The First 21

Rock-and-roll icon and three-time bestselling author Nikki Sixx tells his origin story: how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx, chronicling his fascinating journey from irrepressible Idaho farmboy to the man who formed the revolutionary rock group Mötley Crüe.

Born Franklin Carlton Feranna on December 11, 1958, young Frankie was abandoned by his father and ended up living with his grandparents, bouncing from farm to farm and state to state. He eventually took a Greyhound bound for Hollywood. In Los Angeles, Frank lived with his aunt and his uncle-the president of Capitol Records. But there was no short path to the top. 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. And it's a road map to the ways you can overcome anything, and achieve all of your goals, if only you put your mind to it.