Paul Andrews (born 17 May 1958), better known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, is a British/Brazilian
heavy metal singer who was the lead vocalist for
Iron Maiden from 1978 to 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, Killers, and Rockfellas.
Career
Iron Maiden (1978–1981)
Di'Anno was born and grew up in
Chingford, East London.
Because of his Brazilian father, Di'Anno holds dual British and Brazilian citizenship.
He spent his teenage years singing in various rock bands and working as a butcher in Station Road and as a chef in hotels and restaurants.
According to Iron Maiden's ''
The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days'' DVD, he was introduced to the band by drummer
Doug Sampson, an old friend of Harris' from his days in the band Smiler. It was around this time that he first adopted the stage name Di'Anno, which he would later use to claim Italian descent.
Their first audition with
Rod Smallwood reputedly failed when Di'Anno was arrested for showing off his pocket-knife in public.
The band's
1980 self-titled release quickly became acknowledged as a classic of its genre, as the band merged
punk's energy with
metal's riffs and
progressive rock complexity, serving as the blueprint for such future genres as
thrash metal and
speed metal and influencing later progressive metal bands. 1981 saw the release of their second album, ''
Killers'', as well as a stopgap live EP, ''
Maiden Japan''.
After cancelling gigs due to Di'Anno's lack of desire and inability to perform (from cocaine/amphetamine abuse and heavy drinking), Iron Maiden decided that to progress they would have to find a singer capable of being on tour. They found a replacement in former
Samson frontman
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...
. Di'Anno's last show with the band was on 10 September 1981 at the
Odd Fellow's Mansion in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1981, Di'Anno left Iron Maiden after a meeting with the band and their manager
Rod Smallwood. In Di'Anno's words: "It's like having
Mussolini and
Adolf Hitler run your band. Because it is Rod Smallwood and Steve Harris and that's it. There can't be anyone else and my character is too strong for that so me an' Steve was always fighting".
Di'Anno was paid out by Smallwood at the time of his departure and does not receive royalties on Iron Maiden songs.
Di'Anno (1983–1985)
Di'Anno was the first project by Paul Di'Anno after he was fired from Iron Maiden.
This group was originally called Lonewolf but after disagreement with a group already called Lone Wolf, they changed their name and ended up recording only one album under the simple moniker of Di'Anno. On the tour Di'Anno refused to play any Iron Maiden songs, playing only their own songs and a few other covers (most notably
The Kinks' "
You Really Got Me" and "
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"). Having little success, the six-piece band disbanded shortly after they were done touring. The only other recordings available from this band are a single of "Heartuser", a Japanese single of "Flaming Heart" and a Sweden-only VHS release called ''Live at the Palace'' (also available on DVD as ''Di'Anno Live from London''). During the latter performance, the band played an unreleased song entitled "Spiritual Guidance", which Paul told the audience would be on the band's forthcoming album. This album was never recorded.
Last known line-up:
*Paul Di'Anno – lead vocals
*Lee Slater – guitars, vocals
*P. J. Ward – guitars, vocals
*Kevin Browne – bass, vocals
*Mark Venables – keyboards, vocals
*
Frank Noon
Frank Noon (born 25 December 1959 in London) is a British drummer who played with the bands Def Leppard and Roadhouse.
Career
Frank Noon was a member of the trio The Next Band before, during, and after the time he was in Def Leppard, and pl ...
– drums (replacing Dave Irving from the album line-up)
Gogmagog (1985)
In 1985, Di'Anno joined a project that was intended to be a
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to:
* Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields
* Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry
* Supergroup ...
. The group, called "
Gogmagog" (see the Biblical book
Ezekiel
Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...
38:1–2), was put together by DJ and record producer
Jonathan King, best known for discovering the group
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
in the late 1960s. King assembled a star-studded lineup featuring Di'Anno, drummer
Clive Burr
Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1957 – 13 March 2013) was an English drummer. He was a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.
Career
Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979. Auditioning and joining ...
, guitarists
Janick Gers
Janick Robert Gers (; born 27 January 1957) is an English musician who is best known as one of the three guitarists in heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He initially joined to replace Adrian Smith, but remained in the band after Smith rejoined. G ...
and
Pete Willis and bassist
Neil Murray, but the members became increasingly frustrated by a policy that forbade them from writing any original material. Gogmagog released a three-song E.P. on the independent Food For Thought label in 1985 entitled ''I Will Be There'', with
Russ Ballard writing the title song and producer King writing the other two songs. Although reviews were generally positive, the EP did not chart and the group disbanded after King began to lose interest in the project. Di'Anno has been completely dismissive of the short-lived project, referring to it as "nothing" and claiming he only got involved for the money.
