Iron Maiden

***Iron Maiden*** are an English heavy metal band formed on December 25, 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris after he left his previous group, Smiler. Harris attributes the band's name to a film adaptation of The Man in the Iron Mask from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, the title of which reminded him of the iron maiden torture device.

Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several line-up changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US platinum and gold albums, including 1982's The Number of the Beast, 1983's Piece of Mind, 1984's Powerslave, 1985's live release Live After Death, 1986's Somewhere in Time and 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band have undergone a resurgence in popularity.

Despite little radio or television support, Iron Maiden are considered one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history. For the past 35 years, the band have been supported by their famous mascot, "Eddie", who has appeared on almost all of their album and single covers, as well as in their live shows.

### Early Years (1975-78)

After months of rehearsal, Iron Maiden made their debut at St. Nicks Hall in Poplar on May 1, 1976, before taking up a semi-residency at the Cart and Horses Pub in Maryland Point, Stratford. The original line-up did not last very long, however, with vocalist Paul Day being the first casualty as, according to Harris, he lacked "energy or charisma on stage". He was replaced by Dennis Wilcock, a Kiss fan who used make-up and fake blood during live performances. Wilcock's friend Dave Murray was invited to join, to the dismay of the band's guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance. Their frustration led Harris to temporarily disband Iron Maiden in 1976, though the group reformed soon after with Murray as the sole guitarist. Steve Harris and Dave Murray remain the band's longest-standing members and have performed on all of their releases.

Iron Maiden recruited yet another guitarist in 1977, Bob Sawyer, who was sacked for embarrassing the band on stage by pretending to play guitar with his teeth. Tension ensued again, causing a rift between Murray and Wilcock, who convinced Harris to fire Murray, as well as original drummer Ron Matthews. A new line-up was put together, including future Cutting Crew member Tony Moore on keyboards, Terry Wapram on guitar, and drummer Barry Purkis (better known today as Thunderstick). A bad performance at the Bridgehouse, a pub located in Canning Town, in November 1977 was the line-up's first and only concert and led to Purkis being replaced by Doug Sampson. At the same time, Moore was asked to leave as Harris decided that keyboards did not suit the band's sound. A few months later, Dennis Wilcock decided that he had had enough with the group and left to form his own band, V1, and Dave Murray was immediately reinstated. As he preferred to be the band's sole guitarist, Wapram disapproved of Murray's return and was also dismissed.

Steve Harris, Dave Murray and Doug Sampson spent the summer and autumn of 1978 rehearsing while they searched for a singer to complete the band's new line-up. A chance meeting at the Red Lion pub in Leytonstone in November 1978 evolved into a successful audition for vocalist Paul Di'Anno. Steve Harris has stated, "There's sort of a quality in Paul's voice, a raspiness in his voice, or whatever you want to call it, that just gave it this great edge." At this time, Murray would typically act as their sole guitarist, with Harris commenting, "Davey was so good he could do a lot of it on his own. The plan was always to get a second guitarist in, but finding one that could match Davey was really difficult."

On New Year's Eve 1978, Iron Maiden recorded a demo, consisting of four songs, hoping the recording would help them secure more gigs, and the band presented a copy to Neal Kay, then managing a heavy metal club called "Bandwagon Heavy Metal Soundhouse", located in northwest London. Upon hearing the tape, Kay began playing the demo regularly at the Bandwagon, and one of the songs, "Prowler", eventually went to No. 1 in the Soundhouse charts, which were published weekly in Sounds magazine. A copy was also acquired by Rod Smallwood, who soon became the band's manager, and, as Iron Maiden's popularity increased, they released the demo on their own record label as The Soundhouse Tapes, named after the club. Featuring only three tracks (one song, "Strange World", was excluded as the band were unsatisfied with its production) all five thousand copies were sold out within weeks.

### Recording Contract and Early Releases (1979-81)

In December 1979, the band secured a major record deal with EMI and asked Dave Murray's childhood friend Adrian Smith of Urchin to join the group as their second guitarist. Smith declined as he was busy with his own band so Iron Maiden hired guitarist Dennis Stratton instead. Shortly afterwards, Doug Sampson left due to health issues and was replaced by ex-Samson drummer Clive Burr at Stratton's suggestion on December 26. Iron Maiden's first appearance on an album was on the Metal for Muthas compilation (released on February 15, 1980) with two early versions of "Sanctuary" and "Wrathchild". The release led to an ensuing tour which featured several other bands linked with the new wave of British heavy metal.

