Iron Maiden

Named after a torture device and having a demented mascot known as ‘Eddie’, Iron Maiden formed around the nucleus of bassist Steve Harris and guitarist Dave Murray. But a falling out with the group’s then-lead singer Dennis Wilcock caused Murray to pack it in. But in short order Wilcock was gone, Murray returned, and vocalist Paul DiAnno was aboard.

While their first two albums, the self-titled debut (’80) and “Killers” (’81) were exercises in sonic brutality there was the feeling that the band couldn’t go any further with DiAnno, so he was more or less fired.

Iron Maiden’s third album, and first with Bruce Dickinson, “The Number Of The Beast” (with the title track, “Run To The Hills” and “Hallowed Be Thy Name”), established the group. The ’82 effort was band’s first to top the U.K. Album chart and reach the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 going on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.

Subsequent albums “Piece Of Mind” (with “Flight Of Icarus:) and “Powerslave” (containing “Aces High” and “2 Minutes To Midnight”) made Iron Maiden an integral part of every headbanger’s life.

By the late ’80s though, personnel changes and a misguided attempt to incorporate keyboards, zapped the band’s energy though they continued recording with some measure of success.

Dickinson departed and was replaced by Blaze Bayley in ’94 making the rest of ’90s little more than a re-tread of earlier, better Maiden.

“Brave New World,” released in ’00, marked Dickinson’s return to Iron Maiden. Earlier, when word dropped that Dickinson would front once again the band for an album and tour it was greeted with some suspicion…. was it just some short-term money grab? Not with Maiden. The albums “Dance Of Death” (’03) and “A Matter Of Life And Death” (;06) followed.

The hits kept coming – literally. “Somewhere Back In Time: The Best of 1980-1989” dropped in ’08. With that, the group played 23 concerts on five continents in 45 days. Dickenson, a qualified airline pilot, was at the controls of the band’s Ed Force One, a Boeing 757.

Joining AC/DC and other bands marketing a branded alcoholic beverage, Iron Maiden announced, in ’13, the launch of Trooper – a premium British beer. “I’m a lifelong fan of traditional English ale; I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when we were asked to create our own beer,” said Dickenson.

Sadly, on the very next day (3/13/13), original drummer Clive Burr died from health complications due to Multiple Sclerosis at age 56. Burr was the drummer on Maiden’s first three albums, including their ‘82 commercial breakthrough “The Number Of The Beast.”

Meanwhile, the two-year Maiden England tour was another huge success netting more than $57 million from 54 concerts with a total attendance above 903,000.

Business took a backseat in ’15 when Iron Maiden revealed that Dickinson had completed a seven-week cancer treatment program consisting of chemotherapy and radiology. A routine checkup in late ‘14 showed a small tumor on the back of the singer’s tongue. The tumor was caught in early stages.

The double album, “The Book Of Souls,” landed later in ’15. “By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that it needed to be a double album,” stated Dickinson. The set debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 after opening week sales of 75,000 copies.  

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