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List of Iron Maiden band members

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(left to right) Dave Murray, Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Adrian Smith; Clive Burr, not visible, behind the drums
(upper center) Dickinson; (lower row) Smith, Murray, Janick Gers, Steve Harris; Nicko McBrain, not visible, behind the drums
Two line-ups of Iron Maiden performing in 1982 and 2016.

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris. After several lineup changes prior to their recording career, they settled on Harris, vocalist Paul Di'Anno, guitarist Dave Murray and drummer Doug Sampson. The band currently consists of Harris and Murray with guitarist Adrian Smith (who first joined in 1980), vocalist Bruce Dickinson (who first joined in 1981), drummer Nicko McBrain (since 1982) and guitarist Janick Gers (since 1990).

History

[edit]

The bands original line-up in December 1975, included Harris with singer Paul Mario Day, guitarists Terry Rance and Dave Sulivan and drummer Ron Matthews.[1] Day left in October 1976 due to not having enough stage charisma, he was replaced by Dennis Wilcock.[2] Harris temporarily disbanded Iron Maiden in December 1976 so he could replace Rance and Sulivan with guitarists Dave Murray and Bob Sawyer.[3] By mid-1977 Matthews, Murray and Sawyer were all fired after conflicts with either Wilcock or Harris,[4] and replaced by guitarist Terry Wapram and keyboardist Tony Moore and drummer Thunderstick (real name Barry Purkis).[4] This line-up only lasted one show before Moore was fired by Harris, as Harris felt that keyboard isn't suitable for Iron Maiden's music overall.[5]

Murray was reinstated in March 1978,[6] after which Wapram left.[7] Wilcock and Thunderstick also left shortly afterwards.[6] The band were quickly joined by Doug Sampson on drums,[8] who Harris had played with before forming Iron Maiden,[9] and began auditioned new singers, settling on Paul Di'Anno joined in November.[10] The band were also joined by second guitarist Paul Cairns in Winter 1978,[11] who played on their 1979 demo The Soundhouse Tapes.[12][13] Cairns stayed for three months before being dismissed due to not fitting in.[12][11]

The band were joined by guitarist Paul Todd in June 1979,[14] however he left after a week,[7] not playing any shows due to his girlfriend not letting him.[11] Todd would later join Paul Mario Day's post Iron Maiden band More.[15] Tony Parsons was the bands next guitarist, joining in September 1979, before being dismissed[15] due to having less technical ability than Murray[11] in December, just before the band signed to EMI.[16] He later joining Dennis Wilcock's band Gibraltar.[15]

The band hired Dennis Stratton (guitar, backing vocals). Doug Sampson was dismissed from the band as he was unable to cope with the touring schedule.[17] At the suggestion of Stratton, Sampson was replaced by Clive Burr, with whom the band recorded their self-titled debut album in 1980.[18] Later that year, Stratton was replaced by Adrian Smith (the band's original choice), due to musical and personal differences brought about by choosing not to travel with the band on tour.[19]

During the tour supporting their second studio album, Di'Anno was fired from the band after drug and alcohol abuse affected his live performance.[20] Vocalist Bruce Dickinson left his previous band, Samson, which had also included Burr, to audition for Iron Maiden in September 1981 and joined shortly afterwards. After the release of their third album, The Number of the Beast, drummer Nicko McBrain (of support act Trust) replaced Burr, who left due to personal and scheduling problems on the subsequent Beast on the Road tour.[21] This is considered by many as their quintessential lineup,[22] with which they released a series of high-impact works.[23]

In 1990, prior to the recording of their eighth studio album, Smith was asked to leave the band due to a lack of enthusiasm, brought about by the "stripped-down" musical direction they were taking, which Smith considered "a step backwards" from the progressive direction they had been taking.[24] Janick Gers, an old friend of Dickinson's who performed on his debut solo album, became the new guitarist. This formation recorded one more album before Dickinson departed in 1993, in order to pursue his solo career further.[25]

The band listened to hundreds of tapes submitted by vocalists before asking Blaze Bayley to audition,[26] with whom they would go on to release two studio albums, after which Bayley left the band by mutual consent in January 1999.[27] At that point, the band were in talks with Dickinson,[27] who, after a meeting with Steve Harris and Rod Smallwood (the group's manager) in Brighton,[28] agreed to rejoin along with Adrian Smith, who was telephoned a few hours later.[29] Iron Maiden thus became a six-piece band and have gone on to make six further studio releases. This lineup is now the longest and most stable in the band's history.