Battlezone (1985–1989, 1998)
After the breakup of his self-titled band, Di'Anno formed Strike with DeeRal (guitar) who recruited drummer Bob Falck (who had used the name Sid Falck while playing drums in
Overkill
Overkill may refer to:
* Overkill (term), the use of excessive force or action to achieve a goal
* Surplus killing, when a predator kills more prey than it can eat
* Overexploitation, depletion of a natural resource through overharvesting
** Ove ...
) and the Hurley brothers John (second guitar) and Chaz (bass). The project was eventually named Battlezone, after a name straight from a comic book,
[Di'Anno interview with Chris Welch] upon the vocalist's return to Britain in 1985. 1986 saw the enrollment of former Lonewolf and
Tokyo Blade
Tokyo Blade are an English heavy metal band, active since 1982. Tokyo Blade is one of the many acts considered part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, which lasted from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Tokyo Blade hav ...
guitarist John Wiggins.
The band's initial line-up comprised Di'Anno, guitarists John Wiggins and John Hurley, bassist Laurence Kessler and Adam Parsons on drums. Di'Anno had previously known guitarists John Wiggins and John Hurley from bands such as Deep Machine and Iron Cross.
Parsons had gone under the stage name A.D. Dynamite whilst in Aunt May. However, Parsons left shortly after to replace Vince Hoare in the London-based glam band Belladonna (formed by former
Hell's Belles vocalist Paul Quigley, with Paul Lewis, Jeff Fox and Neil Criss) and Falck reappeared on the scene in time together with Danish bassist Pete West (Peter Vester) to record the band's first album ''Fighting Back'',
written entirely by John Hurley, except the title track which was credited to Bob Falck.
Battlezone performed a club tour of America in 1987 to promote the début ''Fighting Back'', but musical differences, arguments and physical fights within the band led to the departure of John Hurley and Bob Falck after the first tour.
According to Di'Anno's book ''The Beast'', Hurley had become an "egomaniac" and the drummer Falck a "liability", so they were thrown out the band. Their places were taken by ex-
Persian Risk
Persian Risk are a Welsh heavy metal band from the new wave of British heavy metal era formed in 1979 and hailing from Cardiff, Wales. The brainchild of ex-Stoned Soul Party guitarist Phil Campbell, he recruited vocalist Jon Deverill, second ...
members Graham Bath and Steve Hopgood respectively, following the tour's completion.
The second album to be released was entitled ''Children of Madness'',
and it featured a track entitled "Metal Tears", which is about a man who was unable to have a steady relationship and built a female robot, who he subsequently fell in love with. The original idea came from a book titled ''Clone''.
[Di'Anno interview by Andre Verhuysen, Metal Hammer] However, the track received criticism from the media for being very similar to a track (entitled "London") on
Queensrÿche's ''
Rage for Order
''Rage for Order'' is the second studio album by the American progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released on June 27, 1986. The album was re-released on May 6, 2003 with four bonus tracks.
Overview
''Rage for Order'' was more progressive than ...
'' album.
"Guitarist Graham Bath, who had been recruited to play second guitar, wasn't enthusiastic about touring, so he was fired from the band. Pete West, recommended a replacement Alf Batz, who joined just in time to go to New York for the video shoot."
The video for "I Don't Wanna Know" was played in rotation on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
in the US.
Drugs and infighting again put a strain on the band. Towards the end of the final tour, most members had quit leaving Di'Anno to complete the tour with a backing band in order to fulfil his contract.
Subsequently, American guitarist Randy Scott, along with Dave Harman on guitar and Eddie Davidson on bass, signed up with Battlezone. However, the band were without proper management and disbanded shortly after.
Battlezone played their last concert on 10 December 1989, at
Dynamo Open Air in Eindhoven, Netherlands .
Following the breakup of Battlezone, Di'Anno and Hopgood formed the
power metal band Killers,
releasing four albums. Hurley would later form
glam rock band L.O. Girls and release the "Twelve Bore Honeymoon" single in 1990 and "Just Can't Say I Love You" in 1993. During 1990, Di'Anno fronted
Praying Mantis for a tour of Japan,
which was recorded for the subsequent ''Live at Last'' album release with ex-Iron Maiden guitarist
Dennis Stratton
Dennis Stratton (born 9 October 1952) is an English guitarist who is best known as a former member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from December 1979 to October 1980.
Biography
Born in Canning Town, London, Stratton showed early promise a ...
. Wiggins joined a reformed Tokyo Blade in 1995.
