Bruce Dickinson

Background

Paul Bruce Dickinson was born in Worksop, a small mining town in Nottinghamshire, England. His father worked as a mechanic in the army, while his mother had a part-time job at a shoe shop. While his parents eked out a living, Dickinson spent his days with his grandparents. He was also in and out of different schools. Dickinson would recall this period as a turning point in how he viewed life. He realized the world would never do him any favors. He didn’t call his childhood unhappy, but it was unconventional and part of why he always felt like an outsider. The family relocated to Sheffield for better prospects, where his parents could finally afford to send him to boarding school. He felt like a fish out of water. But the other boys were listening to this band called Deep Purple, and he was hooked. Until then, The Beatles had been the extent of his musical education. He hated the school otherwise, with its rampant bullying and capital punishment. But the toxic environment he endured spurred Dickinson to chart a path for himself in heavy metal.

Dickinson began singing in local bands and even attempted to be a drummer. None of these projects panned out. He began to lose hope when something promising came along. Dickinson fronted a band named Samson, which changed his life. With Samson, Dickinson became firmly entrenched within a powerful new movement – the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (N.W.O.B.H.M.). The band released two albums – “Head On” (1980) and “Shock Tactics (1981). Despite being part of the N.W.O.B.H.M., Samson didn’t enjoy the success of similar acts like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Def Leppard. Dickinson left Samson in 1981 over “musical differences.” At the same time, Iron Maiden’s lead singer, Paul Di’Anno, quit the band, a decision that sent shockwaves since Maiden was enjoying wild, almost maniacal success. The timing seemed too perfect to be a coincidence. Dickinson tried out and in late 1981 became Iron Maiden’s new vocalist. The band released “The Number Of The Beast” a few months later, an album that became a heavy metal classic and one of the band’s most successful to date. Dickinson’s ferocious vocals took arenas, concert venues, and music charts by storm. Heavy metal became synonymous with the band — in large part, due to Bruce Dickinson.

But what is a massively successful band without its fair share of conspiracies? Despite Iron Maiden’s phenomenal success, people spoke in not-so-hushed tones about a tense relationship between Dickinson and Maiden founder, Steve Harris. When Dickinson released his solo album “Tattooed Millionaire” (1990), it seemed to confirm these speculations. However, Dickinson returned, and the band continued making music together. By the early ‘90s, metal began losing its popularity. Iron Maiden’s best days seemed to be behind them too. Dickinson left the group after a farewell tour in 1983 and resumed a solo career. Since then, the band has patched their differences and played numerous reunion tours.