Happy Birthday to Mick Mars

From all of us at 95 Rock we want to wish a very happy birthday to Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars. Born Robert Alan Deal he struggled for almost a decade in the California music scene before scoring the gig to play guitar for Motley Crue.

In the spring of 1981 Deal dyed his hair jet black, changed his stage name to Mick Mars and put an ad in the paper describing himself as ‘A Loud, Rude and Aggressive Guitar Player’ Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee gave him an audition and gave him the job.

It was Mars that suggested that the band be called Motley Crue. The story goes that while Mars in the band White Horse one of the band managers walked into the room and said "... Well isn't this a motley-looking crew. The name had stuck in Mick’s head and the rest is history as they say.

At the age of 17 Mars was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis a chronic, inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. It has caused him to become 6 inches shorter than he was in High School.