By 1998, Di'Anno had resurrected the name Battlezone. Joining him were Wiggins and fellow ex-Tokyo Blade members bassist Colin Riggs and drummer Marc Angel. Second guitars were supplied by the Brazilian Paulo Turin. This line-up cut the album ''Feel My Pain'', released by the fledgling "Zoom Club" label. Working titles for the album included "Spoon Face" and "Smack", both containing references to heroin use. The album had a heavier edge compared to the first two Battlezone albums. The band undertook a sold-out Brazilian tour in January 1998, with erstwhile Killers colleagues bassist Gavin Cooper and guitarist Nick Burr joining on this South American tour.
The band toured Brazil in the same year playing a three-week tour to sold-out audiences up to 6000 fans a night. Being brought back down to earth, Battlezone upon their return home put on a gig at the Walthamstow Royal Standard with an audience of only a hundred or so and a gig at
JB's Dudley in the West Midlands attracting fewer than a dozen fans. A live track from the Walthamstow gig later appeared on a compilation of all three Battlezone albums, entitled ''Cessation of Hostilities''. Ex-Battlezone bassist Gavin Cooper joined Lionsheart in December 2004, then moved onto Statetrooper in May 2005. The bassist subsequently joined the ranks of
Magnum singer
Bob Catley
Robert Adrian Catley is an English singer and musician, best known by his stage name as Bob Catley. He is the lead singer of the British rock band Magnum. He is also a solo artist.
Biography Early years (1947–1972)
Born in Aldershot on ...
's solo band for UK dates in April 2006.
In mid-2008, a Battlezone compilation entitled ''The Fight Goes On'' was released as on the Phantom Sound & Vision label as a 3-CD box set featuring all three Battlezone studio albums.
Last known line-up:
*Paul Di'Anno – Vocals
*Johnny "Bravo" Wiggins – Guitars (1985–89, 1998–99)
*Paulo Turin – Guitars (1998–99)
*Colin Riggs – Bass (1998–99)
*Mark Angel – Drums (1998–99)
Former/past member(s):
*DeeRal – Guitars (1985)
*John Hurley – Guitars (1985–87)
*Graham Bath – Guitars (1987)
*Alf Batz – Guitars (1987–89)
*Randy Scott – Guitars (1989)
*Dave Harman – Guitars (1989)
*Nick Burr – Guitars (1998)
*Chaz Hurley – Bass (1985–86)
*Peter Vester – Bass (1986-88) listed as "Pete West" on the back covers of "Fighting Back" and "Children of Madness")
*Eddie Davidson – Bass (1989)
*Gavin Cooper – Bass (1998)
*Bob "Sid" Falck – Drums (1986–87)
*J. Michael D.- Drums
*Steve Hopgood – Drums (1987–89)
Praying Mantis (1990)
After being dropped by
BMG BMG may refer to:
Organizations
* Music publishing companies:
** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008
*** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...
, Praying Mantis disbanded. Then, in a
Spinal Tap-ish twist of fate, Paul Di'Anno called Dennis Stratton in 1989, about the Japanese wanting to have a ten-year anniversary of the
new wave of British heavy metal. The band found themselves enjoying a renaissance in Tokyo, Japan, prompting a reformation and tour in April 1990, which yielded the ''Live at Last'' LP.
Killers (1990–1997, 2001–2003)
Killers was formed back in the summer of 1991. Cliff Evans was living in New York with Arnie Goodman, the manager of
Fastway. Steve Hopgood, who played in Battlezone with Di'Anno previously, called Evans and outlined his plans for a new band. Di'Anno and Hopgood flew over to New York from the U.K. where they formed a band.
Within a few days, Killers had hired John Gallagher (from
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
) to play bass on a short-term basis. Former member of Drive She Said and New York session player Ray Detone was brought in on second guitar.
Shortly afterward, a live album called ''Assault on South America'' was recorded, featuring a number of Iron Maiden and Battlezone tracks and covers of "
We Will Rock You" and "
Smoke on the Water". This was funded by Rock in Rio promoter Carlos Genesio and to be released primarily for the South American market. "Recorded in Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela in Summer of 1993" is splashed on the back cover. However, according to John Gallagher, the South American tour fell through so the entire album was recorded on a mobile recording truck in New York. Later, a Canada-based record company called Magnetic Air Productions issued a pirate (bootleg) release worldwide, under a different cover, with no royalties being paid to the band.
Killers then played two days of showcases at Arnie Goodman's New York City studio for several major record companies including
Virgin,
EMI,
Sony and BMG. Representatives flew into New York from all over the world to see Killers play. They played only Iron Maiden songs because the band had not written any material. Maiden songs played included "
Phantom of the Opera" and "Wrathchild" which evidently impressed a BMG representative enough to give the band a $250,000 contract. BMG were unaware that these songs had been recorded previously.
