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<mask> (born Chaim Witz August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician, singer and songwriter. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the rock band he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s. Early life
<mask> was born as Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, to Jewish immigrants from Hungary. His mother, Florence Klein (1925-2018) (née Flóra Kovács), was born in Jánd and survived internment in Nazi concentration camps. She and her brother, Larry Klein, were the only members of the family to survive the Holocaust. His father, Ferenc "Feri" Yehiel Witz (1925-2002), was a carpenter. <mask> spent his early childhood in Tirat Carmel and was raised in a practicing Jewish household.He practiced playing his guitar for hours on end. He has said that his family was "dirt poor," scraping by on rationed bread and milk. At age seven, he began to pick wild fruit and sell it on roadsides together with a friend. At age eight, he immigrated to the United States with his mother and settled in New York City. His father remained in Israel, where he has another son and three daughters. In the United States, <mask> changed his name to <mask>, adopting his mother's maiden name. At age nine, he briefly attended a Jewish religious school, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, before transferring to a public school.He later attended Richmond College and Sullivan County Community College, both in New York, and chose a stage name in tribute to the rockabilly singer Jumpin' <mask>. Before his musical career began, Klein worked a variety of jobs in the city. A proficient typist, he served as an assistant to an editor of Vogue, and spent several months as a sixth grade instructor on the Upper West Side. The Beatles had a significant influence on <mask>. "There is no way I'd be doing what I do now if it wasn't for the Beatles. I was watching The Ed Sullivan Show and I saw them. Those skinny little boys, kind of androgynous, with long hair like girls.It blew me away that these four boys [from] the middle of nowhere could make that music." Career

Kiss

<mask> became involved with his first band, Lynx, then renamed the Missing Links, when he was a teenager. Eventually, he disbanded the band to form the Long Island Sounds, the name being a pun on Long Island Sound. While he played in these bands, he worked at odd jobs on the side to make more money, including trading used comic books. <mask> attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and the band recorded a demo, "Leeta"; this was later included on the Kiss box set. <mask> formed the rock band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s with Stanley Eisen (now known as Paul Stanley) and recorded one album, which was never released.Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester's sound and look, <mask> and Stanley attempted to fire their band members; they were met with resistance, and they quit Wicked Lester, walking away from their record deal with Epic Records. They decided to form the "ultimate rock band", and started looking for a drummer. <mask> and Stanley found an ad placed by George Peter John Criscuola (known as Peter Criss) who was playing clubs in Brooklyn at the time; they joined and started out as a trio. During this time, Criss and <mask> also appeared on an unreleased album by Captain Sanity together with members from Criss' previous band Chelsea. Paul Frehley (better known as Ace Frehley) responded to an ad they put in The Village Voice for a lead guitar player, and soon joined them. Kiss released their self-titled debut album in February 1974. Stanley took on the role of lead performer on stage, while <mask> became the driving force behind what became an extensive Kiss merchandising franchise.The eye section of his "Demon" makeup with Kiss came from the wing design of comic book character Black Bolt. In 1983, when Kiss's fame was waning, the members took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that continued into the 1990s. At this time, Peter Criss, the original drummer, was voted out of the band, and a replacement was sought to fill his vacancy. The new drummer was Paul Charles Caravello, who went by the stage name of Eric Carr, and played for Kiss from 1980 until his death in 1991. The band hosted its own fan conventions in 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunion influenced the highly successful 1996–1997 Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released Psycho Circus. Since then, the original line-up has once again dissolved, with Tommy Thayer replacing Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Eric Singer (who performed with Kiss from 1991 through 1996) replacing Peter Criss on drums.Other projects
In 1989, <mask> managed the recording side of Liza Minnelli's entry into mainstream pop. On August 15, 2013, <mask>, Paul Stanley and manager Doc McGhee became a part of the ownership group that created the LA Kiss Arena Football League team, which played their home games at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The team has since folded. He has his own magazine, Gene Simmons Tongue Magazine, his own label, Simmons Records, and animated series, My Dad the Rock Star. Simmons Records has released albums by such bands as Kobra and the Lotus, Silent Rage, Gypsy Rose and House of Lords as well as <mask>'s own solo releases. Film and television
<mask> has been involved with such television projects as:
My Dad the Rock Star, a cartoon by the Canadian animation company Nelvana, about the mild mannered son of a <mask> Simmons-like rock star
Mr. Romance, a show created and hosted by <mask> on the Oxygen cable television channel
Rock School, a UK reality show in which <mask> tries to make a rock band out of a group of students of Christ's Hospital School in the first season, and in the second, a group of kids from a comprehensive school in Lowestoft
Gene Simmons Family Jewels, a reality show documenting the personal lives of <mask>, his wife, his son and daughter

In 1985, <mask> appeared on the TV series Miami Vice in an episode titled "The Prodigal Son".The episode served as the season premiere of the show's second season. <mask> appeared as a psychic working at the Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, California on the American hidden camera prank TV series I Get That a Lot. He also guest-starred as himself in the 2014 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode Long Road Home. <mask> performed in the 1984 Michael Crichton thriller Runaway starring Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes and Kirstie Alley as well as the 1987 Gary Sherman action film Wanted: Dead or Alive starring Rutger Hauer. In March 2015, <mask> founded the film production company Erebus Pictures and announced as the first project  the Horror-thriller film Armed Response. Playing style
<mask> plays bass, and lead vocals are split between <mask> and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley in most Kiss songs. Some notable songs featuring <mask> singing lead include "Rock and Roll All Nite", "Deuce", "A World Without Heroes", "I Love It Loud", "Calling Dr. Love", "Unholy", "Spit" (second lead vocals), "Boomerang", "You Wanted the Best" (first lead vocals), and "Christine Sixteen", among others.Stage makeup and persona
In addition to playing bass, <mask> is known for his long tongue, which he frequently sticks out while performing, and on stage is known for his demonic figure by spitting fire and vomiting stage blood. Personal life

<mask> is a science fiction and comic book fan and published several science-fiction fanzines, among them Id, Cosmos (which eventually merged with Stilletto to become Cosmos-Stilletto and then Faun), Tinderbox, Sci-Fi Showcase, Mantis and Adventure. He also contributed to other fanzines, among them BeABohema and Sirruish. By 1977, however, he would write in a letter of comment to Janus, "I haven't been active [in fandom] for about five years". <mask> lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Shannon Lee Tweed a Canadian actress and former Playboy Playmate. Although they began dating in 1983, they did not marry until 28 years later. <mask> often joked that he and Tweed were "happily unmarried" for over 20 years.He also often paraphrased Groucho Marx, saying "Marriage is an institution, and I don't want to live in an institution". <mask> and Tweed wed on October 1, 2011 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They have two children: Nick (born January 22, 1989) and Sophie (born July 7, 1992). He formerly had live-in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross, revealing that he fell in love with Ross while dating Cher. <mask> can speak Hungarian, German, English, Hebrew, and some Japanese. <mask> does not drink alcohol or use drugs. Homecoming visit to Israel
In March 2011, <mask> visited his birth country, Israel.He described the trip as a "life changing experience". He talked about how he still feels that he is an Israeli: "I'm Israeli. I'm a stranger in America. I'm an outsider". While there, <mask> met his half-brother Kobi, and triplet half-sisters Drora, Sharon and Ogenia. <mask> announced he has plans to take Kiss to Israel. He has said that he is an ardent supporter of Israel.At a press conference in Israel, he spoke in both Hebrew and English. Political views
<mask> was a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn't theirs... in a country they've never been to... simply to liberate the people therein". In a follow-up, <mask> explained his position and wrote about his love and support for the United States: "I wasn't born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away... and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America.And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me". During the 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Lebanon, <mask> sent a televised message of support (in both English and Hebrew) to an Israeli soldier seriously wounded in fighting in Lebanon, calling him his "hero". In 2010, <mask> said he regretted voting for Barack Obama and criticized the 2009 health care reforms. Following Obama's 2011 speech on the Middle East in which the President called on Israel and the Palestinians to

