money from people to feed his addiction to fruit machines (slot machines).
He saw The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club when he was 16, then played guitar along to their first album, Please Please Me, learning the chords. He also admired the sarcastic attitude of the group, particularly that of John Lennon. Upon leaving school and with his family relocated in Conwy, Lemmy undertook menial jobs including working at the local Hotpoint factory while also playing guitar for local bands, such as The Sundowners, and spending time at a horse riding school. At the age of 17, he met a holidaying girl named Cathy. Lemmy followed her to Stockport, Cheshire, where she had his son Sean.
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