Once Killers had the record deal, they started to write the first album entitled ''Murder One''. Rob Fraboni was recruited to produce the record. The band moved to
Binghamton, where they stayed in a motel in which the owner had a set up rehearsal studio. The album was written in about in two weeks. Fraboni then took Killers to White Crow Audio (Burlington, Vermont) to record the drums which took about half a day. Finally, vocals and final mixing were performed at The Powerstation in New York.
Nick Burr left Killers after the completion of ''Murder One'' and was replaced by former Battlezone and Persian Risk guitarist Graham Bath who had also briefly played in Battlezone. For the next 18 months the band toured around the world playing to fans all over Europe, Japan and coast to coast across the USA.
After the tour of ''Murder One'', Killers returned to the UK while Di'Anno stayed in the US. Around this time, Di'Anno married an English girl, whom he flew into New York. Drugs and alcohol took their toll and the marriage quickly fell apart. Di'Anno left New York and moved in with his new American girlfriend in L.A. A fight between him and her involving a knife caught the attention of the police, who came into the apartment and arrested him for spousal abuse, cocaine possession and firearms offences. After a court appearance, he was sentenced to spend four months in an L.A. jail and Di'Anno was branded by the judge as a 'menace to society'. It was here that Di'Anno began writing songs for the next Killers album and posting tapes back and forth to the UK, where the band were now living.
Di'Anno returned to the UK after being deported. It was here that the band was already signed to Bleeding Hearts records located in
Newcastle, where they recorded their second studio album, entitled
Menace to Society. The album had a more
groove/
thrash metal sound, and some critics compared this album to the works of
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
and
Machine Head. It was poorly received by many critics with the exception of ''
Metal Hammer'' magazine in Germany who voted it as the "Best New Album" for that year.
By 2003, Di'Anno and Cliff Evans went on tour as the only original members of Killers remaining. Di'Anno hired new musicians whom he remembered from touring in Germany and Austria. Marcus Thurston joined the band as second guitarist, Darayus Kaye took over bass duties and Pete Newdeck on drums. Steve Hopgood had to retire as he developed tinnitus in his ears. The guitarist Graham Bath damaged his hands from playing so much over the years and developed arthritis. According to Di'Anno, he wanted
Clive Burr
Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1957 – 13 March 2013) was an English drummer. He was a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.
Career
Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979. Auditioning and joining ...
(ex-Iron Maiden) on drums, but he could not get to rehearsals in time. Later on, Burr was to become severely ill from
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
and died in 2013.
By 2004, Killers had disbanded. Cliff Evans, the former Killers guitarist and last original member of the band apart from Di'Anno, subsequently formed his own record company called Soundhouse Records and re-released the entire Killers back catalogue with the addition of another live album entitled ''Killers Live at the Marquee'' in 2008. ''Murder One'' album was reissued with 2 acoustic bonus tracks – "Wrathchild" and "Dreamkeeper". Following this, Paul Di'Anno made both Killers studio albums available for download free of charge through his own website. Following legal action, Evans was forced to cease selling any Killers material on his label.
In December 2013, Paul Di'Anno and Cliff Evans announced that the band would regroup and release a new album entitled ''The Lazarus Syndrome''. Producer Phil Kinmanm who had worked on Tank's album ''War Nation'' was announced to be involved with the new project.
Last known line-up
*Paul Di'Anno – Vocals (Di'Anno, ex-Battlezone, ex-Gogmagog (UK), ex-Iron Maiden)
*Cliff Evans – Guitars (Chicken Shack, Headfirst, Tank)
*Graham Bath – Guitars (Persian Risk, Sphinx)
*Brad Wiseman – Bass
*Steve Hopgood – Drums (ex-Battlezone, ex-Chinatown, ex-Jagged Edge, Persian Risk, Shy, Tank, Wild)
Former/past member(s)
*
John Gallagher – Bass (1991–1992) (
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
)
*Ray Ditone – Guitars (1991–1992)
*Nick Burr – Guitars (1992) (ex-Battlezone, ex-Idol Rich, ex-Tyrant, now Bad Back Band)
*Gavin Cooper – Bass (1992–1994) (ex-Battlezone)
Nomad / Di'Anno (1999–2001, 2003–2008)
Following the demise of the new Battlezone unit put together in 1998, Di'Anno teamed up with expat Brazilian guitarist Paulo Turin and lived in
São Paulo during 2000. A new band was created initially under the banner of "Nomad" and featured an all Brazilian line up. It was economically and logistically preferable for Di'Anno to live in
Brazil during this period, in order to tour South America and release a self-produced album pleasing to that particular market. The album was distributed by Perris Records. However, complete worldwide distribution was not achieved.
The album was repackaged and released as ''The Living Dead''. The package included a DVD video for the title track. This was recorded in the East London Docks and directed by Swedish director Mats Lundberg from Doom Films, who went to London to work on the concept with Di'Anno's manager Lea Hart. All of the special effects were added in Sweden and the story line was based on the lyrics and message of the song. Few previously released live Iron Maiden tracks were also added to the CD.