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 negotiate a settlement "based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps", <mask> told CNBC that Obama was gravely misguided. "If you have never been to the moon, you can't issue policy about the moon. For the president to be sitting in Washington D.C. and saying, 'Go back to your '67 borders in Israel' – how about you live there and try to defend an indefensible border – nine miles (14 km) wide?" <mask> also accused the United Nations of being "the most pathetic body on the face of the earth".During his visit to Israel in 2011, he stated that the artists refusing to perform in Israel for political reasons are "stupid". In an April 2012 interview, <mask> endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for President: "America should be in business and it should be run by a businessman." On November 6, 2015, he attended a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces gala in Beverly Hills, which raised more than $31 million. On November 10, 2021, he stated that people who refused to get the vaccine against COVID-19 "an enemy" and called them "evil". Philanthropy
<mask> is a known advocate for ChildFund International's work. He traveled to Zambia during his Gene Simmons Family Jewels show to visit several of his sponsored children, of whom he has more than 140. <mask> said that the trip "[was] a stark reminder that life doesn't treat everyone the same".<mask>'s family received the MEND Humanitarian Award for their philanthropic efforts and support for Mending Kids International at the organization's annual gala on November 9, 2013. The award was presented by Mel Gibson. In his acceptance speech, <mask> spoke of his own difficult childhood in Israel in a bullet-riddled house. He recalled his mother's excitement when they received a CARE box one day. <mask>
<mask> has boasted many times about having bedded thousands of women.In 2010, he claimed the tally stood at 5,000 and that he has a Polaroid picture of each liaison, including the hotel key where it took place. A number of years prior, as a guest on TSN's Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, <mask> told fellow guest Thea Andrews he had slept with 4,500 women, to which Andrews replied she was not interested in being 4,501. The show's other guest, Mark Tewksbury, offered himself to <mask> instead, to which <mask> declined. Tewksbury would state in a 2012 interview with the National Post that <mask> shook his head at Tewksbury off-camera. He told Terry Gross: "If you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs", paraphrasing a lyric from the Who's 1981 song "You Better You Bet". Gross replied: "That's a really obnoxious thing to say". At the time, <mask> refused to grant permission to NPR to make the interview available online.However, it appears in print in Gross' book All I Did Was Ask and unauthorized transcripts are available. NPR re-broadcast part of the interview in August 2007. In a 2014 interview with The Huffington Post, <mask> noted he was upset over what he perceived as Gross's "holier-than-thou" attitude, which included mislabeling his band Kiss as "the Kiss". In 2019, Ace Frehley stated that <mask> had attempted to grope his wife, calling <mask> an "asshole and a sex addict". Islam comments in Australia
In 2004, during an interview in Melbourne, Australia, while talking about Islamic extremists, <mask> described Islam as a "vile culture", saying that Muslim women had to walk behind their husbands and were not allowed to be educated or to own houses. He said: "They want to come and live right where you live and they think that you're evil." Australia's Muslim of the Year Susan Carland argued that <mask>'s stereotyping of Muslims was inaccurate.<mask> later clarified his comments on his website, saying he had been talking specifically about Muslim extremists. Defamation lawsuit by former girlfriend
In 2005, <mask> was sued by a former girlfriend, Georgeann Walsh Ward, who said she had been "defamed" in the VH1 documentary When Kiss Ruled the World and portrayed as an "unchaste woman". A settlement was reached in June 2006. Views on musical piracy
In 2007, <mask> openly spoke out against music piracy, and called for file-sharers to be sued. A year later, he threatened further lawsuits, and to withhold new recordings, if file-sharing continued. In 2010, Anonymous staged a DDoS on his website, prompting <mask> to hit back with provocative comments once he was back online, at which point Anonymous staged a second DDoS, taking <mask>'s site down again. In September 2014, <mask> said "The death of rock was not a natural death.Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered." <mask> blames file sharing and that no one values music "enough to pay you for it" for the decline of the rock music scene. Comments on suicide and depression
In August 2014, <mask> made comments in an interview with Songfacts.com that seemed to openly encourage people with depression to kill themselves. The comments drew criticism from Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe who had suffered from depression in the past. Following his comments, both Triple M and Winnipeg radio station Power 97 stated that they were pulling all Kiss songs from their lineup in protest. <mask> later clarified his comments and apologized for the incident.Fox and Friends incident
On November 16, 2017, <mask> made an appearance on Fox & Friends to promote a new book, but shortly afterward, he burst into a staff meeting uninvited, unbuttoning his shirt and telling jokes. The next day, on November 17, Fox News announced that <mask> was banned for life from their program. Awards and recognition
On January 28, 2011, <mask> was in Dallas, Texas to host the Aces & Angels Salute to the Troops charity event. <mask> was presented the key to the city, and a street (<mask> Boulevard) was named for him. <mask> and Tweed also visited the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood to support the troops as a part of the Aces & Angels event. On June 15 of the same year, he was given the key to the city in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2012, <mask> was awarded the Golden God award by the Revolver magazine.In 2013, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History accepted an autographed Gene Simmons Axe bass into their collection from John Upshaw Downs, Jr. The Smithsonian wrote, in part: "The bass will now be cared for in our permanent collections... We are happy to include the Axe bass as it relates to the impact Mr. <mask> and his band Kiss have had on American culture, especially in the creation of a unique and iconic brand that has been embraced by fans worldwide ... The story of Mr. <mask>' American experience deserves to be preserved. An immigrant and son of a holocaust survivor, he used creative vision and entrepreneurial acumen to make a significant impact for our nation's popular culture, becoming an iconic figure in American music and entertainment." <mask> is an honorary board member of Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. A&E's <mask> Family Jewels visited a Little Kids Rock classroom and featured the segment on the show. He also decorated a guitar for auction with his son Nick.On December 15, 2014, <mask> was awarded the Golden Medal by the Reial Circle Artístic de Barcelona (Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona). Filmography

Film

Television appearances

Music video appearances
In 1994, <mask> appears as auditioning for the band with actor Al Lewis & comedian Gilbert Gottfried in a music video for "I'll Talk My Way Out Of It" by Howard Stern comedian Stuttering John. In 2007, he appeared alongside other celebrities, as well as regular people, in the music video for "Rockstar" by Nickelback. Video game appearances
<mask> is a playable character in Tony Hawk's Underground, unlocked when completing the story mode on Normal difficulty, and also appears with his Kiss bandmates in the Hotter Than Hell level to play one of three songs upon collecting the four K-I-S-S letters. <mask>'s Kiss character, The Demon, is a playable character in Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child. <mask> also has a large role in the 2010 music video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. In addition to narrating the main storyline, voicing the character Demigod of Rock in cutscenes, and doing advertising for the game, the Kiss song "Love Gun" is playable.A Dark-Normal Type Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield known as Obstagoon the Blocking Pokémon resembles <mask>'s K.I.S.S. character: The Demon. Discography

Studio albums
<mask> (1978)
Asshole (2004)

Box sets
 Vault (2017)

DVDs
 Speaking in Tongues (2004)

Guest appearances
 Wendy O. Williams – WOW (1984) Producer, played all the bass on the album(credited as "Reginald Van Helsing"), co-wrote five songs "I Love Sex (And Rock and Roll)", "It's My Life", "Thief in the Night", "Legends Never Die" and "Ain't None of Your Business". Bruce Kulick – BK3 (2010) Lead vocals on "Ain't Gonna Die"
 Engelbert Humperdinck – Engelbert Calling (2014) co-vocals on "Spinning Wheel"

Publishing career
In 2002, <mask> launched <mask>' Tongue, a men's lifestyle magazine. The magazine lasted five issues before being discontinued. Other ventures
In 1976–77, <mask> signed a management and production contract with the band Van Halen. He produced a Van Halen demo tape and attempted to find a record deal for the band with a variety of major record labels.When no deal materialised, he released them from their contract. From 2006 to 2008, <mask> served in a marketing and publicity role with the Indy Racing League. In 2012, <mask> headlined the Rock N Roll All Stars tour which performed in stadiums across South America. The project also featured several other Rock N Roll Hall of Famers including Def Leppard's Joe Elliot, Guns N Roses' Duff McKagan & Matt Sorum and Deep Purple's Glenn Hughes as well as Billy Idol's Steve Stevens, Collective Soul's Ed Rolland, Sebastian Bach, Alice in Chain's Mike Inez and the Cult's Billy Duffy. On March 1, 2012 the line up and the tour was revealed at a news conference hosted by Promoter Gabe Reed at the Roxy theater in Hollywood, CA. <mask> was in attendance and the entire news conference and subsequent tour was featured on Simmons Family Jewels' series finale episodes. In 2012, <mask> partnered with Paul Stanley and three other investors to form the restaurant franchise Rock & Brews.In 2017, <mask> launched "The Vault" which is a compilation of all of his major works selling for $2,000. In 2018, <mask> was named as "Chief Evangelist Officer" of the Canadian cannabis company Invictus MD Strategies. <mask> also holds a large investment stake in the

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{{Infobox artist
| name = <mask>
| image = Cover_of_Nature's_Window.jpg
| caption = Nature's Window, a 1992 profile of <mask> and collection of his works. The painting on the cover, titled Fleeting Encounter, was painted in 1988. | birth_name = <mask>
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania
| death_date =
| death_place = Nashville, Tennessee
| nationality = American
| field = Wildlife painter
| training = Philadelphia Museum School of Art,
| movement = Wildlife, realism
| works        = African Leopard Cub (1978)Snow Leopard (1975)Cougar (1978)Clouded Leopard (1979)Fleeting Encounter (1988)Unrivaled (1994)
| patrons =
| awards = See below }}