On 7 December 2024, McBrain announced he was retiring from touring due to health issues following the band's show on that day,[30] but would remain a member of the band.[31] The following day, Simon Dawson of Harris's band British Lion was announced as the band's new touring drummer.[32]

Members

[edit]

Current members

[edit]
Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
Steve Harris Costa Rica.jpg
 Steve Harris 1975–present
  • bass
  • backing vocals
  • studio keyboards (1988, 1997–present)
 all Iron Maiden releases
Davemurray.jpg
 Dave Murray
  • 1976–1977
  • 1978–present
 guitars
Iron_Maiden_en_Costa_Rica_(3041791993).jpg
 Adrian Smith
  • 1980–1990
  • 1999–present
  • guitars
  • backing and occasional lead vocals[33]
  • studio keyboards (1988)
 all Iron Maiden releases from Killers (1981) to Maiden England (1989), then from Brave New World (2000) to present
Iron_Maiden_en_Costa_Rica_Bruce.jpg
 Bruce Dickinson
  • 1981–1993
  • 1999–present
  • lead vocals
  • additional guitars (1983–1985)
  • piano (2015)
Iron Maiden en Costa RicaNicko.jpg
 Nicko McBrain 1982–present (not touring as of 2025)
  • drums
  • percussion
 all Iron Maiden releases from Piece of Mind (1983) to present
Janick_Gers_1.jpg
 Janick Gers 1990–present guitars all Iron Maiden releases from No Prayer for the Dying (1990) to present

Former members

[edit]
Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
Ron (Rebel) Matthews[a] 1975–1977 drums none
Terry Rance[b] 1975–1976 guitars
Dave Sullivan[c]
Paul Day[d] vocals
Dennis Wilcock[e] 1976–1978
Bob Sawyer (later Rob Angelo)[f] 1977 guitars
Terry Wapram[g] 1977–1978
Thunderstick.png
 Thunderstick (Barry Purkis) drums
Tony Moore 1977 keyboards
Doug Sampson 1978–1979 drums
Paul Di' Anno (2445625480).jpg
 Paul Di'Anno 1978–1981
(died 2024) 		vocals
  • all Iron Maiden releases from The Soundhouse Tapes (1979 demo) to Maiden Japan (1981 live)
Paul Cairns (a.k.a. "Mad Mac") 1978–1979 guitars The Soundhouse Tapes (1979 demo)
Paul Todd 1979 none
Tony Parsons BBC Archives (four songs from 1979)
Maiden United (46917571485).jpg
 Dennis Stratton 1979–1980
  • guitars
  • backing vocals
Clive Burr 1979–1982
(died 2013) 		drums all Iron Maiden releases from Iron Maiden (1980) to The Number of the Beast (1982)
Blaze Bayley en 2018 (cropped).jpg
 Blaze Bayley 1994–1999 vocals

Touring/session musicians

[edit]
Image Name Years active Instruments Notes
Michael Kenney 1988–2022 keyboards Since 1980, Kenney was employed by the band as Harris' bass technician.[37] Following Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album, in which the band used keyboards for the first time, Harris insisted that Kenney perform the keyboard parts live under the alias of "The Count".[38] Following this tour Kenney provided keyboards on their next four studio albums after which Harris took over playing keys with Kenney assisting.[39] He continued to provide the band's live keyboards, although unlike the Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour during which he performed on a forklift, Kenney would later play the keys backstage.[39] For the Maiden England World Tour 2012–2013, Kenney reprised his role as "The Count" during performances of the song "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son".[40] On 9 September 2022, he announced on Facebook that he had retired from Iron Maiden.
Brent Diamond 2022–present From 2022, he replaced Michael Kenney as Steve Harris' bass technician, and as a keyboard player during concerts.[41]
Simon Dawson 2025–present drums Dawson, who also known as a drummer for Harris's side-project, British Lion, was announced taking McBrain's place for the band's upcoming tours.[42]