RockFellas (2008–2010)
Late 2008, Di'anno relocated to the southeast of Brazil and toured with a new band/project named RockFellas with three Brazilian musicians:
Jean Dolabella (drummer) ex-Diesel/
Udora
Udora is a small rural community in Ontario, Canada. It has a population estimated to be around 500 and is situated in the most south-eastern part of Georgina, split between York Region and Durham Region. The town was originally known as Snoddon ...
/
Sepultura, Marcão (guitarist) of Charlie Brown Jr. and Canisso of Raimundos/ex-Rodox, playing rock & roll and metal classics. There, he was nicknamed "Paulo Baiano" ("Paulo" = Paul in Portuguese, Baiano = Who was born in
Bahia), being the "Paulo Baiano" nickname a pun/joke, for his name, Paul Di'Anno, is pronounced in a very similar way to the nickname above.
Norwegian live band (2008–present)
Early 2008, Di'Anno toured Norway and later Eastern Europe in 2009 with an all-Norwegian backing band consisting of musicians Henrik "Rick" Hagan (drums), Are Gogstad (bass), Jon Vegard Naess (guitar) and Anders Buaas (guitar).
Anders Buaas was later replaced by guitarist Rikard Nilsen.
The band went on to do several tours of Sweden, and made festival appearances at
Hard Rock Hell (Wales, UK 2013), Voxbotn (Faroe Islands, Denmark 2013), Tons of Rock (Halden, Norway 2014),
Sweden Rock Festival
The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to de ...
(Norje, Sweden 2014) and Rock Against Narcotics (
Pune, India 2015), before doing a tour of Sweden in the summer of 2015.
The band has also toured with
Blaze Bayley and
Tim Ripper Owens.
Present
Di'Anno was, before being jailed in March 2011, recording a new solo album with Paulo Turin, the guitarist who worked on ''Feel My Pain'' and ''Nomad''. The album was being produced by Dieter Roth in his studio in Germany. However, work on the album ceased due to record company problems.
He maintained an extensive world tour schedule, including two recent trips through America where traditional metal band Icarus Witch served as both his opening and backing band. In June 2012, Di'Anno was given the
Freedom of the City
The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...
of
Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro Province, Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel ...
in Argentina for charitable work carried out several years ago.
In 2014, Di'Anno sang on lead vocals on the bonus track "Fuck You All" on the album ''Big Trouble'' by hard rock band
Hollywood Monsters. The album was released in 2014 on
Mausoleum Records
Mausoleum Records was a Belgian-based heavy metal label, once considered by ''Billboard'' as "one of Europe's premier hard rock labels".
Alfie Falckenbach founded the Mausoleum Records label in 1982 (he also founded the Music Avenue label, and t ...
and featured
Steph Honde
Steph Honde (born Stéphane Honde; 5 September 1975) is a French singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (vocals, guitar, piano, bass guitar). Honde is most famous for being the frontman and songwriter of the American hard rock supergroup, H ...
on vocals and guitars,
Vinny Appice on drums,
Tim Bogert on bass and
Don Airey
Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English musician who has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, after the retirement of Jon Lord. He has had a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore ...
on keyboards.
In August 2014, Di'Anno has scrapped his retirement plans and released a new album with his new band, Architects of Chaoz, called ''The League of Shadows''.
In 2015, he returned to Brazil on his tour "The Beast is Back", saying that this would be his last in the country. In this tour, the singer was accompanied by musicians from Rio de Janeiro, Vinnie Tex (guitar), Thiago Velasquez (bass) and drummer Braulio Drumond; they currently part of the North American
Leather Leone's band. Di'Anno made eight presentations around the country. These members would be part of the new band, however due to health problems, the singer had to pause activities and the project in standby.
The same year, Di'Anno was interviewed extensively for the book ''Iron Maiden: 80 81'', by author Greg Prato.
In May 2016, Di'Anno was hospitalized for undisclosed medical issues and was forced to cancel his previously announced June 2016 tour of Brazil. According to the tour's promoter, Blog n Roll Produções, Di'Anno is undergoing a series of tests to help ensure an accurate diagnosis and identify an appropriate course of treatment.
On 29 October 2017, Di'Anno joined The Iron Maidens on stage for their encore at the O2 Academy in Islington, London, performing Wrathchild and Iron Maiden. Di'Anno appeared in a wheelchair.
Di'Anno was due to make his final performance on 30 August 2020 at the Beermageddon Festival in
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in the ...