<mask> (February 28, 1926 – December 16, 2005) was an American wildlife artist whose work was featured in more than 500 exhibitions, including a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Fracé painted over a hundred paintings from which limited edition prints were produced, which were consistently popular with collectors. Early life, education, and career
Born in 1926 in the small town of Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), in eastern Pennsylvania, Fracé lost his father at a young age, and lived with his mother and grandparents. Fracé began drawing at five and taught himself to paint when he was fifteen. His first painting was a portrait of Jesus, which was followed the next year by a portrait of Abraham Lincoln which was presented to his high school principal, and which remains in the town museum. He also played alto horn and trumpet in the school band, and was in the school soccer and basketball teams.After working at odd jobs for several years before being persuaded to apply for a scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum School of Art. His self-instructed talent earned him the opportunity, and he worked his way through school, including a stint as an extra for the Philadelphia Opera, graduating with honors in 1952. In 1955, Fracé began a professional career as a freelance illustrator in New York City. After struggling to land his first paid artist job, and working for a year for the local office of the Saturday Evening Post, he befriended wildlife photographer Shelly Grossman. After Fracé sought advice from respected wildlife illustrator Al Dorne, who told Fracé, "stick with it", Fracé joined Grossman on an assignment in Weeki Wachi, Florida. There, Fracé found the inspiration to paint his first three wildlife paintings, of a Great Horned Owl, Sparrow Hawk, and Pondicherry Vulture. Fracé continued painting in this genre, and within the next few years he became one of the nation's most sought-after illustrators of wildlife.During this time he began a collaboration with wildlife photographer and preservationist Roger A. Caras. In 1966 Caras published Last Chance on Earth: A Requiem for Wildlife, with illustrations by Fracé. The pair went on to collaborate on twelve more books, the last one being Source of the Thunder: The Biography of a California condor, in 1991. Wildlife painter
At the urging of his wife Elke, <mask>  took a sabbatical from commercial illustrating in 1972 and began painting for his own enjoyment. He proceeded to paint from memory an American eagle he had observed at Walking Dunes on the coast of Long Island. Unsure that the painting represented how he really felt about wildlife he put the painting into storage in a closet. His wife took the painting to a gallery in Mattituck, New York, seeking a professional opinion and with the urging of the gallery owners left it with them for display.It sold in two hours. In 1973, he left the world of commercial illustration and concentrated on producing wildlife oil paintings. Also that year he started a business relationship with Frame House, a publisher of wildlife prints. His first two limited edition print releases, African Lion and Tiger, sold out shortly after release. In 1974, he relocated Nashville, Tennessee, and embarked on a five-week trip to Africa, where he refined his skill in painting big cats, which became one of the hallmarks of his work. Early in his career, Frace adopted a principle called "the Three A's, in which he demands of himself that his paintings be Artistic, Alive, and Accurate". During the next 20 years over 100 of Fracé's paintings were issued as limited edition prints, making him one of the most successful wildlife artists of all time.By the early 1980s, Fracé was described as "America's premier wildlife artist". A 1981 article described his "stature as a painter of the world's most beautiful animals is virtually unrivaled", and noted that "Fracé never paints an animal he has not seen for himself or touched with his own hand". He was commissioned to paint the official portrait of 9Lives mascot Morris the Cat in 1976, and by the National Retriever Club to paint their 1983 stamp print. In 1982, Fracé was profiled in the book, The Art of <mask> Fracé, and a much more substantial profile, Nature's Window—<mask>, was published in 1992.Wildlife Art News (1995), Vol. 14, Issues 4-7, p. 112. His work was also profiled in magazines including  U.S. Art and Wildlife Art News. Fracé's paintings have been highlighted as exemplary of techniques used to capture difficult features such as the dense fur of the grizzly bear, and the feathers of birds in flight.In 1987, Fracé established The Fracé Fund For Wildlife Preservation, a charitable fund supporting wildlife organizations. Their first donations was of trees and foliage plants to Zoo Atlanta. In 1991, he was selected as one of four inaugural members of U.S. Art magazine's "Artists' Hall of Fame", and from November 1992 to May 1993, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. hosted a one-man exhibition of his work, The American Wildlife Image and Charles Fracé, that featured over 36 of his paintings. Selected recognition and awards
 1978: Who's Who in American Art - R. R. Bowker Co.
 1981: Contemporary Personages Encyclopedia - Academia Italia delle Arti e del Lavaro, Parma, Italy
 1982: Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, CO - Special Award of Merit for Cougar''

References

Bibliography

External links
Fracé Wildlife Art

1926 births
2005 deaths
Artists from Pennsylvania
Wildlife artists
University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni

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<mask> (born 7 August 1958) is an English musician who has been the lead singer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden since 1981. <mask> 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 "<mask>" 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. <mask> quit Iron Maiden in 1993 (being replaced by Blaze Bayley) to pursue his solo career, which saw him experiment with a wide variety of heavy metal and rock styles. He re-joined 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 issued one further solo record in 2005, Tyranny of Souls. His younger cousin, <mask>, is the former lead singer of British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, while his son, Austin, fronted the metalcore band Rise to Remain. Outside his career in music, <mask> 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, he created his own aircraft maintenance and pilot training company, Cardiff Aviation, in 2012. <mask> 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. Early life
<mask> <mask> was born on 7 August 1958 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.His mother, Sonia, worked part-time in a shoe shop, and his father, <mask>, was a mechanic in the British Army. His birth hurried the young couple, who were then just teenagers, into marriage. Initially, he was brought up by his grandparents; his grandfather was a coal-face worker at the local colliery, and his grandmother was a housewife. This is referred to in his song "Born In '58" from the album Tattooed Millionaire. <mask> started school at Manton Primary in Worksop while his parents moved away to Sheffield. Soon afterwards, when he was six, he was also despatched to Sheffield, where he attended a primary school in Manor Top. After six months, his parents decided to move him to a small private school called Sharrow Vale Junior.Due to constant moving, <mask> states that this period of his life taught him to be self-reliant as he was unable to make close friends. <mask> has a younger sister, professional showjumper Helena Stormanns, who was born in 1963. He tried to isolate himself from her as much as he could when he was young, supposedly out of spite because she, unlike him, was a planned pregnancy and birth. <mask>'s first musical experience was dancing in his grandparents' front room to Chubby Checker's "The Twist", when he still lived with them in Worksop. The first record <mask> recalls owning was The Beatles single "She Loves You", which he managed to persuade his grandfather to buy him, which made him more interested in music. He tried to play an acoustic guitar belonging to his father, but it blistered his fingers. By the time he moved to Sheffield, <mask>'s parents were earning a good living from buying property, refurbishing it and then selling it for a profit.As a result, much of <mask>'s childhood was spent living on a building site, until his parents bought a boarding house and a bankrupt garage where his father began selling second-hand cars. The income from their business success gave them the opportunity to give <mask>—then 13 years old—a boarding school education and they chose Oundle, a public school in Northamptonshire. <mask> was not opposed to moving away from home because he had not built "any real attachment" to his parents, having been raised by his grandparents in Worksop until he was six. At Oundle, <mask> was picked on and routinely bullied by the older boys of Sidney House, the boarding house that he belonged to, which he described as "like systematic torture" and meant that he became an outsider. His interests at Oundle were often military; he co-founded the school wargames society with Mike Jordan, and he joined the school's cadet force. This gave him access to live ammunition, which he used to create explosions as booby-traps. Oundle was where <mask> became attracted to hard rock and early heavy metal after hearing Deep Purple's "Child in Time" being played in another student's room.As a result, the first album he ever bought was Deep Purple's In Rock, which created his interest in rock and metal music. After In Rock, he went on to buy Black Sabbath's debut, Jethro Tull's Aqualung and Tarkus by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Every term, a band would play at the school, the first of these which <mask> saw was called Wild Turkey, featuring former Jethro Tull bassist Glenn Cornick. After that, he saw Van der Graaf Generator and Arthur Brown. <mask> initially wanted to play the drums, later obtaining a pair of bongo drums from the music room for practice. He remembers playing "Let It Be" with his friend Mike Jordan, during which <mask> discovered his singing voice while encouraging Jordan to sing the high-notes. Shortly afterwards <mask> was expelled from Oundle for participating in a prank in which he allegedly urinated in the headmaster's dinner.Returning home to Sheffield in 1976, <mask> enrolled at King Edward VII School, at which he joined his first band. He had overheard two other pupils talking about their band and that they needed a singer and so volunteered immediately. They rehearsed in the garage of the drummer's father, and the band were impressed by <mask>'s singing, encouraging him to buy his first microphone. Their first gig took place at the Broadfield Tavern in Sheffield. Originally called "Paradox", the band changed their name on <mask>'s suggestion to "Styx", unaware of the American act with the same name. They made local newspaper headlines when a steel worker was awoken by their performance and tried to smash the band's drum kit. Soon afterwards the band split up.After leaving school with A-levels in English, History, and Economics, <mask> confessed, "I didn't really know what I wanted to do." The first thing he did was join the Territorial Army for six months. Although he enjoyed his time in the TA, <mask> realised that it was not a career choice, and so he applied for a place to read history at Queen Mary College, London. His parents wanted him in the army, but he told them that he wanted to get a degree first, which acted as his "cover story", and immediately began playing in bands. At university, <mask> got involved in the Entertainments Committee: "one day you'd be a roadie for The Jam, the next you'd be putting up the Stonehenge backdrop for Hawkwind or whatever." In 1977, <mask> met Paul "Noddy" White, a multi-instrumentalist who owned a PA and other equipment, with whom <mask>, along with drummer Steve Jones, would form a band together called Speed. According to <mask>, the band was called Speed because of the way in which they played, rather than a reference to drug-taking.In Speed, <mask> began writing his own material after White taught him how to play three chords on the guitar. Although Speed would play several gigs at the Green Man pub in Plumstead, the band did not last long, but it encouraged <mask> to continue to work towards being a musician. <mask> spotted an advertisement in Melody Maker with the caption "Singer wanted for recording project" and replied immediately. He recorded a demo tape and sent it with a note which read: "By the way, if you think the singing's crap, there's some John Cleese stuff recorded on the other side you might find amusing." They liked what they heard and invited <mask> down to the studio to make "Dracula", the first song he would ever record, with a band called "Shots", formed by two brothers, Phil and Doug Siviter. The song would later appear on the second disc of The Best of <mask> compilation. The brothers were impressed with <mask>'s vocal abilities and asked him to join their group.<mask> played pubs with Shots on a regular basis to small audiences. One particular night, <mask> suddenly stopped in the middle of a song and started interviewing a man in the audience, heckling for not paying enough attention. He got such a good response he started doing it every night until it became a regular routine used to catch the audience's attention. <mask> states that this experience taught him how to be a frontman. The next step in <mask>'s career was taken in a pub called the Prince of Wales in Gravesend, Kent, where Shots were playing regularly, when Barry Graham ("Thunderstick") and Paul Samson paid a visit. Impressed with his stage-act, they talked with <mask> afterwards and invited him to be their new singer. <mask> agreed to join their band, Samson, but only once he'd finished taking his History finals two weeks later.Until that point, he had been neglecting his University education. As a result, the university had tried to kick him out for failing his Second Year exams and not paying his accommodation fees, but he was saved because of his role as Entertainments Officer. After writing 6 months' worth of essays in the space of two weeks and some last minute cramming for his exams, <mask> achieved a 2:2. Samson: 1979–1981

