80s Californian Rock act HOLY SMOKE, fronted by ex-WHITEHORSE singer Kenny Morse, plays a part in the history of one of America's biggest 80s Rock bands, MÖTLEY CRÜE, as the band included in its ranks for many years one Robert Alan Deal, a Baptist minister's son originally from Terre Haute, Indiana. Deal would re-invent himself under the more familiar guise of 'Mick Mars'.

Deal's first band was when, at aged 14, he had performed as bassist for THE BEATLES covers band THE JADES. Next up would be THE SOUNDS OF SOUL, alongside the Ruiz siblings, Tony on guitar, Johnny on bass and Paulie on drums. The guitarist briefly joined a Soul band in Fresno before journeying back to Indiana, founding WAHTOSHI with comrades Jim Cunningham and Mike Malone. When he was forced out of this band, due to injuring his hand in a laundromat, Deal founded a gospel band, but soon laid this idea to rest. It would be around this juncture that the budding musician discivered he was suffering from a rare, inherited degenerative bone disease Ankylosing Spondylitis.

During the summer of 1973 Deal caught a show by a band called WHITEHORSE at Pier 11 in Costa Mesa. The group, hailing from Ocean Beach, California and previously operational as FAT CITY, struck up a friendship with Deal. WHITESHORSE comprised singer Kenny Morse, guitarist Kevin Kohl and David Day, bassist Harry Clay and drummer Jack Valentine. Both Morse and Clay were ex-CATSEYE members, the bassist also having worked with future POLICE drummer Stewart Copeland in a band out of San Diego. Although officially billed as WHITEHORSE the group had almost adopted the title MOTLEY CROO, at Clay's suggestion. Management steered the band toward WHITEHORSE, after the Scotch whiskey brand, but original tracks were promoted as MOTLEY CROO. Deal would be inducted into the WHITEHORSE ranks, first appearing onstage in January 1974 at Mr. Lucky's venue in Denver, Colorado, taking over from Kevin Kohl and his temp, THE FRANTICS member Kim Sherman.

Throughout the mid 70s, WHITEHORSE, complete with the novel stage addition of an upside down drum kit, played across the USA, often putting in more than 250 concerts a year. The band had relocated to Huntington Beach. Musical tensions, arising from Deal's wish to pursue a harder direction, would come to a head in November 1975, when both the guitarist and Jack Valentine quit. An effort was made to form a new trio with ex-WOLFGANG bassist Gary Chansley but this floundered. However, Deal returned to WHITEHORSE after Kenny Morse opted out to create HOLY SMOKE. Meantime, the revised WHITEHORSE band, Deal, Day, Clay plus new vocalist Buzz Hatton and drummer Bill Forbes soon gained renewed momentum. However, Hatton dropped out in 1997, being swiftly replaced by Micki Marz (a.k.a. Michelle Meyers).

With HOLY SMOKE, Morse teamed up with guitarist Chris Noe, drummer Steve Jackson , John Gall and Barry Love. Eschewing the vogue for Glam Rock, HOLY SMOKE, after a brief flirtation with silver jump suits, opted for the basic Levis and leather approach and set out touring clubs nationwide, reaching as far as New York. Jackson would be replaced by Steve Meade then shortly afterward Morse persuaded his old colleague Bob Deal to drop his day job mending working on lawnmowers and motorcycles and join the band.

HOLY SMOKE then evolved into VENDETTA for a tour of Alaskan clubs. It would be opon his return to California in the Summer of 1980 that Deal adopted the title Mick Mars. It was whilst gigging with a re-branded TEN WHEEL DRIVE, then billed SPIDERS AND COWBOYS, that he chanced upon Frank Feranna at the Magnolia Liquor store in Burbank. Meantime, Morse dropped out of VENDETTA to briefly work with LONDON.

Sixx and Lee (having dropped his real surname) were extremely interested in Deal's potential. Deal, finding he had much in common with this enticing rhythm team signed up for the cause. A search for a second guitarist led them to infamous Hollywood club The Starwood to check out the rhythm guitarist of ROCK CANDY, James Alverson, but the trio come away impressed with the band's singer, Vince Neil Wharton. This caused a bit of a dilemma for this fledgling new band as Sixx had already offered the vocalist's position to a singer identified only as O' Dean. But Vince Neil (as he became) got the job and Mars, disagreeing with Sixx and Lee's original intention to name the band CHRISTMAS, delved into his past to come up with the name MÖTLEY CRÜE and, a month later, the group made their live debut at The Starwood opening for Y&T.