, England before he retired from touring, though he has not clarified on whether he will continue to record music. This appearance was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, with the festival dates rescheduled for August 2021. However, on 7 June Paul and the Ides of March band were removed from the line up with the following statement: "We here at Beermageddon are gutted to announce Ides of March will no longer be appearing at this years festival, we had been struggling to contact the band or management and just over a week ago had the news that the planned project will not be going ahead and as such the band will not appear at Beermageddon 2021. We were so looking forward to Paul Di'Anno and a lineup of past Iron Maiden members gracing the Geddon stage, it would have been one of the most memorable festival appearances we have ever had, but sadly it isn't to be. I know many of you had huge anticipation for Di'Anno's farewell show, and we feel your pain, but we do promise Beermageddon will still be the fantastic festival it always is."
On 21 May, 2022, Di'Anno performed his first live show in 7 years with the Norwegian live band at Bikers Beer Factory in Zagreb, Croatia.
Autobiography
Di'Anno has released an autobiography titled ''The Beast'' (). The book includes a chapter of stories and comments regarding Di'Anno written by former bandmates including
Dennis Stratton
Dennis Stratton (born 9 October 1952) is an English guitarist who is best known as a former member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from December 1979 to October 1980.
Biography
Born in Canning Town, London, Stratton showed early promise a ...
, John Wiggins and Steve Hopgood. The book was controversial for its portrayal of his abuse of various drugs, many accounts of Di'Anno's violence towards people, and the explanation of his ban from America.
Singing style
In comparison to the soaring, operatic vocals of
his successor in Iron Maiden, Di'Anno is remembered for having a more guttural "
punk" sound to his singing, in part because he began his singing career in punk band the Paedophiles. He usually sang with a raspy and rougher sound, although he was capable of singing with a purer voice as demonstrated by slower numbers like "Remember Tomorrow", "Strange World" and "Prodigal Son".
Later in his career Di'Anno's style, along with his music, became darker and more aggressive as Iron Maiden evolved into a more progressive outfit.
Other interests
Di'Anno has had several businesses outside of the music industry, including an
internet café and a hotel/restaurant in England, both of which he sold. He was last resident in
Salisbury,
Wiltshire.
Personal life
In February 2011, Di'Anno was convicted on eight counts of benefit fraud for claiming more than £45,000 under false pretenses. On 11 March 2011, he was jailed for nine months at Salisbury
Crown Court
The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
.
He only served two of the nine months to which he was sentenced, being released early for good behaviour.
Di'Anno's religious affiliation is made uncertain by his own words; he has given interviews that contradict each other on this subject, perhaps as a
practical joke
A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
. He has a tattoo on the back of his head that says "
666
666 may refer to:
* 666 (number)
* 666 BC, a year
* AD 666, a year
* The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament
Places
* 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt
* U.S. Route 666, an America ...
" and "GOD = SUCKER". According to his autobiography, he converted to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
in the 1990s after reading the
Qur'an. However, he has subsequently reversed that position, saying "I think religion kills everybody. I don't believe in it.... No, my father was a Muslim, I must admit. But I don't give a fuck." In later interviews Di'Anno clarifies that he never was a true Muslim, that he never stopped drinking, but tried to become a better person by applying some of the Muslim philosophies to his life. His autobiography furthers the confusion, in various passages he claims to be
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
,
Catholic,
Jewish, and
Aborigine.
Di'Anno has been married five times and has six children.
A
crowdfunder
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by cro ...
was launched in January 2021 to help raise money for the singer's knee surgery, following several years of poor health. In September 2021, it was reported that Di'Anno was still waiting for the surgery, and a photo surfaced of the singer showing his badly swollen leg. In October 2021, the crowdfunding had reached its target to which Di'Anno heartily thanked everyone for their support. As of November 2021, Di'Anno has relocated to Croatia to undergo treatment and surgery for his knee.
Discography
with Iron Maiden
*''
The Soundhouse Tapes
''The Soundhouse Tapes'' is the debut EP by Iron Maiden, and features the first recordings by the band. Released on 9 November 1979, it features three songs taken from the demo tape recorded at Spaceward Studios on 30 and 31 December 1978. The t ...
'' (1979)
*''
Iron Maiden'' (1980)
*''
Live!! +one
''Live!!'' is the first live album by Japanese garage punk band Guitar Wolf. It was released in Japan in June 2000. The album is assembled from four different performances, including a show on 31 October 1999 at CBGB. It also includes a MiniCD ...
'' (1980)
*''
Killers'' (1981)
*''
Live at the Rainbow
''Live at the Rainbow'' is the first live video recorded by Iron Maiden on 21 December 1980 and released in 1981. It includes one of the band's earliest concerts with guitarist Adrian Smith as well as a very early version of "Killers", with lyr ...