After meeting Paul Samson and Barry Purkis at the Prince of Wales, and while still undertaking his final university exams, <mask> joined Samson onstage at Bishop's Stortford to perform one of their songs, "Rock Me Baby", cementing his role as their new lead vocalist. The band had already released their debut album, Survivors, in 1979 on an independent label, two months before <mask> joined. Immediately following the completion of his University work, he met up with the band at Greenwich's Wood Wharf studios to learn the Survivors album. Although the tracks did not suit his vocal style, the band soon wrote the majority of the following Head On album in their earliest rehearsal sessions, some of which were immediately incorporated into their live set.It was during these early rehearsals that the nickname "<mask>" came about, derived from Monty Python's "Bruces sketch". The name became very tiresome as the band's management continually wrote dud cheques, made payable to "<mask> Bruce", as a joke. <mask> later commented that he did not like it but considered it "a sort of stage name" and accepted it. <mask> was dismayed to learn that not all rock performers were "great artists"; he felt that some, such as Samson, were only interested in women, drugs and alcohol, which he was unable to relate to. Although he had smoked joints before, <mask> discovered that it was impossible to communicate with other band members if he was sober, deciding that it was "the price that had to be paid". While fronting the band, <mask> also came across Iron Maiden for the first time, who were supporting Samson at the Music Machine in 1980. As <mask> recalls; "I was watching them, and they were good, really fucking good, and at that moment, I remember thinking, 'I wanna fucking sing for that band.In fact, I'm going to sing for that band! I know I'm going to sing for that band!' ... I just thought, 'This is really me. Not Samson.'" <mask> remained in the band for another year, recording two studio albums with them—Head On and Shock Tactics. However, Samson soon ran into difficulties with their record label, Gem, who went out of business and failed to finance their European tour in support of Iron Maiden.The band were turned over to RCA, which began neglecting the group, and so they promptly fired their management team and the resulting injunction meant that their equipment was reclaimed and they could not be paid for their concert performances. The band's last gig was at Reading Festival, after which <mask> was approached by Iron Maiden's manager, Rod Smallwood, who asked him to audition to be their new lead vocalist. Iron Maiden

Beginnings and success: 1981–1985

<mask> went to audition for Iron Maiden at a rehearsal room in Hackney in September 1981 and immediately discovered that this was a much more professional operation than he was used to with Samson. In the practice rooms, the band played through "Prowler", "Sanctuary", "Running Free" and "Remember Tomorrow", before asking <mask> to sing the same songs again in a recording studio, and he was immediately inducted into the group. Iron Maiden had a strict and organised routine that suited the band's writing style, which <mask> described as a "time table". After a few gigs, they began writing new material for their third album, The Number of the Beast, released in 1982. In the wake of Samson's contractual problems, <mask> could not legally be credited on any of the record's songs, having to make, what he called, a "moral contribution", later revealing that he had contributed to "The Prisoner", "Children of the Damned" and "Run to the Hills".In the documentary 12 Wasted Years, manager Rod Smallwood refers to "The Prisoner" as being co-written by <mask> and Adrian Smith. The album was a major success, topping the British charts, and earning platinum status in the UK and the US. Following the release, the band embarked on a supporting tour around the globe. On the following albums, 1983's Piece of Mind and 1984's Powerslave, Steve Harris's song-writing monopoly was pushed aside in favour of other members' ideas, with <mask> contributing to a number of tracks, including the singles "Flight of Icarus" and "2 Minutes to Midnight". Throughout the World Slavery Tour, as part of the new theatrical elements incorporated into the band's

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 stage-show, <mask> wore a feathered mask during "Powerslave". This was the band's longest tour to date, during which <mask> considered going home mid-tour, due to the high number of shows. Iron Maiden's management were continually adding dates, until <mask> demanded that they stop or he would leave the group.Growing tensions and departure: 1986–1993
After a six-month break, which <mask> mostly spent practising fencing, Iron Maiden began writing their next album, Somewhere in Time. <mask> was disappointed with the effort as he felt that the band needed a more dramatic stylistic departure from past records to remain relevant, despite its introduction of synthesised bass and guitars. He has no writing credits on the release, as his material, based on his own suggestion that the album should be more acoustic-focused, was rejected by the rest of the band. Steve Harris, on the other hand, stated that his material was rejected because it was not good enough, and that <mask> "was probably more burnt out than anyone at the end of the last tour". After a subsequent tour, Iron Maiden started working on their next studio effort, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, which featured more progressive rock elements than the band's previous records. Although it became their second release to top the British charts, it was also <mask>'s first album with the band that did not achieve platinum status in the US. Unlike Somewhere in Time, <mask> was much more enthusiastic about this album due to its concept and has several song-writing credits.After the following tour in 1988, the band decided to take a year off. During the next album's writing stage, Adrian Smith left Iron Maiden, and was replaced by Janick Gers. Iron Maiden's eighth studio release, 1990's No Prayer for the Dying, had a raw sound that, according to AllMusic, did not "hold up well" compared to past efforts, as it was recorded in a barn which Steve Harris owned, with a mobile studio owned by the Rolling Stones. The record featured <mask>'s "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", originally composed for a film soundtrack, which despite receiving a Golden Raspberry Award for worst original song in 1989, became the band's first and only single to top the UK Singles Chart. By 1992, Harris had converted his barn into a proper studio, and the new album, Fear of the Dark, was recorded there, resulting in a better overall sound than No Prayer for the Dying, although <mask> still claims it had limitations due to its size. After the Fear of the Dark Tour, <mask> decided to leave Iron Maiden to concentrate on his solo career. At that point the band had already booked a following tour in 1993, which <mask> did not enjoy.Throughout the tour, <mask> drew a lot of criticism from his bandmates, with Steve Harris in particular saying, "I really wanted to kill him." According to Harris, <mask> would only perform when the press was there,  whereas at other concerts he would only mumble his way through songs. <mask> has since denied the accusations that he was deliberately under-performing, arguing that it was impossible to give a decent performance some nights because of the atmosphere. His last performance with the band on 28 August 1993 was filmed by the BBC at Pinewood Studios and released as a live video the following year, entitled Raising Hell. Return: 1999–present

Along with Adrian Smith, <mask> rejoined Iron Maiden in 1999 with Janick Gers remaining in the band, after he was approached by manager Rod Smallwood. Smallwood also spoke to Steve Harris about <mask>'s return, who initially had reservations about the prospect, but soon came round to the idea, deliberating that they knew of his abilities and that it was a case of "better the devil you know". Harris and <mask> agreed to meet at Smallwood's home in Brighton in January 1999 for the first conversation they would have with each other since 1993.Although both men were nervous about the encounter, upon seeing each other the tension immediately dissipated and both agreed that <mask> should return to the group. After embarking on a small tour, the band set about recording Brave New World, their first studio album with <mask> since 1992. <mask> insisted that they find a replacement for the now retired Martin Birch, the band's regular producer, and record in a different studio than the one in which they made No Prayer for the Dying and Fear of the Dark, to which Harris agreed. The album was recorded at Guillaume Tell Studios, Paris with producer Kevin Shirley, after which Iron Maiden undertook a supporting tour culminating with a performance at the Rock in Rio festival before a crowd of 250,000. In 2003 they recorded and released Dance of Death at London's SARM Studios with Kevin Shirley, now the band's new regular producer. After two further stints on the road (Dance of Death World Tour and Eddie Rips Up the World Tour) Iron Maiden returned to SARM in 2006 to record their next studio album, A Matter of Life and Death, and embarked on a supporting tour. In 2008 and 2009, the band set out on the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, which has since been described as "groundbreaking" for its use of Ed Force One, the band's customised Boeing 757, flown by <mask> himself, and led to the documentary film Iron Maiden: Flight 666, which had a limited cinema release in April 2009.Iron Maiden held another world tour in 2010 and 2011 in support of The Final Frontier, their first album recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas since 1986's Somewhere in Time, and which peaked at No. 1 in 28 countries. In September 2014, Iron Maiden began recording their sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, at Guillaume Tell Studios, Paris. The release features two songs written solely by <mask> for the first time since Powerslave, "If Eternity Should Fail" and "Empire of the Clouds", the former originally penned for a possible solo record. "Empire of the Clouds" is the band's longest ever song, at over 18 minutes in length, and features <mask> on piano for the first time, which is how the song was written. The band toured the album in 2016, during which <mask> once again piloted the band's private plane, Ed Force One (now a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet). Ozzfest incident

