50 Fun Facts About Iron Maiden

Who founded Iron Maiden in 1975 and went on to be its bassist and main songwriter?

He and Dave Murray are the only members to appear on every release.

In which part of London was Iron Maiden formed?

Their first gig was at St. Nicks Hall in nearby Poplar on 1 May 1976.

The band's name was inspired by a film adaptation of which Alexandre Dumas novel?

The title reminded Harris of the iron maiden torture device.

What name did the band originally use before settling on Iron Maiden?

Most members preferred Iron Maiden, so the first name lasted only briefly.

Who has been the band's lead singer on most of its albums since 1982?

He came from Samson, auditioned in September 1981 and was hired on the spot.

Which singer fronted the band on its first two albums before being dismissed in 1981?

He admitted heavy cocaine use left him unable to face the touring schedule.

What is the name of the band's skeletal mascot?

He began as a papier-mache mask that squirted fake blood at gigs.

Which artist created Eddie and painted the covers exclusively until 1992?

Melvyn Grant was among the artists who took over afterwards.

What was the band's self-released 1979 debut EP called?

Named after Neal Kay's Bandwagon Heavy Metal Soundhouse club, all 5,000 copies sold within weeks.

Which label signed Iron Maiden in December 1979?

The Book of Souls in 2015 was the first studio album not issued by the label outside North America.

Who became the band's manager after hearing the 1978 demo?

He received an OBE in June 2026 to close the 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Which guitarist was sacked in 1977 for pretending to play with his teeth on stage?

Harris felt he had embarrassed the band.

Which early singer, a Kiss fan, used makeup and fake blood on stage?

He left in 1978 to form his own band, V1.

Which two early videos were the first metal clips ever aired on MTV?

They came from the Live at the Rainbow video, shot in December 1980.

Which veteran producer worked with the band from Killers until retiring in 1992?

The band hired him after being unhappy with the production of their debut.

Which 1982 album was the band's first to top the UK chart?

It has sold almost 20 million copies and was voted Best British Album Ever in 2012.

Harris said the 1982 title track came from a nightmare after watching which film?

Robert Burns' poem "Tam o' Shanter" was another influence.

Which drummer replaced Clive Burr in December 1982?

He came from the band Trust and retired from touring after 2024.

At which Bahamas studio did the band record Piece of Mind and its two successors?

It gave them three consecutive albums with a Caribbean birthplace.

Which Piece of Mind single became one of the band's few to get major US radio play?

The other single from the album was "The Trooper".

"Rime of the Ancient Mariner" on Powerslave adapts a poem by whom?

It was the band's longest song until "Empire of the Clouds" in 2015.

The 1984-85 tour opened with five shows in which Eastern Bloc country?

The band were the first Western act to bring full production behind the Iron Curtain.

Iron Maiden co-headlined the first Rock in Rio in 1985 with which band?

The crowd was estimated at up to half a million people.

Where was the 1985 double live album Live After Death recorded?

Extra tracks came from four nights at London's Hammersmith Apollo.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is a concept album based on a novel by which author?

It was the first Maiden record with keyboards, played by Harris and Adrian Smith.

Under what alias did the band play Brooklyn club L'Amour in May 1988?

The name nods to their recurring character Charlotte.

How many fans saw the band's record 1988 Monsters of Rock headline set at Donington?

Their second Donington headline, in 1992, drew a sold-out 75,000.

Which guitarist replaced Adrian Smith in 1990, after playing on the singer's solo album?

He had been in Gillan; Smith returned in 1999 to make it a three-guitar band.

What is the band's only UK number one single?

It was first recorded for the soundtrack of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5.

Which country's Christian groups stopped the band performing there in 1992?

They were branded "emissaries of satanic propaganda".

Which singer, formerly of Wolfsbane, fronted the band from 1994 to 1999?

His albums The X Factor and Virtual XI were the band's lowest-charting of the era.

The X Factor song "Man on the Edge" is based on which 1993 film?

"Lord of the Flies" on the same album adapts William Golding's novel.

What nickname did the trio of guitarists get after the 1999 reunion?

Adrian Smith returned alongside Dickinson while Janick Gers stayed on.

Brave New World (2000) was recorded in Paris with which producer?

The band had abandoned Harris's Barnyard Studios in Essex for Guillaume Tell Studios.

Which song won the band its first Grammy, for Best Metal Performance in 2011?

"Fear of the Dark" had earned their first nomination back in 1994.

What was the name of the 757 airliner the band toured in during 2008-09?

The singer, a commercial pilot for Astraeus, flew it himself.

For The Book of Souls World Tour in 2016, the band upgraded to which jumbo jet?

The ex-Air France aircraft was scrapped in 2025 and turned into keychains.

Keychains made from the scrapped 747 were sold for what price, a nod to one album?

The price references The Number of the Beast.

What is the band's longest song, at 18 minutes?

Dickinson wrote it to close The Book of Souls, passing "Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

What is the title of the band's seventeenth studio album, released in 2021?

It topped charts in 27 countries but missed UK number one, the first time in 15 years.

Who became touring drummer after the long-time drummer stepped back in 2024?

Dawson plays in Steve Harris's side band British Lion.

In which year was Iron Maiden inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

They had been nominated in 2021 and 2023; four former members were inducted with them.

Which 2009 documentary followed the Somewhere Back in Time tour's first leg?

It topped music DVD charts in 25 countries.

Which London stadium hosted the band's first UK stadium headline show, in 2008?

The tour was the second highest-grossing of the year for a British artist.

The band's logo typeface originates with a poster for which 1976 science fiction film?

Harris claims he designed it himself using his architectural drafting training.

Which 2026 documentary features superfans Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich and Gene Simmons?

Malcolm Venville directed it for Universal Pictures.

Which company did the band partner with in July 2026 over its catalogue and Eddie?

The deal also includes a theatrical concert film.

Which Wishbone Ash album did Harris say explains the band's early harmony guitars?

He also cited Thin Lizzy, Genesis and Jethro Tull.

Royal Mail honoured the band with stamps in which year?

The Royal Mint followed with a 50th-anniversary coin in July 2025.

Which member has been a born-again Christian since 1999?

The band has always denied the Satanism charges that followed The Number of the Beast.