'' (1981)
*''
Maiden Japan'' (1981)
*''
12 Wasted Years
''12 Wasted Years'' is a video documentary of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, focusing on the history of the band from 1975 to 1987. It includes several rare videos and interviews from the band's career, some of which were later included on the 20 ...
'' (1987)
*''
The First Ten Years (From There to Eternity)'' (1990)
*''
Best of the Beast
''Best of the Beast'' was Iron Maiden's first "best of" album, released in 1996 in three formats: a 34 track (four disc) vinyl, a 27 track (two disc) CD, a 16 track (single disc) CD and MiniDisc. The vinyl edition is, to date, the band's longes ...
'' (1996)
*''
Ed Hunter'' (1999)
*''
BBC Archives'' (2002)
*''
Best of the 'B' Sides'' (2002)
*''
The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days'' (2004)
*''
The Essential Iron Maiden
''The Essential Iron Maiden'' is the fourth greatest hits compilation by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 12 July 2005. Released exclusively in North America, it is part of Sony Music Entertainment's ''The Essential'' seri ...
'' (2005)
with Di'Anno
*''Live at the
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
'' (VHS, 1984)
*''
Di'Anno'' (1984)
**"Flaming Heart" (1984)
**"Heartuser" (1984)
*''Nomad'' (2000)
*''Live at the Palace, recorded in 1984'' (DVD, 2005)
Solo
*''The World's First Iron Man'' (1997)
*''As Hard as Iron'' (1997)
*''Beyond the Maiden'' (Compilation, 1999)
*''The Masters'' (Compilation, 1999)
*''The Beast'' (Live, 2001)
*''The Beast in the East'' (Live, 2003 DVD)
*''The Living Dead'' (2006)
*''The Maiden Years – The Classics'' (Compilation, 2006)
*''Iron Maiden Days & Evil Nights'' (Compilation, 2007)
*''Wrathchild – The Anthology'' (Compilation, 2012)
*''The Beast Arises'' (DVD, 2014)
*''Hell Over
Waltrop
Waltrop is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the Datteln-Hamm Canal, approximately 15 km east of Recklinghausen and 15 km north-west of Dortmund.
Division of the town
The tow ...
– Live In Germany ,Recorded in 2006) '' (Live, 2020)
with Battlezone
*''Fighting Back'' (1986)
*''Children of Madness'' (1987)
*''
Warchild'' (Compilation 1988)
*''Feel My Pain'' (1998)
*''Cessation of Hostilities'' (Compilation with all three studio albums Battlezone released + Children of madness demo tracks and one new live track, 2001)
*''The Fight Goes On'' (Boxset including all three Battlezone studio albums, 2008)
*''Paul Di’Anno’s Battlezone: Killers In The Battlezone (1986-2000)'' (3 CD Box Set, 2022)
with Killers a.k.a. Paul Di' Anno & Killers
*''Murder One'' (1992)
*''South American Assault Live'' (1994)(Recorded on summer, 1993)
*''Menace to Society'' (1994)
*''Live'' (1997)
*''New Live & Rare'' (1998)
*''Killers Live at the Whiskey'' (2001)(Recorded Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles,2000)
*''Screaming Blue Murder – The Very Best of Paul Di'Anno's Killers'' (2002)
with Gogmagog
*''
I Will Be There'' EP (1985)
with Dennis Stratton
*''The Original Iron Men'' (1995)
*''The Original Iron Men 2'' (1996)
*''Hard As Iron'' (compilation) (1996)
with Praying Mantis & Paul Di'Anno, Dennis Stratton
*''Live at Last'' (1991) (Recorded at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, 18 April 1990)
with The Almighty Inbredz
*''The Almighty Inbredz'' (1999)
with Architects of Chaoz
*''League of shadows'' (2015)
on compilations
*''Metal for Muthas'' (with Iron Maiden, 1980)
*''Kaizoku'' (1989, Song: "Danger on the Street II")
*''All Stars Featuring The Best Of British Heavy Metal & Heavy Rock Musicians'' (1991, Song "She is danger")
*''True Brits'' (1993)
*''True Brits 2'' (1994)
*''True Brits 3'' (1995)
*''Rock Hard Hard Rock'' (1994, Songs: "No Repair", "She goes down")
*''X-Mas: The Metal Way'' (1994)
*''Killer Voices'' (1995)
*''Metal Monsters'' (1996)
*''Metal Christmas'' a.k.a. ''The 21st Century Rock Christmas Album'' (1996)
*''Hard 'n' Heavy Rock'' (2001, Song: "Lights Out")
