Biography
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.
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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. Campbell subsequently toured internationally with the band and remained a member until its dissolution.
Lemmy died on 28 December 2015. The following day drummer Mikkey Dee announced that Motörhead had disbanded and would not continue recording or touring.
After the band’s breakup Campbell began working on solo material. In February 2016 he entered the studio with former Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn to record a solo album. His debut solo release, "Old Lions Still Roar", appeared in October 2019 and featured guest vocalists including Alice Cooper, Rob Halford, Dee Snider, and Benji Webbe.
Campbell also led the band Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. The group originated from a project known as Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band, which performed on the Motörhead-themed cruise Motorboat. In November 2016 the band released a self-titled EP and subsequently performed as a support act for artists including Guns N' Roses, Hawkwind, Saxon, and Airbourne.
The band’s debut album, "The Age of Absurdity", produced by Romesh Dodangoda, was released in January 2018. Its lineup included Campbell and his sons Todd, Dane, and Tyla, together with vocalist Neil Starr. In April 2018 the band released a cover of the Hawkwind song "Silver Machine", featuring guest contributions from Dave Brock. Their second album, "We're the Bastards", followed in 2020. Later releases included the live album "Live in the North", recorded in 2021 and released in 2023 with vocalist Joel Peters, who had replaced Starr in 2021, and the studio album "Kings of the Asylum" (2023). Promotional videos accompanying the latter release featured the songs "Schizophrenia", "Hammer and Dance", and "Strike the Match".
Campbell lived in Pontypridd with his wife Gaynor and their three children. He died on 13 March 2026 at the age of 64.
Solo albums
Old Lions Still Roar (2019)
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.