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 Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

. He initially joined to replace

Adrian Smith Adrian Frederick "H" Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English guitarist best known as a member of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, for whom he also writes songs and performs backing vocals both live and in the studio. Smith grew up in London ...

, but remained in the band after Smith rejoined. Gers was previously a member of Gillan and co-founder of the band White Spirit in 1975.

Career

Gers began his career as the lead guitarist of the

New Wave of British Heavy Metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

band White Spirit -- appearing on their debut self-titled album in 1980 -- before leaving in 1981 to join Gillan, a group formed by then-former Deep Purple vocalist

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

. After Gillan disbanded, Gers undertook a Humanities degree before joining Gogmagog, which included former Iron Maiden vocalist

Paul Di'Anno 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 albu ...

and drummer Clive Burr. The project would ultimately come to nothing. Gers would later contribute, and perform on, the track "View from the Hill" on former Marillion vocalist

Fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

's first solo album, ''

Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors ''Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors'' is the debut solo album by Scottish neo-progressive rock singer Fish, released in 1990. Fish had departed Marillion in 1988. Although the recordings for this album finished as early as June 1989, EMI Recor ...

'', released in 1990. In 1989 Gers was asked to record the song " Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" with

vocalist Bruce Dickinson for the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child -- this project then expanded into Dickinson's first solo album, ''

Tattooed Millionaire ''Tattooed Millionaire'' is the first solo album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, released in 1990. The album project began when Dickinson was asked to record a song for '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child'', and so wrote " ...

''. During the recording of ''Tattooed Millionare'', Gers was asked to join Iron Maiden in place of

. He has remained with the band ever since, even after Smith rejoined the band in 1999, contributing to a total of ten studio albums.

Influences, musical style, and performance style

Gers' playing style uses heavy distortion and is noted for having a very raw tone. He prefers alternate picking instead of playing legato using hammers and pull-offs. Gers' main influences are

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guita ...

, Jeff Beck and

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...

. He is noted for his energetic stage presence, which often involves dancing, prancing, and performing tricks with his guitar, such as throwing it into the air and catching it. However, his on-stage performance has drawn criticism from some. He is also left-handed although he plays guitar right-handed; he can be seen signing autographs with his left hand in the ''

Rock in Rio ''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...

'' DVD.

Personal life

He has two children with his wife Sandra, Sian and Dylan Gers, and lives in Yarm, Teesside. Dylan Gers is also a musician who has released ambient soundscapes, including a collaboration with Noah Yorke, son of Radiohead singer

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

. Gers father, Bolesław, was an able seaman of the Polish Navy and served on

ORP Burza ORP ''Burza'' was a of the Polish Navy which saw action in World War II. Building ORP ''Burza'' (squall ''or'' storm) was ordered on 2 April 1926 from the French shipyard Chantiers Navals Français together with her sister ship . She entered ...

and

ORP Błyskawica ORP ''Błyskawica'' (Lightning) is a which served in the Polish Navy during World War II. It is the only Polish Navy ship to have been decorated with the '' Virtuti Militari'', Poland's highest military order for gallantry, and in 2012 was give ...

on which he came to England and later joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. Gers has relatives in the Bydgoszcz area and

Sośno Sośno (german: Soßnow) is a village in Sępólno County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Sośno. It lies approximately south-east of Sępólno Krajeń ...

village in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and visited them regularly as a teenager until 1977. Gers bought his first guitar during one of those visits, in a music store in

Złotów Złotów (german: Flatow) is a town in northwestern Poland, with a population of 18,303 inhabitants (2011). Today it is part of Greater Poland Voivodeship (province), previously being in Piła Voivodeship (1975–1998). Since 1999 Złotów has b ...

close to

Piła Piła (german: Schneidemühl) is a city in northwestern Poland and the capital of Piła County, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its population as of 2021 was 71,846, making it the third-largest city in the voivodeship after Poznań ...

. Gers met his Polish family again after 34 years at a 2011 concert in Warsaw. Gers is a fan of

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded i ...

and is a season-ticket holder in the

Neale Cooper Neale James Cooper (24 November 1963 – 28 May 2018) was a Scottish football player and coach. He played as a midfielder during the 1980s and 1990s, most prominently for the Aberdeen team managed by Alex Ferguson, and later played for Aston ...

