Who is Bruce Dickinson

Bruce Dickinson's vocal skills, energy and on-stage charisma have made him one of the most iconic frontmen in the history of Heavy Metal.

Bruce didn't formally study music or learn to play an instrument in his youth, but he became interested in Heavy Rock as a young teenager after hearing the album "Deep Purple in Rock" and joined his first band while he was still at school. While at university he became heavily involved with music, co-forming a band called "Speed". He persuaded one of the other band members to give him guitar lessons and started writing songs in addition to performing as a vocalist and occasional guitarist.

After "Speed" split up, Bruce answered a newspaper advert placed by a band named "Shots" who were looking for a vocalist. Impressed by Bruce's powerful singing voice, the band hired him and they played numerous pub gigs during which Bruce discovered how to work an audience! One night in 1979, two members of a Hard Rock band called "Samson" watched Bruce at a gig and were sufficiently taken with his performance to offer him a job. Bruce marked this progression in his career by adopting the stage name "Bruce Bruce" taken from a Monty Python sketch!

With Samson, Bruce found himself performing to much bigger audiences and the band toured extensively as a support act to well established bands including "Rainbow". Bruce made two albums with Samson before the band began experiencing difficulties leading to Bruce leaving them in 1981.

When "Iron Maiden" vocalist Paul Di'Anno left the band in 1981, Bruce successfully auditioned for the position. Iron Maiden became one of the most successful and famous Heavy Metal bands in the world, releasing several albums with Bruce singing, writing songs and touring worldwide with the band.

In 1993, Bruce left Iron Maiden to pursue a solo career releasing five albums before re-joining Iron Maiden in 1999 where he remains to this day whilst continuing to work on side projects of his own.

* Photograph of Bruce Dickinson onstage at the Bluesfest in Ottawa with Iron Maiden in 2010 used under a Creative Commons licence from ceedub13

Bruce Dickinson is a fully qualified commercial airline pilot. He holds the rank of Captain and flew Boeing 757s for the charter airline Astraeus based in the UK. Bruce is also the Marketing Director for Astraeus!

Bruce has undertaken several high profile flights in the course of his duties! He flew Rangers Football Club to Israel for a UEFA Cup game in 2007 and the Liverpool Football Club team to Italy for a European match in 2010.

He also flew 200 UK citizens home from Lebanon during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict, returned 180 stranded British holiday makers back to the UK from Egypt after the collapse of their travel company and has flown British RAF pilots back from Afghanistan.

Bruce also piloted a Boeing 757 (nicknamed "Ed Force One") which was chartered by Iron Maiden and converted to carry their stage equipment and adorned with Iron Maiden livery for the band's 2008-2009 "Somewhere Back in Time World Tour"!

Bruce Dickinson is a talented fencer!

He started fencing at the age of 13 and has competed internationally in the sport of fencing and at one time was ranked 7th in Great Britain in the men's foil discipline!

According to Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain:
"He was such a good fencer, he was actually asked to join the Olympic fencing team in the mid-to-late Eighties, but he couldn't because he had to go on the road with the band." (source: Iron Maiden Official Website)

More information about Bruce's interest in the sport of fencing at Bruce Dickinson, The Fencer...