In 2005, Iron Maiden co-headlined the US festival tour, Ozzfest, with Black Sabbath.Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne's wife, Sharon, encouraged family friends and members of other bands to sabotage Iron Maiden's last performance at Hyundai Pavilion in San Bernardino, California, on 20 August, in an attack which Rod Smallwood criticised as "vile, dangerous, criminal and cowardly", as well as disrespectful to fans who had paid to see the band perform "a full unhindered performance". Osbourne ordered interference with the band's PA, delayed the entrance of Eddie, the band's mascot, and encouraged members of the Osbourne camp to throw eggs, lighters and bottle tops from the front of the audience. According to <mask>, the attack was in response to his "disparaging remarks about reality-TV shows that she took personally", although The Guardian reported that he slated the Osbournes' reality series and accused Ozzy Osbourne of using a teleprompter. <mask> has since denied making comments against Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, but admitted that he criticised Ozzfest throughout the tour, attacking their "corporate" seating layout and saying, "Most of the bands are there because they paid to be there." Following the concert at San Bernardino, Osbourne released a further statement which accused <mask> of making several anti-American comments, of which Classic Rock stated that "nobody can present any cast-iron evidence". In addition, Osbourne claimed that the flag-waving during "The Trooper" was disrespectful to American troops, at the time fighting alongside the British in Iraq, even though <mask> had always held a Union Flag during the song, being based on the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. It was also reported that Steve Harris had spoken to Ozzy Osbourne in San Bernardino, apologising for <mask>'s comments, which Harris denies, stating that his words had been "twisted".Solo career
In early 1989, Zomba asked <mask> to produce a track for the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, providing a budget, a studio, and a producer, Chris Tsangarides. <mask> took up the opportunity and called an old friend of his, former Gillan guitarist, Janick Gers, and, shortly after meeting up, they had "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" ready for the studio, then recorded with the assistance of bassist Andy Carr, and drummer Fabio del Rio. "I wrote it in about three minutes", states <mask>, "I don't know where the title 'Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter' came from, but it just popped into my head. I thought, 'Bloody hell, straight out of AC/DC!' And I thought, Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, that'll do.' Impressed with the results, Zomba asked <mask> if he was willing to record a whole album as well.With the same line-up and producer, <mask>'s solo debut, Tattooed Millionaire, was written and recorded within two weeks, and released in May 1990, followed by a supporting tour. Later that year, <mask> participated on a re-recording of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", as part of the humanitarian effort Rock Aid Armenia. Backed by the band Skin, he produced a cover version of Alice Cooper's "Elected", along with Rowan Atkinson (in character as Mr. Bean), which was used in 1992 for Comic Relief, and five years later, on Bean Soundtrack. For his second solo effort, <mask> received the collaboration of American producer, Keith Olsen, and, while working on the record in LA, decided to leave Iron Maiden. Unhappy with the direction he was taking with Olsen, <mask> began working with Tribe of Gypsies guitarist Roy Z and started the album again from scratch. Balls to Picasso was recorded with Tribe of Gypsies as the backing band, and was released in 1994. That same year, <mask> recorded a cover version of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" with the band Godspeed for Black Sabbath's tribute album Nativity in Black.Tribe of Gypsies departed to work on their own material and <mask> tracked down another band, including his new writing partner and guitarist, Alex Dickson. While touring with this new outfit in 1994, <mask> performed in Sarajevo, then under siege during the Bosnian War; a documentary film based on the concert, entitled Scream For Me Sarajevo, completed filming in December 2015. After the Balls to Picasso supporting tour finished, he started working on a new studio record, Skunkworks. <mask> decided that Skunkworks would be the title of the band as well, but the record company refused to release the album without his name on the cover. <mask> hired producer Jack Endino, most noted for producing the first Nirvana album. The "Skunkworks" entity ceased to be when the tour ended. "I was devastated by the Skunkworks thing", stated <mask>, "Skunkworks was a record which I tore myself apart to make and nobody seemed to give a shit."After a short period of inactivity, <mask> once again teamed up with Roy Z and Tribe of Gypsies to record his next album, Accident of Birth; "It was actually Roy that dragged me back into some assemblance, because he called up and he said, 'Listen, I've got some stuff and it's like a metal record.' And I wasn't thrilled, I wasn't really sure that I had anything to offer ... Then he played me some backing-tracks he'd done for what was to become Accident of Birth down the phone and I thought 'There is something there.'" Former Iron Maiden guitarist, Adrian Smith, was asked to guest on the record, but remained as a full-time member of <mask>'s solo outfit. The album marked a return to heavy metal for <mask>, with Sputnikmusic remarking, "The album's heavy feel is very satisfying, and definitely fills that void left by Maiden during the 90's." The follow-up, The Chemical Wedding, was a semi-concept album on alchemy, which drew inspiration from William Blake's writings; with some songs, such as "Book of Thel", having the same title as some of his poems, and the cover artwork featuring one of his paintings. The record was even more successful than its predecessor, with Sputnikmusic commenting, "<mask> had shattered all expectations to create an album that might even be better than the previous one." During The Chemical Weddings supporting tour, the live album, Scream for Me Brazil was recorded in São Paulo, after which <mask> and Smith returned to Iron Maiden in February 1999.In 2000, <mask> performed vocals on the song, "Into the Black Hole", for Ayreon's Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator. Later that year, he collaborated with Judas Priest's front-man, Rob Halford, recording, "The One You Love to Hate", for Halford's debut, Resurrection. A compilation, entitled The Best of <mask>, was released in late 2001, including two new songs and a bonus disc of rarities. His latest solo album, Tyranny of Souls was released in May 2005. This time the song-writing was all split between Roy Z and <mask> and many songs were composed by Z sending recordings of riffs to <mask> while he was on tour with Iron Maiden. On 21 June 2005, <mask>'s complete solo discography was re-released, featuring bonus discs with rare and remastered tracks. That same year, <mask> contributed to the song, "Beast in the Light", from Tribuzy's album, Execution, and their subsequent live album.A three-DVD box set, entitled Anthology, was released on 19 June 2006, containing concerts and promo videos from throughout his solo career, as well as an old Samson video, entitled "Biceps of Steel". A fan of the Monty Python comedy troupe, in 2009 <mask> appeared in Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut). He also recorded a new version of the theme song from Monty Python's Life of Brian for the sixth and final episode. In December 2017, <mask> said that he has tentative plans for his next solo album to be "a whole concept album", with the title being If Eternity Should Fail, the same song

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 name from Iron Maiden's album The Book of Souls, in which he confirmed that it was originally penned as a solo track, "So if I did do another solo album, which I think I will, I might just stick to my original plan and have that as the title track. I mean, I did write it – it was the first track that I wrote for it. So, yeah, I'd probably still include that song. But it would be… the feel would be slightly different – not very much, though – from the Maiden version."Personal life
<mask> married Erica "Jane" Barnett in 1984, and they divorced in 1987. With his second wife, psychotherapist Patrice "Paddy" Bowden, he has three children: sons Austin (born 1990) and Griffin (born 1992), and daughter Kia (born 1994). All three were born in the Chiswick area of London, where <mask> lived for a few decades beginning in 1981. In 2019, it was reported that he and Bowden had separated after almost 30 years of marriage; Bowden died in an accident at her home in May 2020. <mask> currently lives with his girlfriend Leana Dolci in Paris. <mask>'s son Austin was the lead singer in metalcore band Rise to Remain until their break-up in 2015, at which point he formed the alternative metal group As Lions. His other son Griffin, who previously worked as a stage carpenter for Iron Maiden during their tours, was the lead singer of melodic hardcore band SHVPES.<mask>'s cousin, <mask>, was the lead singer of British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel and founded Singer Vehicle Design. In an interview with Sarah Montague for BBC's HARDtalk in 2012, <mask> agreed that he is a conservative and a eurosceptic. <mask> stated in a 2018 interview with French magazine L'Obs that, despite residing mainly in France, he supports Brexit and voted for the UK to leave the EU during the 2016 referendum. In 2021, after the Withdrawal Agreement entered into force, <mask> said he was angry that British musicians and performers were restricted from free travel through Europe. In 2015, <mask> underwent seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for a cancerous tumour found at the back of his tongue. <mask>'s medical team expected him to make a full recovery as the tumour was discovered in the early stages. On 15 May, <mask> was given the all-clear by his specialists.Honours
On 19 July 2011, <mask> was presented with an honorary music doctorate from his alma mater, Queen Mary University of London, in honour of his contribution to the music industry. In 2019, <mask> was made an honorary citizen of Sarajevo and received the city's prestigious Sixth April Award for his efforts in performing under siege in 1994. According to the city's mayor, it was his arrival in Sarajevo that "was one of those moments that made us realize that we will survive, that the city of Sarajevo will survive, that Bosnia and Herzegovina will survive". He is also credited as a producer on the critically acclaimed 2016 documentary Scream for Me Sarajevo, which chronicles this performance and his return to Sarajevo. In 2019, <mask> was also presented with an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy by the University of Helsinki. On 6 January 2020, <mask> was made an Honorary Group Captain of 601 (County of London) Squadron RAF. Other work
<mask>'s interests and non-musical activities include writing, broadcasting, fencing (at which he has competed internationally, placing 7th in Great Britain, and has founded a fencing equipment company under the brand name "Duellist"), beer brewing and aviation.Due to the wide variety of <mask>'s pursuits, Intelligent Life named him as a living example of a polymath in 2009. Aviation and entrepreneurship

