Thomas Lee Bass, more widely known as Tommy Lee, was born on October 3, 1962 in Athens, Greece to Colonel Donald Arthur Dude Lee (1932–2016) and Shirley Jean Bass (née Shaw; born 1934). At age five, he moved with his family to San Diego, California where he was raised. In 1978, Lee’s parents divorced and he moved with his mother to Rochester, New York while his father stayed in San Diego. In 1979, he moved back to San Diego to live with his father and was enrolled at Kearny High School. From Motley Crue to Methods of Mayhem: The Thomas Lee Bass Story
Table of Contents
Lifetime Overview
Thomas Lee Bass was born in 1962 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up playing the drums and soon developed a passion for music. In 1981, he co-founded the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe with bassist Nikki Sixx. The band became one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. In 1999, Lee founded the rap metal band Methods of Mayhem, which released two albums before disbanding in 2002. Since then, he has continued to play with Mötley Crüe and pursue solo musical projects. His latest album (2013) is called Only Everything, and features collaborations with artists such as Avril Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, Jay Z, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Redman and Jada Pinkett Smith. From Motley Crue to Methods of Mayhem: The Thomas Lee Bass Story
Childhood
Thomas Lee Bass was born on October 3, 1962, in Athens, Greece. His father, David Bass, was a businessman, and his mother, Lorelei Lee Bass, was a model and actress. When he was four years old, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. As a child, he showed an interest in music and drums. He began playing drums when he was eight years old and played in various bands throughout high school. In 1980, Bass graduated from Van Nuys High School. That same year, he met Nikki Sixx while Sixx was doing a photoshoot for Rock Scene magazine at the Hollywood Palladium where they were both performing with their respective bands.
Music Career
Thomas Lee Bass was born on October 3, 1962, in Athens, Greece. His father, David Lee Thomas Bass, was an American soldier stationed in Greece at the time. When Thomas was three, his family moved back to the United States and settled in California. Bass began playing drums at an early age and by the time he was a teenager, he was already playing in local bands. In 1981, he co-founded the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe with bassist Nikki Sixx. Bass is credited as being the primary songwriter for many of their songs from Shout at the Devil (1983) onwards. He also contributed backing vocals to their 1987 album Girls Girls Girls. After nearly twenty years with Mötley Crüe, Bass left in 1994 to pursue a solo career but re-joined for their 1997 release Generation Swine.
Life After Crue
Though he’s best known for his work with Motley Crue, Thomas Lee Bass has also had a successful solo career as a musician and producer. He’s also the founder of the rap metal band Methods of Mayhem. In recent years, he’s continued to tour and perform with both bands, as well as working on new solo material. His most recent album, Bassically, was released in 2017. It features collaborations with Steve Stevens, Doug Aldrich, Warren DeMartini, Kip Winger and more. For those who want an up-close-and-personal experience with Bass’ music without having to leave their living room couch, he has just launched an immersive music game titled Bassitude.
Personal Life
Thomas Lee Bass was born on October 3, 1962, in Athens, Greece. His father, David Lee Thomas Bass, was an American soldier stationed in Greece at the time. When Thomas was three, his family moved back to the United States and settled in California. He grew up in a musical household and began playing drums at an early age. In 1981, he co-founded the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe with bassist Nikki Sixx. That same year, they released their debut album Too Fast for Love. They went on to release seven more studio albums as well as one compilation album before disbanding in 2001. After Mötley Crüe disbanded, Bass pursued solo projects under the moniker Tommy Lee and founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem.
Q.&A.
How did you get your start in music?
I started playing drums when I was four years old. My father was a musician and he had a lot of instruments around the house. I just gravitated towards the drums and never looked back. After about six months, my parents knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
In junior high school, I switched from percussion to timpani and played with an orchestra at school. By then, my parents were telling me that if it came down to a choice between music or education, they wanted me to pursue music because they knew how good I could be at it.