Iron Maiden's eponymous 1980 release, Iron Maiden, debuted at No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart. In 1981, Iron Maiden released their second album, Killers. The record was followed by the band's first world tour, which included their debut performance in the United States, opening for Judas Priest at The Aladdin Casino, Las Vegas.

#### "Eddie"

Originally a papier-mâché mask used in Iron Maiden's stage backdrop, the band transferred the name ***"Eddie"*** from the mask to an illustration by Derek Riggs, which was used as the band's debut album cover. Although he is occasionally described as "zombie-like" in the press, Eddie assumes a different guise relating to the themes of individual albums and their corresponding world tours, and has appeared as a cyborg, an Egyptian mummy and a lobotomised mental patient amongst others.

The very first version of Eddie was a mask made by an art student who was friends with Dave "Lights" Beasley, then in charge of lighting, pyrotechnics and other effects for Iron Maiden's live show. According to Beasley, the original mask was a papier-mâché mould of his own face, which was then used in the band's backdrop, consisting of lights and the band's logo. At the end of their live set, during the "Iron Maiden" song, a fish tank pump was used to squirt fake blood out of the mask's mouth, which typically covered their then-drummer Doug Sampson. After this initial incarnation, Beasley constructed a larger mask out of fibreglass, equipped with flashing eyes and the ability to release red smoke from its mouth.

Steve Harris states that the name "Eddie" comes from the fact that said mask was referred to as "The Head", which sounded like "Ead" in the band members' London accent but, according to Dave Murray the name was also inspired by an old joke about a baby born without a body.

Once Iron Maiden had secured a record contract with EMI, the band's manager Rod Smallwood decided that the band needed "that one figure who utterly stamped his presence and image on the band in a way that was obvious enough to make a good album cover." Smallwood set up a meeting with Derek Riggs and asked to see some of his illustrations, in the midst of which was the band's first album cover. Originally created as an idea for a punk record, the band had extra hair added to the illustration, making it more suitable to their style of music. Surmising that the creature had "great visual continuity," Smallwood decided it would be used for all of the band's artwork.

From 1980 onwards, the band's Eddie artwork was provided exclusively by Derek Riggs until 1992, when the band decided to accept contributions from other artists, with Smallwood explaining that they "wanted to upgrade Eddie for the '90s.

#### Derek Riggs

***Derek Riggs*** (born February 18, 1958) is a self-taught artist, both in his traditional painting and in his digital work. He also attended art school, but he was expelled after complaining about the course. Riggs' first picture of Eddie was originally entitled "Electric Matthew Says Hello," and was actually painted for a possible punk cover.

He has also worked with Iron Maiden lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson for his album Accident of Birth (1997), , Gamma Ray for their Power Plant (1999) album, and with many other bands and companies most of which are featured on his website.

**Find out more** at www.derekriggs.com.

### Success (1981-85)

By 1981, Paul Di'Anno was demonstrating increasingly self-destructive behaviour, particularly through his drug usage. With his performances suffering, Di'Anno was immediately dismissed following the Killer World Tour, at which point the band had already selected his replacement.

After a meeting with Rod Smallwood at the Reading Festival, Bruce Dickinson, previously of Samson, auditioned for Iron Maiden in September 1981 and was immediately hired. The following month, Dickinson went out on the road with the band on a small headlining tour in Italy, as well as a one-off show at the Rainbow Theatre in the UK. For the last show, and in anticipation of their forthcoming album, the band played "Children of the Damned" and "22 Acacia Avenue", introducing fans to the sound towards which they were progressing.

In 1982, Iron Maiden released The Number of the Beast, an album which gave the band their first UK Albums Chart No. 1 record and additionally became a Top Ten hit in many other countries.

In December 1982, drummer Clive Burr was fired from the band and replaced by Nicko McBrain, previously of French band Trust. Although Harris states that his dismissal took place because his live performances were affected by offstage activities, Burr objected to this and claimed that he was unfairly ousted from the band. In 1983, they released Piece of Mind, which reached the No. 3 spot in the UK. Soon after the success of Piece of Mind and its supporting tour, the band released Powerslave on September 9, 1984.