<mask> learned to fly recreationally in Florida in the 1990s and now holds an airline transport pilot's licence. He regularly flew Boeing 757s in his role as captain for the now-defunct British charter airline Astraeus, which, from 16 September 2010, employed him as marketing director. One of his key roles in that position was to promote Astraeus' services by increasing their number of videos, leading to the Civil Aviation Authority releasing a video featuring <mask> on aircraft loading safety in June 2011. Following Astraeus' closure on 21 November 2011, <mask> branched into entrepreneurship when he launched Cardiff Aviation Ltd on 1 May 2012, an aircraft maintenance business based at the Twin Peaks Hangar in St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. According to The Wall Street Journal, in January 2013 Cardiff Aviation had created 40 jobs and hoped to have over a hundred personnel by the summer of 2013. In June 2013, The Daily Telegraph reported that the business had expanded to between 60 and 70 employees and are in discussions to set up their own airline.In August 2015, Cardiff Aviation signed a deal to provide airline support to Air Djibouti, for whom <mask> piloted their maiden flight the following year, a Boeing 737 from Cardiff to Djibouti. As a result of his ventures in business, he has delivered keynote speeches at events around the globe, including Queen Mary University of London's Innovation Showcase in November 2012, Connect2Business, Stockholm in March 2013, Aviation Week's MRO Europe Conference, London in October 2015 and "Blog Now, Live Forever", Mumbai in October 2015. His role as a pilot has led to some high-profile flights, which include returning a group of British RAF pilots from Afghanistan in 2008, 200 British citizens from Lebanon during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict in 2006, and 180 stranded holiday makers from Egypt following the collapse of XL Airways UK in September 2008. In addition, he flew Rangers F.C. and Liverpool F.C. to away matches in Israel and Italy in 2007 and 2010 respectively. For the 2008–09 "Somewhere Back in Time World Tour", he piloted Iron Maiden's chartered Boeing 757, dubbed "Ed Force One", specially converted to carry the band's equipment between continents, which subsequently led to a documentary film, Iron Maiden: Flight 666.<mask> flew "Ed Force One" again for "The Final Frontier World Tour" in 2011. For the 2016 The Book of Souls World Tour, the band upgraded to a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet, which meant that <mask> had to undertake type conversion to fly the aircraft. In 2014, <mask> purchased a Fokker Dr.I triplane replica G-CDXR and joined the Great War Display Team, which re-enacts First World War air battles at air shows across the UK. Radio and TV

<mask> presented <mask>'s Friday Rock Show on BBC radio station 6 Music from 2002 to 2010. In March 2010, the BBC announced that, after over eight years, <mask>'s show was to be axed. His final broadcast was on 28 May 2010, with the regular format abandoned in favour of a personal and musical tribute to the recently deceased Ronnie James Dio. <mask> scorned the BBC executives for the cancellation, playing the Johnny Paycheck version of "Take This Job and Shove It".In addition to his show on 6 Music, <mask> also hosted a series entitled Masters of Rock on BBC Radio 2 from 2003 to 2007. <mask>'s catalogue of 6 Music programmes were acquired in 2014 by TeamRock radio, who began re-broadcasting episodes in December. In 2005, <mask> hosted a 5-part historical TV series about aviation, Flying Heavy Metal, which was shown on the Discovery Channel, and later on Discovery Turbo in the UK. He was a guest on an episode of the Military Channel's The Greatest Ever, where he drove a Russian T-34 tank. In 2006, <mask> presented a documentary for Sky One entitled Inside Spontaneous Human Combustion with <mask>, in which he investigated the phenomenon by enlisting the help of several experts and performing various experiments to determine its possible cause. Other television appearances include guesting on quiz shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks and the short-lived Space Cadets, as well as the chat show Clarkson, hosted by Jeremy Clarkson. <mask> has also appeared in a BBC series called The Paradise Club, undertaking the role of a musician named Jake Skinner.On 27 July 2012, <mask> spent a day being filmed as a guest star for a season four episode of Ice Pilots NWT, in which he flew a Douglas DC-3 and took part in "touch-and-go drills" in a Douglas DC-4 with Buffalo Airways. Writing

During a 1986–1987 Iron Maiden tour, and in the wake of a divorce, <mask> started writing his first book. Inspired by the novels of Tom Sharpe, in addition to Biggles and Penthouse, he created The Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace, which Kerrang! describes as "a satirical swipe at fetishism among the upper classes", and whose title character is a "semi-transvestite" British land owner. Following its completion, <mask> approached Sidgwick & Jackson, who, according to <mask>, agreed to publish the book before reading it based on Iron Maiden's album sales alone. Released in 1990 (), the novel sold more than 40,000 copies almost immediately. Due to the high demand, Sidgwick & Jackson asked <mask> to produce a sequel, which became 1992's The Missionary Position (), a satire of televangelism.No further additions to the series have been published, although <mask> did write the first 60 pages to a prequel, set during "Lord Iffy's schooldays", which he "just thought was rubbish and ripped it all up. I didn't think it was funny." <mask> has turned his hand to scriptwriting, co-authoring Chemical Wedding with director Julian Doyle. The film, in which <mask> played a few small cameo roles and composed the soundtrack, was released in 2008 and starred Simon Callow. On 15 October 2015, HarperCollins and Dey Street announced that they would publish <mask>'s memoirs. What Does This Button Do? was released on 19 October 2017.Beer
In 2013, Iron Maiden collaborated with Robinsons Brewery in Stockport to create Trooper, a 4.8% cask/4.7% bottled ale whose recipe <mask> formulated with head brewer Martyn Weeks. As of May 2014, the beer has sold 2.5 million pints in 40 countries, making it Robinsons' most successful export. Following Trooper's success, <mask>, a fan of traditional English cask beer, stated that he intends to develop more beers in the future, although new products will be "under the umbrella of Trooper and not Iron Maiden [as] Trooper has taken on a life of its own. People drink it because they like the beer, not because they are Maiden fans." Additional beers have included Trooper Red 'N' Black Porter (5.8 per cent ABV), Trooper Hallowed (6.0 per cent ABV), and a limited edition "666" (at 6.66 per cent ABV). Singing style and stage performance

Although <mask> never received formal training, he still possesses a wide vocal range which was trademarked by his quasi-operatic tenor. Along with Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford, <mask> is one of the pioneers of the operatic vocal style later to be adopted by power metal vocalists and regularly appears near the top in lists of the greatest rock vocalists/front-men of all time.<mask> says that his style was influenced primarily by Arthur Brown, Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and Ian Gillan (Deep Purple). <mask>'s singing varied in the 1990s in the recording of albums such as No Prayer for the Dying, Fear of the Dark and his first solo work Tattooed Millionaire, making use of a much more raspy and unpolished sound, befitting their stripped down style. Since returning to Iron Maiden in 1999, his singing style has returned to much like it was in the 1980s, though his voice has lowered with age. According to a report published in the Daily Mirror, <mask> has an estimated vocal range of 4.25 octaves. His voice led to the nickname "The Air Raid Siren", which Billboard states is "due to the ferocious power of his singing", although <mask> claims it actually originated from a fan complaint. In addition to his vocal ability, <mask> has been described as an energetic stage performer. He considers including the audience "the essence of the Maiden experience" and that his role is to "shrink the venue ... to turn that football stadium into the world's smallest club".To achieve this, <mask> seeks eye contact with audience members and urges them to join in with the phrase "scream for me" (followed by the concert's location). He is critical of performers who do not connect with their fans, particularly those who "[hide] behind the amps" and use an autocue, remarking that "people pay good money and [they] can't even remember the sodding words". Discography

Iron Maiden

The Number of the Beast (1982)
Piece of Mind (1983)
Powerslave (1984)
Somewhere in Time (1986)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
Fear of the Dark (1992)
Brave New World (2000)
Dance of Death (2003)
A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
The Final Frontier (2010)
The Book of Souls (2015)
Senjutsu (2021)

<mask>

Tattooed Millionaire (1990)
Balls to Picasso (1994)
Skunkworks (1996)
Accident of Birth (1997)
The Chemical Wedding (1998)
Tyranny of Souls (2005)

Samson

Survivors  (1979)
Head On (1980)
Shock Tactics (1981)
Live at Reading 1981 (1990)

 * <mask> appeared on the album's re-issue only, as the original version was completed before he joined the band. Tours
 1990: Tattooed Millionaire Tour
 1994–1995: Balls to Picasso Tour
 1996: Skunkworks Tour
 1997: Accident of Birth Tour
 1998–1999: The Chemical Wedding Tour
 2002: Airraid over Europe Tour

