Mötley Crüe co-founder and bassist looks back at his formative years in his new autobiography, The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx, revealing family secrets and the origins of his drive to succeed.

“If some young musician picks up my book, they’re going to go, ‘Oh, wow.’ Yes, it’s entertaining. And, yes, there’s revelations. But there’s sort of a roadmap in here to success,” Sixx tells The Day, before adding: “Don’t use my exact roadmap.”

The First 21, written with Alex Abramovich, charts Franklin Feranna's birth in 1958 to the date in 1980 - before Mötley Crüe founded - when he finally let go of his father and legally rechristened himself Sixx, a name he admits he stole from another artist.

Elements of his childhood seemed idyllic as he bounced from farm to farm and state to state, including Idaho and Washington. He put playing cards in the spokes of his bike to mimic the sound of a motorcycle and went to Dairy Queen. He sold worms for pocket money and played defensive end on the high school football team. (Later, in Mötley Crüe, he would paint dark stripes under his eyes as a tribute to those days).

But there was also neglect and a complicated family life. His father abandoned him early on and his mother was a wild-child, who once dated Richard Pryor. He reveals he had a sister, Lisa, who was born blind and with Down syndrome. He was never allowed to know her.

“I was angry for a long time and I think a lot of that anger fueled a lot of music. Drive and anger probably helped catapult myself and my band,” says Sixx. “By writing the book, I discovered a lot about my dad, discovered a lot about myself.”

Read the full story at The Day.

About The First 21:

Nikki Sixx is one of the most respected, recognizable, and entrepreneurial icons in the music industry. As the founder of Mötley Crüe, who is now in his twenty-first year of sobriety, Sixx is incredibly passionate about his craft and wonderfully open about his life in rock and roll, and as a person of the world. Born Franklin Carlton Feranna on December 11, 1958, young Frankie was abandoned by his father and partly raised by his mother, a woman who was ahead of her time but deeply troubled. Frankie ended up living with his grandparents, bouncing from farm to farm and state to state. He was an all-American kid—hunting, fishing, chasing girls, and playing football—but underneath it all, there was a burning desire for more, and that more was music. He eventually took a Greyhound bound for Hollywood.

In Los Angeles, Frank lived with his aunt and his uncle—the president of Capitol Records—for a short time. But there was no easy path to the top. He was soon on his own. There were dead-end jobs: dipping circuit boards, clerking at liquor and record stores, selling used light bulbs, and hustling to survive. But at night, Frank honed his craft, joining Sister, a band formed by fellow hard-rock veteran Blackie Lawless, and formed a group of his own: London, the precursor of Mötley Crüe. Turning down an offer to join Randy Rhoads’ band, Frank changed his name to Nikki London, Nikki Nine, and, finally, Nikki Sixx. Like Huck Finn with a stolen guitar, he had a vision: a group that combined punk, glam, and hard rock into the biggest, most theatrical and irresistible package the world had ever seen. With hard work, passion, and some luck, the vision manifested in reality—and this is a profound true story finding identity, of how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx. It's also a road map to the ways you can overcome anything, and achieve all of your goals, if only you put your mind to it.