The tour following the album, dubbed the World Slavery Tour, was the band's largest to date and consisted of 193 shows in 28 countries over 13 months, playing to an estimated 3,500,000 people. Many shows were played back-to-back in the same city, such as in Long Beach, California, where the band played four consecutive concerts. It was here where the majority of their subsequent live release, Live After Death, was recorded, which became a critical and commercial success, peaking at No. 4 in the UK.

### Experimentation (1986-89)

Returning from their time off, the band adopted a different style for their 1986 studio album, entitled Somewhere in Time, featuring, for the first time in the band's history, synthesised bass and guitars to add textures and layers to the sound. The experimentation evident on Somewhere in Time continued on their next album, entitled Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, which was released in 1988. A concept album, based on the 1987 novel Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card, this would be the band's first record to include keyboards, performed by Harris and Smith, as opposed to guitar synthesisers on the previous release. Another popular release, it became Iron Maiden's second album to hit No. 1 in the UK charts.

### Upheaval (1989-94)

During another break in 1989, guitarist Adrian Smith released a solo album with his band ASAP, entitled Silver and Gold, and vocalist Bruce Dickinson began work on a solo album with former Gillan guitarist Janick Gers, releasing Tattooed Millionaire in 1990, followed by a tour.

Soon afterwards, Iron Maiden regrouped to work on a new studio record. During the pre-production stages, Adrian Smith left the band due to differences with Steve Harris regarding the direction the band should be taking, disagreeing with the "stripped down" style that they were leaning towards. Janick Gers, having worked on Dickinson's solo project, was chosen to replace Smith and became the band's first new member in seven years. The album, No Prayer for the Dying, was released in October 1990 and contained "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", the band's first (and to date, only) UK Singles Chart No. 1, originally recorded by Dickinson's solo outfit for the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.

After another tour and some more time off, the band recorded their next studio release, Fear of the Dark, which was released in 1992 and became their third No. 1 in the UK albums chart.

In 1993, Bruce Dickinson left the band to further pursue his solo career, but agreed to remain for a farewell tour and two live albums (later re-released in one package). The first, A Real Live One, featured songs from 1986 to 1992, and was released in March 1993. The second, A Real Dead One, featured songs from 1980 to 1984, and was released after Dickinson had left the band. He played his farewell show with Iron Maiden on August 28, 1993, which was filmed, broadcast by the BBC and released on video under the name Raising Hell.

### Blaze Bayley era (1994–1999)

In 1994, the band listened to hundreds of tapes sent in by vocalists before convincing Blaze Bayley, formerly of the band Wolfsbane who had supported Iron Maiden in 1990, to audition for them. Harris' preferred choice from the outset, Bayley had a different vocal style from his predecessor, which ultimately received a mixed reception among fans.

Iron Maiden returned in 1995, releasing The X Factor. The release is notable for its "dark" tone, inspired by Steve Harris' divorce. The band toured for the rest of 1995 and 1996 before stopping to release Best of the Beast. The band's first compilation, it included a new single, "Virus", whose lyrics attack the critics who had recently written off the band.

Iron Maiden returned to the studio to record Virtual XI, released in 1998. Bayley's tenure in Iron Maiden ended in January 1999 when he was asked to leave during a band meeting. The dismissal took place due to issues Bayley had experienced with his voice during the Virtual XI World Tour, although Janick Gers has since stated that this was partly the band's fault for forcing him to perform songs which were beyond his natural register.

### Return of Dickinson and Smith (1999–2000)

While the group were considering a replacement for Bayley, Rod Smallwood convinced Steve Harris to invite Bruce Dickinson back into the band. The band entered into talks with Dickinson, who agreed to rejoin during a meeting in Brighton in January 1999, along with guitarist Adrian Smith, who was telephoned a few hours later. With Gers, Smith's replacement, remaining, Iron Maiden now had a three-guitar line-up and embarked on a hugely successful reunion tour. Dubbed The Ed Hunter Tour, it tied in with the band's newly released greatest hits collection, Ed Hunter, whose track listing was decided by a poll on the group's website, and also contained a computer game of the same name starring the band's mascot.

One of Dickinson's primary concerns on rejoining the group "was whether we would in fact be making a real state-of-the-art record and not just a comeback album," which eventually took the form of 2000's Brave New World.