Notes

References

 This video on YouTube

External links

 Bruce Dickinson Wellbeing Network

1958 births
People from Worksop
Alumni of Queen Mary University of London
People educated at Oundle School
People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield
English heavy metal singers
English rock singers
Iron Maiden members
English tenors
English radio DJs
English aviators
English male fencers
Golden Raspberry Award winners
Living people
Singers with a four-octave vocal range
Commercial aviators
Samson (band) members
EMI Records artists
CMC International artists
English autobiographers
BBC Radio 6 Music presenters
20th-century English male singers
21st-century English male

masks:
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Rob Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Dickinson


texts:
<mask> (born September 5, 1962) is an American journalist, musician and songwriter. 1980–1990: Bands, fanzines and festivals
<mask> graduated from Muirlands Jr. High School in 1977 and then La Jolla High School in 1980, having played with several bands including Starjammer and the Pedestrians. In 1980 he joined the staff of San Diego music magazine, Kicks, in the credits as working on event listings and their music calendar. From 1981 to 1990, he was frontman and chief songwriter for mod-influenced group Manual Scan. Between 1991 and 2010 he performed with  power pop group The Shambles. In 2009 he joined Wendy Bailey & True Stories full-time as guitarist, taking over the frontman role when Bailey took a band sabbatical in early 2012. As a concert promoter he's helped bring many artists to San Diego, particularly from 1985 to 1991 when <mask>  co-produced a series of music festivals, New Sounds, featuring Mod and sixties oriented groups from the U.S. and Europe.In 1986, <mask> performed with a one-off band, Boys About Town, at the festival. The band's lineup included <mask> and British musicians Edward Ball of The Times and Television Personalities, Paul Bevoir of The Jetset and Small Town Parade, as well as Simon Smith of the Merton Parkas and Mood Six. The festival ran until 1991, with a final edition in 1999. He also published a fanzine, Sound Affects, which ran to nine issues and wrote for several modzines, including England's In the Crowd. During this time frame <mask> worked for Capitol Records and freelanced for other labels including Chrysalis, Motown, Angel and EMI. He continued to do so through the late 1990s when he began an eight-year stint with Diamond Comics Distributors as assistant manager of the San Diego offices. <mask> was also included as a background character in several comic books including the first issue of Ed Brubaker's early 1990s series, Lowlife, with Brubaker concurrently drawing <mask> and Manual Scan bandmate Kevin Ring for the cover of their album, 79 to 89.1990–1999: Journalism and Blindspot Records
<mask> co-founded the indie label Blindspot Records in 1991, with more than two dozen albums to date including releases from Skelpin, Mark Decerbo & Four Eyes, Skid Roper and others. <mask> is producer of the compilation series, Staring at the Sun, with twelve volumes to date. A member of the San Diego Music Foundation Board,  <mask> additionally co-produced a series of compilations for the organization. He has also art directed albums for numerous artists including Alicia Previn, The Eddies and Dave Humphries, as well as compilations such as Power Chords, Harmonies and Mistletoe. During this time frame <mask> also penned several items for Revolutionary Comics including an insert to The Beatles Experience #6 (1992) and both issues of the two-issue mini series, Rock 'n' Roll Comics: The Best of the British Invasion, (1993). The latter were both collected in a 2010 trade paperback edition by Bluewater Productions. As a San Diego, California-based journalist he has written for numerous publications, beginning in 1993 with Axcess Magazine and including the local editions of The Reader and San Diego CityBeat, The La Jolla Village News, The Peninsula Beacon and The North Park News as well as The San Diego Union and its weekly arts insert Night & Day.National publications include the second series of Crawdaddy!, while international publications include British Time Out Guides for Southern California and Shindig as well as Spanish rock magazine Ansia De Color. He has also penned liner notes for artists including Phil Angeloff, Ray Brandes, Ryan Ferguson and The Lolas and music compilations such as This is Mod Volume 6, from Cherry Red Records. In 1999 <mask> toured Spain three times, once with former Tell Tale Heart frontman Ray Brandes, once with the group, The Riot Act and once with The Shambles. The tours formed the basis of a lengthy feature by author Paul Williams in the San Diego Reader. A poster from the Riot Act's tour of Spain was used as prominent set decoration in several scenes of the film, Bring it On (2000). 2000–2010: Songwriting and media
Since 1999 <mask> has had numerous songs he has written or co-written, covered by artists including: Canada's The Kingpins, "Plan of Action,", Germany's Daniel Hall, "Survive", Spain's Happy Losers, "Blurs Somewhere" and Los Angeles based band, The Andersons "Rain or Shine." Between 2002 and 2006 <mask> co-hosted the XETV television program, Fox Rox, four times.In 2012 he became a guest host on the San Diego Cable television program, So-Cal Showcase. Meanwhile, <mask> has continued to promote and book events in the San Diego area, including the Sounds Like San Diego series, with nine editions to date since 2003. In 2007, <mask> was part of a quartet of musicians who were interviewed at length about John Lennon in the documentary, Why We Listen, by director Carla Sweet. In 2010 <mask> penned the forward to, the Pink Floyd Experience, a comics anthology from Bluewater Productions. 2011–present: Music and journalism
On June 12, 2011, <mask> filmed a cameo appearance in a video for Gregory Page's song, "That's You," playing the role of guitarist in the backing combo. <mask> was the subject of a September 2012 cover story in the San Diego Troubadour. In October 2012, <mask> provided the commentary track on the DVD release, There Is Nothing Out There, a documentary about the San Diego music community, directed by Craig Rian.On January 23, 2014 <mask> took part in an all star tribute to music promoter Tim Mays at the Birch North Park Theatre, performing alongside members of The Penetrators, Rocket From The Crypt, Pinback, Skelpin, The Black Heart Procession, No Knife,  Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver and many others. On April 4, 2014, in a special presentation at the Lafayette Hotel, <mask> was honored along with 40 other prominent San Diego artists, business and community leaders, including El Vez, John Reis, Robin Henkel and Gregory Page. Each had a special banner with their image placed along El Cajon Boulevard. In May 2014, <mask> was interviewed on the TV Talk show, Tonight in San Diego (Episode 12), by host David Vaughn, with True Stories also performing two songs on air. He has since performed on air with the house band, The Mondaze in June 2017. Meanwhile, in June 2014, <mask> appeared on the soundtrack to the Lester Bangs documentary, A Box Full of Rocks, directed by Raul Sandelin, backing Jon Kanis on his track, "It Is and It Isn't" alongside the Shambles. <mask> also a contributed an essay to Timothy Gassen's book, Knights of Fuzz: The New Garage & Psychedelic Music Explosion, released in August 2014.In late 2014 <mask> regrouped Manual Scan for a pair of performances to promote a best of album, All Night Scan, from Cheap Rewards Records and the band's appearance on the Millions Like Us: The Story of the Mod revival box set from Cherry Red Records. During the same time frame Manual Scan recorded a <mask> penned theme song for DJ Tim Pyles, heard at the beginning of his Sunday evening Loudspeaker program on XETRA-FM (91X). In December 2015 Manual Scan was one of the headliners at the annual Purple Weekend Festival in Leon, Spain. Meanwhile, Manual Scan released a 10" vinyl EP, The Pyles Sessions, produced by Alan Sanderson, to coincide with the show. In 2015 the <mask> penned song, "Wouldn't You Like To Be A Bear," by the Shambles, was included in the box set, 40 Years of Bear Family Records, from Germany's Bear Family Records. Following the release of a 7" EP of radio sessions, Radio Daze, on Spanish label Bickerton records, in 2016 he and the band appeared in the music documentary series, Cachitos de Hierro y Cromo - in an episode called, YEAH, YEAH!, broadcast on the Spanish television network RTVE. In 2018 <mask> contributed an essay to the book, The Scooter Chronicles: A Southern California Modyssey, by Shahriar Fouladi, issued by IDW Publishing / Burger Records.Partial discography
This is a partial discography of albums <mask> contributes vocals and instrumentation to, or wrote liner notes for.

masks:
Bart Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza
Bart Mendoza


texts:
<mask> (born 26 October 1973 in Wallasey (now part of Merseyside, formerly Cheshire), is a former English rugby union player who played as a utility back for Leicester Tigers, and represented both England and the British & Irish Lions. He has 51 England caps and 2 Lions caps. He played for England at scrum half, fly-half, fullback and wing, and was often used as a replacement (or substitute) because of his versatility. He is a famously competitive and "outspoken" character, gaining the nickname "The Leicester Lip". Since retiring he has worked in the media. Early life and education

<mask> attended Bidston Avenue Primary School in Claughton, Birkenhead, during his primary years. He passed the entrance exam and attended St Anselm's College, Birkenhead (Edmund Rice Trust) then Leeds Polytechnic.His Youth Rugby was with Birkenhead Park FC where he returned with His Big Tackle Programme in 2009 which featured Park's Junior Colts

Rugby career

Early career
<mask> played for England U21 in 1992 and went on to represent England A and the Barbarians '96 tour of Japan. After spells at Waterloo and Orrell, <mask> initially signed for Leicester as a scrum half, having played at wing and outside centre for Orrell. He made his full England début against Ireland during the 1997 Five Nations tournament, and toured with the British Lions in 1997, making two appearances. He has played in  Five/Six Nations tournaments (‘98-'02) and in the 1999 World Cup. In the 1999/00 season he was voted both Leicester Tigers' and Allied Dunbar's Player of the Season. Leicester coach Bob Dwyer switched him to the wing to accommodate Fijian Waisale Serevi at scrum half. <mask> was then selected on the wing for England.After an injury to Tigers' South African fly-half Joel Stransky, and the unsuitability of others such as Pat Howard and Andy Goode to fill the role, <mask> was switched to fly-half. In this position, however, he was unable to make much of an international impression, his sole appearance at fly-half coming in the 2000 tour to South Africa in the first test, after Jonny Wilkinson fell victim to food poisoning. In 2001 he made the break during the Heineken Cup final that resulted in the winning try - <mask> had started the match at scrum half with Andy Goode at 10, but was switched to fly-half in the closing minutes. He also scored the second and decisive try against Munster when Tigers retained the cup the following year. His form for Tigers during the 2001 season, was rewarded with a call up to England's starting line-up during the Six Nations, and selection for the British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia, where he put in some good performances for the mid-week team but missed out on further caps due to injury. However, for many people the abiding memory of this tour will be the controversy caused by his comments on Wallaby lock Justin Harrison in his column in the Guardian. The comments backfired after Harrison was selected to make his debut for the Third and deciding test of the series, and stole a crucial lineout - sealing the series victory for Australia.There was some suggestion that <mask>'s comments had served as motivation for the Wallabies team. On his return from Australia he played in every game for England until he was rested for the summer 2002 tour to Argentina, showing his versatility by starting at fullback, scrum half, and wing and came on twice as a replacement. He returned to international action appearing as a replacement in all three of the following season's autumn internationals when England recorded a series of victories over Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. <mask> flew out to Australia as injury cover for the victorious 2003 Rugby World Cup, however he was never officially added to the squad after certain players recovered, meaning he was unable to pick up a medal for the success despite flying out to Australia. 2004/2005 season