Stand at

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

. Gers is a graduate of the English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College. Gers had an uncredited part in the BBC drama ''

The Paradise Club ''The Paradise Club'' is a BBC television crime drama series, broadcast between 19 September 1989 and 27 November 1990. The series starred Don Henderson and Leslie Grantham as Frank and Danny Kane, siblings who inherit a nightclub from their m ...

'' in 1990, appearing as the lead guitarist of a band called Fraud Squad. He appeared in the 2010 fan-made Iron Maiden documentary ''Maiden Heaven''.

Musical equipment

Gers is a long-time proponent of the

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...

. His guitars are typically black or white with rosewood fingerboards and

Seymour Duncan Seymour Duncan is an American company best known for manufacturing guitar and bass pickups. They also manufacture effects pedals which are designed and assembled in America. Guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan and Cathy Carter Duncan found ...

JB Jr. and Hot Rails pick-ups. His favourite guitar over the years has been a black Stratocaster, equipped with JB Jr. pick-ups, which was given to him by Ian Gillan. Gers uses four different Fender Stratocasters, as well as a Gibson Chet Atkins semi-acoustic model for songs such as "Dance of Death". Gers is currently endorsed by Sandberg Guitars, and he uses a California ST-S tobacco hc-aged and a California ST-S creme hc-aged model on stage. Like his bandmates, Dave Murray and

, Gers currently uses the

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

JMP-1 preamp through a Marshall 9200 power amp. Preferring not to use foot-switches while playing, Gers' roadie operates his MIDI Foot Controller offstage. Favouring cables, Gers only uses a Shure UR4D wireless system when he throws his guitar around. He uses

Ernie Ball Ernie Ball (born Roland Sherwood Ball; August 30, 1930 – September 9, 2004) was an American entrepreneur and musician who developed guitar-related products. Ball began as a club and local television musician and entrepreneur, building an inte ...

Regular Slinky nickel-wound guitar strings, although he does not use the B string.

Discography

;Iron Maiden *''

No Prayer for the Dying ''No Prayer for the Dying'' is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is their first album to feature Janick Gers on guitar, who replaced Adrian Smith. Smith left the band during the pre-production phase, unhappy ...

'' (1990) *''

Fear of the Dark Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. Some degree ...

'' (1992) *''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' (1995) *''

Virtual XI ''Virtual XI'' (pronounced "Virtual Eleven") is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 23 March 1998. It is the band's second and final album with Blaze Bayley on vocals. It also marks the first album to ...

'' (1998) *''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...

'' (2000) *'' Dance of Death'' (2003) *'' A Matter of Life and Death'' (2006) *''

The Final Frontier ''The Final Frontier'' is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 13 August 2010 in Germany, Austria and Finland, 17 August in North America, 18 August in Japan, and 16 August worldwide. At 76&nbs ...

'' (2010) *''

The Book of Souls ''The Book of Souls'' is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album, and also their longest to date, with a total length of 92 minutes and 11 s ...

'' (2015) *'' Senjutsu'' (2021) ;White Spirit *''White Spirit'' (1980) ;Gillan *'' Double Trouble'' (1981) *''

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

'' (1982) ;Gogmagog *'' I Will Be There'' (EP) (1985) ;Fish *''

'' (1990) ;Bruce Dickinson *''

'' (1990) ;Ian Gillan *''

Gillan's Inn ''Gillan's Inn'' is an album by Ian Gillan in celebration of his 40 years as a singer. The first release was a DualDisc composed of both a CD and a DVD side. The CD featured re-recorded tracks from all eras of Ian Gillan's singing career. In ...

'' (2006)

Notes

References

External links

Iron Maiden's official website
* *
Gers' 2000 Iron Maiden Guitar Rig
GuitarGeek.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Gers, Janick 1957 births British people of Polish descent English people of Polish descent English heavy metal guitarists English rock guitarists Gogmagog (band) members Iron Maiden members Rhythm guitarists Lead guitarists Living people People educated at English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College People from Hartlepool White Spirit (band) members Gillan (band) members