### Iron Maiden Band Members

#### *Steve Harris, bass (1975 to date)*

Born March 12, 1956. Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He has been the band's only constant member since their inception in 1975 and, along with guitarist Dave Murray, to have appeared on all of their albums.

Harris has a recognisable and popular style of bass playing, particularly the "gallop" which can be found on several Iron Maiden recordings, such as the singles "Run to the Hills" and "The Trooper". In addition to his role as the band's bass player, writer and backing vocalist, he has undertaken many other roles for the group, such as producing and co-producing their albums, directing and editing their live videos and performing studio keyboards and synthesizers. He has been cited as one of the greatest heavy metal bassists.

#### *Paul Day, vocals (1975-76)*

Born April 19, 1956, Day is a British singer who is well-known as the original lead vocalist of Iron Maiden from 1975 to 1976. He was sacked because he did not have enough stage charisma and was replaced by Dennis Wilcock.

He later formed a band called More that played at the Donington Monsters of Rock Festival in 1981. He was lead singer of Wildfire in 1983 to 1984. He recorded a live album at the Marquee Club in London as lead singer of Sweet in 1986. He has lived in Australia since 1986 and is the lead vocalist of two bands from Newcastle, New South Wales.

##### Non-Iron Maiden recordings

* With More: Warhead (1981) (single "We Are the Band" reached UK No. 59) and Blood & Thunder (1982)
* With Sweet: Live at the Marquee (1989)

#### *Dave Murray, guitar (1976 to date)*

Born December 23, 1956, Murray is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Along with the group's bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris, Murray has appeared on all of the band's releases. Growing up in various areas of London, Murray became a member of a skinhead gang before he took an interest in rock music at 15 and formed his own band, Stone Free, with childhood friend Adrian Smith. After leaving school at 15, he regularly answered advertisements which appeared in Melody Maker before auditioning for Iron Maiden in 1976.

#### *Doug Sampson, drums (1977-79)*

Born 30 June 30, 1957, Sampson is a British musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden from 1977 to 1979.

Prior to joining the band, Sampson was a member of one of Steve Harris' previous groups, Smiler, in 1975, after which he was asked to join Iron Maiden at their inception in the same year. He declined to join at the time as he was "a bit fed up with the whole rock band thing" because he was "completely skint," but accepted a further invitation in November 1977 after he had taken up drumming again in a group called Janski.

Following a year of playing small pubs with the band, during which they gained a small following, he participated in the recording of Iron Maiden's demo, later released as The Soundhouse Tapes. Iron Maiden eventually signed to EMI in 1979, following which they undertook two failed attempts at recording their debut album, although one song from these sessions ("Burning Ambition") was included on the B-Side of "Running Free".

##### Iron Maiden recordings

* The Soundhouse Tapes (1979)
* Axe Attack (first press) (1980) – "Running Free"
* Metal For Muthas (1980) - "Sanctuary" and "Wrathchild"
* "Running Free" (1980) – "Burning Ambition" only

Sampson eventually left the band on December 22, 1979, following health issues brought about by the band's extensive touring schedule, and was replaced by Clive Burr four days later. Although he calls it "a blow," he states that "the truth is, I don't think I could have handled it, so maybe it turned out for the best." Although he would form other bands, Sampson has never played professionally since his time with Iron Maiden, after which he ran an off-licence before becoming a forklift driver.

#### *Paul Di'Anno, vocals (1978-81)*

Born Paul Andrews on May 17, 1958), Di'Anno, is a British singer best known as the first vocalist to record with heavy metal band Iron Maiden, from 1978 to 1981. Spending his teenage years singing in various rock bands and working as a butcher and chef, he became the band's singer after the departure of the very unpredictable Dennis Wilcock, who had pressured Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris into firing every member of the band (including Dave Murray), before becoming fed up himself.

##### Iron Maiden recordings

* The Soundhouse Tapes (1979)
* Iron Maiden (1980)
* Live!! +one (1980)
* Killers (1981)
* Live at the Rainbow (1981)
* Maiden Japan (1981)

In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno has issued numerous albums over the years, as both a solo artist and as a member of such bands as Gogmagog, Di'Anno's Battlezone, Praying Mantis, and Killers.