*''Wacken Rocks'' (2001, Song: "Wrathchild (live)")
*''Classic Rock, Classic Rockers'' (2002)
*''Metal Masters – Killers'' (2005, Song: "Killers")
*''Rock Hard – Das Festival'' (2007, Song: "Prowler (live)")
*''The Many Faces of Iron Maiden – Journey Through The Inner World of Iron Maiden (2016)''
on tribute albums
*''In The Name Of Satan – A Tribute To Venom (1998)'' (with Killers: "Black Metal")
*''666 The Number One Beast'' (Iron Maiden Tribute) (1999)
*''666 The Number One Beast Volume 2'' (Iron Maiden Tribute) (1999)
*''The Maiden Years'' (Iron Maiden Tribute) (2000)
*''Gimme all your Top'' (
ZZ Top Tribute) (2000) (Song: "Sleeping Bag")
*''The Boys are back'' (
Thin Lizzy Tribute) (2000)'' (Song: "Killer On the Loose")
*''Only UFO can rock me'' (
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
Tribute) (2001) (Song: Shoot Shoot)
*''Another Hair of the Dog'' (
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
Tribute) (2001) (Songs: "Hair Of The Dog" and "Broken Down Angel")
*''Hangar de Almas: Tributo A Megadeth (2005)'' (Song: "Symphony Of Destruction")
*''Numbers from the Beast – An All Stars Tribute to Iron Maiden (2005)'' (Song: "Wrathchild")
*''World's Greatest Metal – Tribute to
Led Zeppelin (2006)'' (Song: "Kashmir")
*''An '80s Metal Tribute to
Van Halen (2006)'' (Song: "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love")
*''A Tribute to The Rolling Stones (2007)'' (Songs: "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash")
*''Top Musicians Play The Rolling Stones (2010)'' (Song: "Paint It Black")
*''Thriller – A Metal Tribute To
Michael Jackson (2013)'' (Song: "Bad")
*''Tribute to Rod Stewart and The Faces II (2015)'' (Songs: "Hot Legs" and "Cindy Incidentally")
Guest appearances
*''English Steel: Start 'em young'' (1993, Song: "She goes down")
*''English Steel: Lucky Streak Vol. II'' (1994, Songs: "Danger", "Dirty")
*''Aciarium: The Heavy Metal Superstars'' (1996)
*''Re-Vision: Longevity (2001)'' (Song: "Larvae")
*''Spearfish: Back, for the Future (2003)'' (Song: "Justice In Ontario")
*''
Destruction: Inventor of Evil'' (2005) (Song: "The Alliance of Hellhoundz")
*''Michael Schenker Group: Heavy Hitters (2005)'' (Song: "Hair Of The Dog")
*''Ira: Gloria Eterna (2008)'' (Song: "Marshall Lockjaw")
*''Mantra: Building: Hell (2010)'' (Song: "Master Of My Life")
*''Attick Demons: Atlantis'' (2011, Song: "Atlantis")
*''Legions Of Crows: Stab Me (2011)'' (Song: "Coventry Carol")
*''Så Jävla Metal: The History of Swedish Hard Rock and Heavy Metal (2011 Film)'' (Song: "Så Jävla Metal")
*''Wolfpakk: Wolfpakk'' (2011) (Song: "The Crow")
*''Prassein Aloga: Midas Touch'' (2011, "See the Bodies" und "Flesh of Life")
*''Layla Milou: Reborn (2012)'' (Song: "You Own Control")
*''Scelerata: The Sniper'' (2012) (Guest vocals, co-writing, composing)
*''Rushmore: Kingdom Of Demons'' (2013)
*''
Red Dragon Cartel: Wasted'' (2014)
*''
Hollywood Monsters: Big Trouble'' (2014, bonus track: "Fuck you all")
*''Odium: The Science Of Dying (2014)'' (Song: "Die With Pride")
*''Maiden United: Remembrance (2015)'' (Song: "Prowler")
*''Mikael Fassberg: Lazy Sunday (2015)''
*''Coffee Overdrive: Rocket L(A)unch (2015)'' (Song: "To The Top")
*''United Artists Against Terrorism: Heroes (2016)''
*''Ibridoma: December (2016)'' (Song: "I'm a Bully")
*''Mikael Fassberg: All or Nothing (2017)''
*''AirForce (UK): Black Box Recordings Volume 2 (2018)'' (Song: "Sniper")
See also
*
List of new wave of British heavy metal bands
*
Blaze Bayley
References
External links
Official website*
*
Paul Di'Anno: 30 Years of the Beast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Di'Anno, Paul
1958 births
Iron Maiden members
English heavy metal singers
English rock singers
English baritones
Living people
Gogmagog (band) members
People from Chingford
Prisoners and detainees of the United Kingdom
English fraudsters
English punk rock singers
Metal Mind Productions artists
English people of Brazilian descent
English people of Italian descent