Samson were an English heavy metal band from London. Formed in summer 1977, the group originally featured vocalist and guitarist Paul Samson, bassist Chris Aylmer and drummer Clive Burr. The group were active until the eponymous frontman's death in 2002, at which point their lineup included lead vocalist Nicky Moore, bassist Ian Ellis and drummer Billy Fleming.
Samson were formed by Paul Samson, Chris Aylmer and Clive Burr in the summer of 1977. [1] In March 1978, the group briefly experimented with a four-piece lineup featuring Stewart Cochrane on bass and Aylmer on rhythm guitar, however this was abandoned after one performance. [2] The band released their first single "Telephone" in September, [1] before Mark Newman briefly took over on lead vocals for a run of shows. [3] Burr was replaced by Barry "Thunderstick" Purkis in early 1979, [4] after which the group recorded their first album Survivors with Samson's former bandmate John McCoy producing. [5]
Shortly after the release of Survivors, Samson brought in Bruce Dickinson as their new frontman, who took on the stage name "Bruce Bruce". [6] Head On and Shock Tactics followed over the next two years, before Purkis left to form his own band Thunderstick in July 1981. [7] He was replaced by Mel Gaynor in time for Reading Festival the following month, which proved to be Dickinson's final show with Samson when he accepted an offer to join Iron Maiden in September. [8] [9] He was soon replaced by Nicky Moore. [5] Gaynor stepped back from the band in January 1982 and Pete Jupp took his place. [10]
The lineup of Moore, Samson, Aylmer and Jupp released Before the Storm and Don't Get Mad, Get Even, before Aylmer was replaced by Merv Goldsworthy and Dave "Bucket" Colwell joined on rhythm guitar in 1984. [11] In 1985, the group disbanded and released a final live album called Thank You and Goodnight..., with Samson and Colwell later forming Paul Sampson's Empire. [11]
In 1987, Samson reformed his eponymous band with Empire vocalist Mick White, adding bassist Dave Boyce, drummer Charlie Mack and keyboardist Toby Sadler. [11] The group released the EP And There It Is... the following year, before White was replaced by Peter Scallan in February 1989. [11] A new album called Look to the Future was recorded later in the year, but after being rejected by a number of record labels was remixed with new bass and extra guitar parts from Samson; the result, Refugee, was released the following year, before Samson was injured and the group became inactive. [12]
After two years performing under the moniker Paul Samson's Rogues, the eponymous frontman formed a new lineup of Samson in 1992, with drummer Tony Tuohy and returning bassist Chris Aylmer. [13] The group continued to tour and released Samson in 1993. [14] Tuohy left in early 1994 and the band broke up again. [13]
In the summer of 1999, Samson reunited with Aylmer and Thunderstick for a series of anniversary shows; the reunion was originally slated to include vocalist Bruce Dickinson, however he ultimately rejoined Iron Maiden and Samson remained a trio. [13] In 2000, Nicky Moore returned as the band's frontman for a series of shows. [15] The following year, Samson and Moore began work on a new studio album tentatively titled Brand New Day, adding new members Ian Ellis on bass and Billy Fleming on drums. [16] However, before the album could be finished, Paul Samson died of cancer on 9 August 2002. [17]
Producer John McCoy continued to work on the recordings after Samson's death, releasing them as P.S. in 2006. [18]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Samson |
|
| all Samson releases | |
| Chris Aylmer |
|
| all Samson releases from Head On (1980) to Don't Get Mad, Get Even (1984), and from Live at Reading '81 (1990) onwards | |
| Clive Burr | 1977–1978 (died 2013) [1] [4] | drums |
| |
| Stewart Cochrane [2] | 1978 | bass | none – one live performance only | |
| Mark Newman [3] | lead vocals | none – live performances only | ||
| Thunderstick (Barry Purkis) |
|
|
| |
| John McCoy |
|
|
| |
| Bruce Bruce (Bruce Dickinson) | 1979–1981 [6] [8] [9] | lead vocals |
| |
| Mel Gaynor | 1981–1982 [8] [9] [10] | drums | Live at Reading '81 (1990) | |
| Nicky Moore |
| lead vocals |
| |
| Pete Jupp | 1982–1984 [10] [11] | drums |
| |
| Dave "Bucket" Colwell | 1984 [11] |
| Thank You and Goodnight (1985) | |
| Merv Goldsworthy | bass | |||
| Edgar Patrik |
|
|
| |
| Charlie Mack | 1987–1989 [11] [12] | drums |
| |
| Toby Sadler |
| |||
| Dave Boyce | bass | And There It Is... (1988) | ||
| Mick White | 1987–1989 [11] [12] | lead vocals | ||
| Peter Scallan | 1989–1990 [11] [12] | Refugee (1990) | ||
| Tony Tuohy | 1992–1994 [13] | drums | Samson (1993) | |
| Rik Anthony | 1990 [13] [14] | lead vocals | none – live performances only | |
| Ian Ellis | 2001–2002 [16] [17] |
| P.S.... (2006) | |
| Billy Fleming |
|
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 1977 – March 1978 |
|
|
| March 1978 |
| none |
| March – October 1978 |
|
|
| October 1978 |
| none |
| October – December 1978 |
|
|
| January – July 1979 |
|
|
| June 1979 – July 1981 |
|
|
| August – September 1981 |
|
|
| September 1981 – January 1982 |
| none |
| January 1982 – early 1984 |
|
|
| February 1984 – May 1984 |
|
|
| 1985–1986 |
|
|
| Band inactive 1986–1987 | ||
| March 1987 – February 1989 |
|
|
| February 1989 – August 1989 |
|
|
| Band inactive 1990–1992 | ||
| 1990 |
|
|
| Spring 1992 – early 1994 |
|
|
| Band inactive 1994–1999 | ||
| Summer 1999 – early 2000 |
|
|
| 2000–2001 |
|
|
| 2001–2002 |
|
|
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden released a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's debut album, 1981's Killers, and 1982's The Number of the Beast – its first album with Bruce Dickinson, who in 1981 replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer. The addition of Dickinson was a turning point in their career, establishing them as one of heavy metal's most important bands. The Number of the Beast is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.
The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 22 March 1982 in the US by Harvest and Capitol Records, and on 29 March 1982 in the UK by EMI Records. The album was their first to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson and their last with drummer Clive Burr.
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present day. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage presence.
Killers is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was first released on 16 February 1981 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and on 11 May in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired after problems with his stage performances arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use. Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums until Fear of the Dark (1992).
Clive Ronald Burr was an English musician. He was the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Together with fellow Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton, he joined Praying Mantis for the recording of their 1996 live album Captured Alive in Tokyo City.
Samson were a British heavy metal band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunderstick, who wore a leather mask and performed on stage in a metal cage. Drummer Clive Burr was also a member of the band, both before and after his tenure with Iron Maiden. Dickinson's replacement on vocals, Nicky Moore, performed with Samson throughout the mid-1980s and again from the late 1990s onwards. Samson were a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
Paul Samson was an English guitarist, closely associated with the new wave of British heavy metal.
"Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, The Number of the Beast (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson as vocalist. Credited solely to the band's bassist, Steve Harris, Dickinson contributed to the song but could not be credited due to a contractual agreement with his former band Samson. "Run to the Hills" remains one of the band's most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs, and Rolling Stone ranking it No. 10 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs
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Survivors is the debut album by British heavy metal band Samson. It was released in 1979 and, although vocalist Bruce Dickinson appears as a band member on the cover sheet, the album was completed before he joined the band, with guitarist Paul Samson on vocal duty. The re-issue on CD of the album features seven bonus tracks with Dickinson singing some tracks from the original release.
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