##### Non-Iron Maiden Recordings

* With D'Anno: Di'Anno (1984), including singles "Flaming Heart" (1984) and "Heartuser" (1984)
* With Gogmagog: I Will Be There EP (1985)
* With Battlezone: Fighting Back (1986), Children of Madness (1987), Warchild (1988), and Feel My Pain (1998)
* With Killers: Murder One (1992), South American Assault Live (1994), Menace to Society (1994), Live (1997), and New Live & Rare (1998)
* With Dennis Stratton: The Original Iron Men (1995), and The Original Iron Men 2 (1996)
* With Praying Mantis, Paul Di'Anno & Dennis Stratton: Live at Last (1991)
* Solo: The World's First Iron Man (1997) and As Hard as Iron (1997)
* With The Almighty Inbredz: The Almighty Inbredz (1999)

#### *Dennis Stratton, guitar (1979-80)*

Born October 9, 1952, Stratton is a guitar player who is best known as a former member of the British band Iron Maiden from December 1979 to October 1980.

##### Iron Maiden recordings

* Iron Maiden (1980)
* Live!! +one (1980)

After his departure from Iron Maiden, Stratton played with bands such as Lionheart and, after a NWOBHM tour with them in 1990 joined Praying Mantis, staying to record nine studio albums and two live ones. In 1995, Stratton had a project with former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno called "The Original Iron Men" in which both of them sang. They released three albums.

#### *Clive Burr, drums (1979-82)*

Clive Burr (March 8, 1957 – March 12, 2013) was an English drummer, best known as a member of Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.

Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979 (at about the same time Bruce Dickinson joined Samson). Auditioning and joining upon the recommendation of then-Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton, Burr played on their first three records: Iron Maiden, Killers and their breakthrough release The Number of the Beast, the last of which was the Maiden debut of Dickinson. Burr was fired from the band in 1982 and replaced by the band's current drummer, Nicko McBrain.

##### Iron Maiden recordings

* Iron Maiden (1980)
* Live!! +one (1980)
* Killers (1981)
* Live at the Rainbow (1981)
* Maiden Japan (1981)
* The Number of the Beast (1982)

After "leaving" Iron Maiden, Burr briefly played in the French group Trust (switching places with McBrain), and briefly with the American band Alcatrazz. Burr was featured in the short-lived NWOBHM supergroup Gogmagog which also included ex-Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno and future Maiden guitarist Janick Gers and ex Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis. He also had a band known as Clive Burr's Escape (later known as Stratus), featuring former Praying Mantis members, which disbanded after releasing one album. Burr then joined Dee Snider in his post-Twisted Sister outfit Desperado, which was never fully realized. Burr performed with British bands Elixir and Praying Mantis in the 1990s, but did not become a member of either.

##### Non-Iron Maiden recordings

* With Samson: "Telephone" and "Mr Rock And Roll"
* With Trust: Trust IV (1983) and Man's Trap (1984)
* With Stratus: Throwing Shapes (1984)
* With Gogmagog: I Will Be There (EP; 1985)
* With Elixir: Lethal potion (1990)
* With Desperado: Bloodied But Unbowed (1996, recorded in 1988)
* With Praying Mantis: Captured Alive in Tokyo City (1996) and Demorabilia (1999) (compilation, contains demos of Clive Burr's Escape)

Burr was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the treatment of which left him deeply in debt. Iron Maiden staged a series of charity concerts and were involved in the founding of the Clive Burr MS Trust Fund. His partner Mimi was also diagnosed with MS. Burr died in his sleep on March 12, 2013, four days after his 56th birthday, due to complications related to MS.

#### *Adrian Smith, guitar (1980–1990, 1999 to date)*

Born February 27, 1957, Smith is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Iron Maiden, for whom he writes songs and performs live backing vocals on some tracks. Smith became interested in rock music at 15. He soon formed a friendship with future Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray, who inspired him to take up the guitar. After leaving school at 16, he formed a band called Urchin, which he led until their demise in 1980. He joined Iron Maiden in November 1980, replacing Dennis Stratton. Following a short-lived solo project called ASAP, he left Iron Maiden in 1990 and formed a group called Psycho Motel. In 1997, Psycho Motel was put on hold and he joined the band of former Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson. Smith and Dickinson returned to Iron Maiden in 1999, after which the band gained new success.

