Eriq La Salle
American actor
Bruce Dickinson is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage presence. He has had a prolific solo career and has pursued various other interests, including commercial piloting and fencing.
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About the Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinsonis 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.
Dickinson began his career in music fronting small pub bands in the 1970s while attending school in Sheffield and university in London. In 1979, he joined British new wave heavy metal band Samson, with whom he gained some popularity under the stage name “Bruce Bruce” and performed on two studio records. He left Samson in 1981 to join Iron Maiden, replacing Paul Di’Anno, and debuted on their 1982 album The Number of the Beast. During his first tenure in the band, they issued a series of US and UK platinum and gold albums in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Dickinson quit Iron Maiden in 1993to pursue his solo career, which saw him experiment with a wide variety of heavy metal and rock styles. He rejoined the band in 1999, along with guitarist Adrian Smith, and has released six subsequent studio albums with the band. Since his return to Iron Maiden, he has released two further solo records, in 2005, Tyranny of Souls and The Mandrake Project in 2024. His younger cousin, Rob Dickinson, is the former lead singer of British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, while his son, Austin, fronted the metalcore band Rise to Remain. Since Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden in 1981, the band has sold well over 100 million albums as of 2024.
Outside his career in music, Dickinson has pursued a number of other activities. He undertook a career as a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines, which led to a number of media-reported ventures such as captaining Iron Maiden’s converted charter aeroplane, Ed Force One, during their world tours. Following Astraeus’ closure, in 2012 he created his own aircraft maintenance and pilot training company, Cardiff Aviation. Dickinson presented his own radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music from 2002 to 2010, and has also hosted television documentaries, authored novels and film scripts, created a beer with Robinsons Brewery and competed at fencing internationally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bruce Dickinson is an English singer best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He has performed with the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present day.
Bruce Dickinson is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage presence.
Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden in 1981, replacing Paul Di’Anno as the band’s lead vocalist.
Outside his music career, Bruce Dickinson has pursued various other activities, including a career as a commercial pilot, hosting radio shows, authoring novels and film scripts, and competing in fencing internationally.
Since Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden in 1981, the band has sold well over 100 million albums as of 2024.
Bruce Dickinson’s younger cousin, Rob Dickinson, is the former lead singer of the British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel.
Bruce Dickinson’s son, Austin, fronted the metalcore band Rise to Remain.
20 Quotes by Bruce Dickinson
- 1.
When I write with Maiden, then I write only with the guys in Maiden, we don’t do songs from outside people.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 2.
Best two rock voices I’ve heard in a last few years both have been from grunge bands: it’s Eddie Vedder and the other one is Chris Cornell from Soundgarden.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 3.
Well, it’s a nice quiet time for Iron Maiden, and I’ll be releasing a new solo album next year, so this is a really good time for the managing out my solo career, which is quite well.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 4.
Iron Maiden is an institution, and I’m delighted that I’m involved in it, but there was a time that I wasn’t delighted so I quit.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 5.
A guy called Arthur Brown… was a big influence of mine… and also Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 6.
The mystical poetry of William Blake’s artwork also forms the basis for the album cover.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 7.
I do like Marylin Manson, actually. I think, he’s very talented and he did make some great music.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 8.
I don’t like being recognised, I have no interest in being famous at all, I just do what I do. If I could be like Captain Kirk and beam myself up and then beam myself down, I would!
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 9.
I enjoy making solo albums because over the years it’s evolved into more of a genuine personal expression of story-telling and day dreams, and I work in a way that has more control.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 10.
I shall refract myself, yes, I shall no longer be known as the prism.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 11.
I am taking a break, but not a huge break because the Maiden record is actually happening right now, and I am recording it as we speak, well not right as we speak, but close.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 12.
Rock music should be gross: that’s the fun of it. It gets up and drops its trousers.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 13.
If it all just happens like this for the rest of my life, it’s going to be one endless Groundhog Day. I determined that I was not prepared to submit to this regime, so I thought I had to do something about it.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 14.
The more guitars we have onstage the better, as I’m concerned.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 15.
Life on the road can get a little one-dimensional. I didn’t want to reach 40 and have to say all I’d done was look out the window of a tour bus and get drunk.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 16.
I’m not going to do any more solo touring.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 17.
Major labels blow all their money massively and blame it on the band.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 18.
There are a lot of stuff on the record that I am thinking is generic but actually it is just as good as everybody else who is putting stuff out at the time.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 19.
A few of these interviews have gone slightly awry, because every now and again there has been the odd conflict of interest between interviews because of the Iron Maiden record, and I am a bit long-winded.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)
- 20.
Well, yeah, sometimes I get a little too creative.
Bruce DickinsonEnglish heavy metal singer (born 1958)