In the 2004/05 season <mask> hit form again, and with the failings of the England backline, there were calls for him to be reinstated to ignite it. England coach Andy Robinson humoured the press that there was a chance of a recall, but it never came. Instead <mask> turned his attention to the 2005 Lions' tour.He was included in the long list, but not the tour party (having not played international rugby for 3 years). He wrote a column for the Guardian on the tour, which included the quote 'Have you heard the latest from the Lions' camp? Clive's sending Andy Robinson to a fancy dress party tonight. He's going as a pumpkin, they're hoping when it gets to midnight he'll turn into a real coach!' 2005/2006 season
Tigers finished top of the league. A notable performance for <mask> was Away at Wasps, where he scored in the last minute to steal a draw. However, Wasps hammered Tigers in the final.In the 05/06 season, <mask> was handed club vice-captaincy and regularly captained the team from scrum half and fly half during the international period. He looked back to near his best form and pressed both Harry Ellis and Andy Goode out of their respective regular slots of 9 and 10 at different times throughout the season. Leicester made the premiership final again and were beaten by Sale Sharks, <mask> claims to have thrown his silver medal away in disgust at the end of the game, claiming that he didn't do 'losers medals'. Retirement
Following retirement from Leicester Tigers at the end of the 2005/6 season, <mask> planned to start a new career as a banker with Credit Suisse and to also continue working as a BBC analyst. Television appearances
<mask> competed in the sixth series of the BBC competition series Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Erin Boag. He was eliminated in week 12 of the competition to come 4th overall. He joined Gary Lineker on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Christmas Special, on 23 December 2008. Together they won £50,000 for their chosen charity - Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation. <mask> presented The Big Tackle on ITV in March 2009, aimed at promoting and assisting rugby clubs around the country. In January 2009, he obtained his basic coaching qualifications, in order to put him in a better position from which to advise clubs. During the filming, he returned to his roots and visited his former local club, Birkenhead Park. Some of the other teams that he coached on the series included; Bristol Barbarians, Witney Angels RFC, Rosslyn Park, and University of Sussex. He competed on show one of the new series of Beat the Star in April 2009.He won 4/8 games, and ended up with 22 points overall, beating his opponent; Factory Manager, Glenn Clarke, who had 14 points overall. <mask> appeared as one of the team captains for the second series of Hole in the Wall along with ex-EastEnders star Joe Swash. <mask> is the host of the ITV gameshow The Fuse, which began on 13 July 2009. He also appeared on BBC gameshow, Mastermind, on 4 January 2013. His specialist subject was Everton Football Club. Autobiography
<mask>'s autobiography, Lions, Tigers and Roses, was published by Oxford University Press in 2001. See also
 List of top English points scorers and try scorers

References

External links
Leicester profile
Lions profile
Sporting Heroes profile

BBC News <mask> retires
BBC News The world according to <mask>
Bishop's Stortford Observer - National hero becomes a local hero

1973 births
Living people
Alumni of Leeds Beckett University
Birkenhead Park FC players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England
England international rugby union players
English rugby union players
Leicester Tigers players
Orrell R.U.F.C.players
People educated at St. Anselm's College
People from Wallasey
Rugby union players from Wallasey
Rugby union scrum-halves
Waterloo R.F.C. players

masks:
Austin Sean Healey
Austin
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Healey
Austin
Healey
Austin Healey
Healey


texts:
<mask> , (born 15 May 1971) is a Scottish celebrity chef and restaurateur. He is best known for combining Scottish produce with an arty, eclectic and accessible style of cooking. Born and raised in Leith, Edinburgh, <mask> comes from a second-generation Scottish Sikh family. He studied at Telford College and completed a Youth Training Scheme in Professional Cookery before beginning his career in the restaurant industry. The year he completed his formal training, <mask> started working in fine dining restaurants in Britain, including the Balmoral Hotel in 1990, Gravetye Manor in 1992, and The Royal Scotsman train in 1994. Afterwards <mask> worked in the Greywalls Hotel, aboard the Royal Yacht , and at Skibo Castle, before opening his own restaurant in 2001. His menus have featured seasonal and local Scottish ingredients with influences and additions from around the world.He holds the title of Master Chef of Great Britain, is a member of the Academy of Culinary Arts and Craft Guild of Chefs, and was honoured by the Queen in her 2017 New Year Honours List being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the Food and Drink Industry. Early life
<mask> was born in Leith to a second-generation Scottish Sikh family. While he was growing up his father, Baldev "Billy" <mask>, became one of the first Sikh lorry drivers in Scotland, while <mask>'s mother looked after their family home. As a youngster, <mask> shared his home not only with his three siblings (two brothers and one sister) but with his aunts, uncles, grandmother and great grandmother. <mask> was educated at Lorne Street Primary, then Leith Academy Secondary School, before moving on to Telford College at 16 where he earned an OND in Hotel Management. During his time at college, <mask> also enrolled himself in a Youth Training Scheme where he earned an equivalent to City and Guilds 7061 and 7062 qualifications in Professional Cookery. Career
After training at Telford College, he worked in fine dining restaurants in Britain, including the Balmoral Hotel, Gravetye Manor, The Royal Scotsman train, Greywalls Hotel, the Royal Yacht , and Skibo Castle.In 2001, aged 30, <mask> became the Chef Patron at "Oloroso"; a roof-top bar and restaurant on Castle Street, Edinburgh. The restaurant was named Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, and Cocktail Bar of the Year. <mask> was also the former owner of "Roti" in 2005; an Indian restaurant in Scotland which he had for four years before selling it. Then in 2009, <mask> opened "Tony's Table"; a modern style bistro, also in Edinburgh, which received a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2010. After appearing in the TV show The Incredible Spice Men with chef Cyrus Todiwala, <mask> and Todiwala published a recipe book in 2013, and by 2014 <mask> released his own solo book Tasty. In 2015 <mask> ran his own pop-up restaurant for the Edinburgh Festival at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel which featured an eclectic range of foods – including his signature dish haggis pakora. <mask> works with schools and colleges throughout Scotland for staff development and training.<mask> became a resident feature at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel with his "<mask>'s Roadtrip" while also opening another pop-up restaurant under its own name in Glasgow, based in the Alea Casino. Awards and honours
<mask> is known for his contemporary Scottish cooking, which combines his love of local Scottish produce with influences and additions from around the world. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, the Master Chefs of Great Britain, and the Craft Guild of Chefs. He has also received several awards including; the Drambuie Chefs Association Best New Restaurant of the Year, Scottish Chefs Award Scottish Chef of the Year and SLTN Best Restaurant catering in Scotland Chef of the Year. In December 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen for his services to the Food and Drink Industry. Charity work
<mask> has supported and worked closely with the charities Sick Kids Edinburgh, McMillian Cancer Research, the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service, Food Train, Scottish Air Ambulance, Water Aid, St. Columbus Hospice, and the Back Up Trust. In 2015 he was a presenter on RBS – Finding Scotland's Real Heroes, where he visited and spoke about the eventual winners of the Carer of the Year award: East Kilbride & District Dementia Carers Group.Television
<mask> first appeared on TV as a competitor in ITV's Chef of the Year in 2000; which he also won. He was also featured on Ready Steady Cook with James Martin in June 2008. Afterwards, <mask> appeared in Series 3 of the BBC's Great British Menu which then lead to his reappearance in Series 5 and 6. In 2013 <mask> partnered with Cyrus Todiwala to present their own cookery show on BBC Two called The Incredible Spice Men. <mask> was later featured in food and personality shows around the UK, including The One Show, The Paul O'Grady Show, Countryfile and Celebrity Mastermind as well as appearing on Radio Scotland, Radio 1, Radio 4 and BBC Radio Asia. In 2015 <mask> and Todiwala paired up again and appeared on the Celebrity edition of the quiz show Pointless. In the same year <mask> then starred as one of the chefs on BBC Two's A Cook Abroad.Here <mask> went to India during Diwali where he presented traditional food in the Punjab and explored his Indian heritage. In September 2018 he appeared on the CBBC documentary Our School (TV series) as a guest head judge for the bake-off. In 2021 <mask> appeared as a special guest on the show Men in Kilts: A Road Trip with Sam and Graham, starring Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish from the show Outlander. On Men in Kilts <mask> prepared a seafood dish for Sam and Graham, with his unique signature fusion of Scottish and Asian flavours. Books
  (with Cyrus Todiwala)

References

External links

Living people
Scottish chefs
Scottish people of Indian descent
1971 births
Members of the Order of the British Empire

masks:
Rajinder Tony Singh Kusbia
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh Kusbia
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Tony Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh
Singh