Timeline

[edit]

Line-ups

[edit]
Period Members Releases
December 1975[1] – October 1976[2]
  • Paul Day – lead vocals
  • Terry Rance – guitars
  • Dave Sullivan – guitars
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Ron Matthews – drums
 none – live performances only
October 1976 – November 1976
  • Terry Rance – guitars
  • Dave Sullivan – guitars
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Ron Matthews – drums
  • Dennis Wilcock – lead vocals
December 1976[43] – mid-1977[4]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Ron Matthews – drums
  • Dennis Wilcock – lead vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Bob Sawyer (a.k.a. Rob Angelo) – guitars
Mid-1977[4] – November 1977[5]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dennis Wilcock – lead vocals
  • Terry Wapram – guitars
  • Thunderstick – drums
  • Tony Moore – keyboards
November 1977[5] – early 1978[6]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dennis Wilcock – lead vocals
  • Thunderstick – drums
  • Terry Wapram – guitars
 none – rehearsals only
March 1978 – April 1978
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dennis Wilcock – lead vocals
  • Thunderstick – drums
  • Dave Murray – guitars
Early 1978[44] – November 1978[45][h]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Doug Sampson – drums
November 1978[11] – early 1979[12]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Doug Sampson – drums
  • Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
  • Paul Cairns (a.k.a. "Mad Mac") – guitars
June 1979[14][7]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Doug Sampson – drums
  • Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
  • Paul Todd – guitars
 none – rehearsals only
September – December 1980[16]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Doug Sampson – drums
  • Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
  • Tony Parsons – guitars
 none – live performances only
December 1979[46] – November 1980[47]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
  • Clive Burr – drums
  • Dennis Stratton – guitars, backing vocals
November 1980[47] – September 1981[48]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
  • Clive Burr – drums
  • Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals
September 1981[48] – December 1982[49]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Clive Burr – drums
  • Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals
  • Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
December 1982[50] – June 1990[51]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals, keyboards (1988)
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards (1988)
  • Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
  • Nicko McBrain – drums
June 1990[51] – August 1993[52]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
  • Nicko McBrain – drums
  • Janick Gers – guitars
January 1994[26] – January 1999[28]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals, keyboards
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Nicko McBrain – drums
  • Janick Gers – guitars
  • Blaze Bayley – lead vocals
January 1999[28] – December 2024[30]
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals, keyboards
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Nicko McBrain – drums
  • Janick Gers – guitars
  • Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals
  • Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
December 2024[32] – present
  • Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals, keyboards
  • Dave Murray – guitars
  • Janick Gers – guitars
  • Adrian Smith – guitars, backing vocals
  • Nicko McBrain – drums (retired from touring)
  • Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
  • Simon Dawson – drums (touring)