##### Non-Iron Maiden Recordings

* With Urchin: "Black Leather Fantasy" (1977) and "She's A Roller" (1977)
* With ASaP: Silver and Gold (1989)
* With Psycho Motel: State of Mind (1996) and Welcome to the World (1997)
* With Bruce Dickinson: Accident of Birth (1997) and The Chemical Wedding (1998)

#### *Bruce Dickinson, vocals (1981–93, 1999 to date)*

Born Paul Bruce Dickinson on August 7, 1958, Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, musician, airline pilot, entrepreneur, author and broadcaster. He is the lead singer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden and is renowned for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage presence.

Dickinson began his career in music fronting small pub bands in the 1970s while attending school in Sheffield and university in London. In 1979, he joined the new wave of British heavy metal band Samson, with whom he gained some popularity under the stage name "Bruce Bruce" and performed on two studio records. He left Samson in 1981 to join Iron Maiden, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and debuted on their 1982 album The Number of the Beast. During his first tenure in the band, they issued a series of US and UK platinum and gold albums in the 1980s.

Dickinson quit Iron Maiden in 1993 (being replaced by Blaze Bayley) to pursue his solo career, which saw him experiment with a wide variety of heavy metal and rock styles. He rejoined the band in 1999, along with guitarist Adrian Smith, with whom he has released five subsequent studio albums.

Outside his career in music, Dickinson is well known for his wide variety of other pursuits. Most notably, he undertook a career as a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines, which led to a number of media-reported ventures such as captaining Iron Maiden's converted charter aeroplane, Ed Force One, during their world tours. Dickinson has also competed at fencing internationally.

##### Non-Iron Maiden recordings

* With Samson: Head On (1980), Shock Tactics (1981), and Live at Reading 1981 (1990)
* Solo: Tattooed Millionaire (1990), Balls to Picasso (1994), Skunkworks (1996), Accident of Birth (1997), and The Chemical Wedding (1998)

#### *Nicko McBrain, drums (1982 to date)*

Born Michael Henry McBrain on June 5, 1952, McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982. Having played in small pub bands from the age of 14, upon leaving school McBrain paid his bills with session work before he joined a variety of artists, such as Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust. He joined Iron Maiden in time to debut on their fourth album, Piece of Mind (1983), and has remained with them since, contributing to a total of thirteen studio releases.

When the band asked McBrain to replace Clive Burr and, as news of Burr's departure had not yet been announced, he made his first appearance with Iron Maiden on German TV disguised as Eddie.

##### Non-Iron Maiden recordings

* With Streetwalkers: Downtown Flyers (1975) and Red Card (1976)
* With Pat Travers: Makin' Magic (1977) and Putting It Straight (1977)
* With Trust: Marche ou Crève (Original French Release)/Savage (English Language Version) (1981)

#### *Janick Gers, guitar (1990 to date)*

Born January 27, 1957, Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.

Gers began his career as the lead guitarist of the new wave of British heavy metal band White Spirit, before joining Gillan, a group formed by then-former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. After Gillan disbanded, Gers undertook a Humanities degree before joining Gogmagog, which included former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno and drummer Clive Burr. The project came to nothing and Gers went on to work with Marillion vocalist Fish before being asked to record a song called "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" with Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson for a soundtrack. The project expanded into an album, Tattooed Millionaire, and during its recording Gers was asked to join Iron Maiden in place of Adrian Smith. He has remained with the band ever since, even after Smith rejoined the band in 1999, contributing to a total of nine studio albums.

Gers had an uncredited part in the BBC drama The Paradise Club in 1990, appearing as the lead guitarist of a band called Fraud Squad, which was fronted by a character played by Bruce Dickinson.

##### Non-Iron Maiden recordings

* With White Spirit: White Spirit (1980)
* With Gillan: Double Trouble (1981) and Magic (1982)
* With Gogmagog: I Will Be There (EP) (1985)
* With Fish: Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors (1990)
* With Bruce Dickinson: Tattooed Millionaire (1990)

#### *Blaze Bayley, vocals (1994-99)*

Born Bayley Alexander Cooke on May 29, 1963, Bayley is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and lyricist. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and currently from 2010 following reunions in 2007 and 2009. Bayley was also the lead singer for Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999. Since then, he has embarked on a solo career.

##### Iron Maiden recordings

* The X Factor (1995)
* Best of the Beast (1996)
* Virtual XI (1998)
* Ed Hunter (1999)