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The band's original drummer Matthews states he was expelled from the band by their second vocalist, Wilcock.[7]
  2. ^ As one of the band's original guitarists Rance disagreed on Murray's entrance in the band, taking it as a slight on his own ability.[2] To allow Murray to join Harris temporarily disbanded Iron Maiden in December 1976 and reformed the group soon afterwards without Rance or Dave Sullivan, the band's other original guitarist.[3]
  3. ^ According to Sullivan himself, he "wasn't too bothered" with the prospect of Murray joining the group as he understood that "the lead sound was a bit lacking."[2] However along with Rance, Sullivan was not invited to rejoin Iron Maiden when they temporarily disbanded in 1976.[3]
  4. ^ Day was the band's original lead vocalist but was the first to leave the group because according to Harris, "he didn't really have enough energy or charisma onstage."[34] Years later being interviewed he claimed the co-authorship of the song "Strange World", which never could be proven.[35]
  5. ^ Wilcock replaced original vocalist Day and was the first to introduce special effects to the band's stage show, including fake blood capsules (placed in his mouth as he'd run a sword across his lips) and face paint.[34] Wilcock convinced Harris to sack most of the band including Murray following a row they had after a show at the Bridgehouse pub, Canning Town in 1977.[4] It was also claimed in The Early Days documentary that Wilcock disliked Murray's girlfriend.[7] Eventually, Wilcock decided he'd had enough with the group and left to form his own band, "V1".[6]
  6. ^ Sawyer (who would later go by the name of "Rob Angelo")[7] would always try to upstage Murray, resulting in a confrontation with Harris (and expulsion from the group) after pretending to play guitar with his teeth when the audience could see that it was a trick.[36]
  7. ^ After Murray's dismissal from the group by Wilcock, Wapram was brought in as his replacement. Having only played in Iron Maiden as the sole guitarist, Wapram was sacked after expressing that he was not content with Murray's reinstatement following Wilcock's departure.[7]
  8. ^ Mick Wall reports that, following Dennis Wilcock's departure, the band spent six months rehearsing as a three-piece whilst looking for a new lead vocalist.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 27.
  2. ^ a b c d Wall 2004, p. 33.
  3. ^ a b c Wall 2004, p. 34.
  4. ^ a b c d e Wall 2004, p. 46.
  5. ^ a b c Wall 2004, p. 48.
  6. ^ a b c d Wall 2004, p. 50.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g EMI 2004.
  8. ^ Wall 2004, p. 49.
  9. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 25–26.
  10. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 53–54.
  11. ^ a b c d e Wall 2004, p. 64.
  12. ^ a b c Dome 2014.
  13. ^ Newhouse 2013.
  14. ^ a b Bushell & Halfin 1985, p. 26.
  15. ^ a b c MetalTalk (2015-02-11). "Outside Iron Maiden: A Book By Erwin Lucas". www.metaltalk.net. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  16. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 108.
  17. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 122–123.
  18. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 122–124.
  19. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 160–163.
  20. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 194–195.
  21. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 232–234.
  22. ^ Prato.
  23. ^ MTV 2006.
  24. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 283–284.
  25. ^ Wall 2004, p. 293.
  26. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 301.
  27. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 324.
  28. ^ a b c Wall 2004, p. 329.
  29. ^ Wall 2004, pp. 330–331.
  30. ^ a b Alderslade, Merlin (2024-12-07). ""Today will be my final gig with Iron Maiden." Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain retires from live shows after 42 years". louder. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  31. ^ Lewry, Fraser (8 December 2024). "Watch Bruce Dickinson pay tribute to Nicko McBrain during his final ever show". Louder. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  32. ^ a b Kaufman, Spencer (2024-12-08). "Iron Maiden announce Simon Dawson as their new touring drummer". Consequence. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  33. ^ Somewhere in Time Remastered (liner notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 32.
  35. ^ "Original IRON MAIDEN Singer PAUL MARIO DAY Says Dispute Over 'Strange World' Song Is 'Finished With'". Blabbermouth.net. January 27, 2019.
  36. ^ Wall 2004, p. 44.
  37. ^ EMI 2006.
  38. ^ Wall 2004, p. 266.
  39. ^ a b Gennet 2010.
  40. ^ Grow 2012.
  41. ^ Iron Maiden (2023-08-11). Iron Maiden - Steve's Rig. Retrieved 2024-09-30 – via YouTube.
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference :22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  43. ^ Wall 2004, p. 43.
  44. ^ Wall 2004, p. 52.
  45. ^ Wall 2004, p. 54.
  46. ^ Wall 2004, p. 124.
  47. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 162.
  48. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 216.
  49. ^ Wall 2004, p. 235.
  50. ^ Wall 2004, p. 241.
  51. ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 285.
  52. ^ Wall 2004, p. 298.
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