Samson (band)
Encyclopedia
Samson was a British hard rock
band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson
. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden
singer Bruce Dickinson
, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunderstick
(real name Barry Graham Purkis), who wore a leather mask and performed on stage in a metal cage. Drummer Clive Burr
was also member of the band, both before and after his tenure with Iron Maiden. Drummer Mel Gaynor
had a successful music career being a member of Simple Minds
for over 20 years. Dickinson's replacement on vocals, Nicky Moore
, performed with Samson throughout the mid-1980s and again from the late 1990s onwards; he has also been a member of the bands Mammoth and Nicky Moore and the Blues Corporation.
and Windstar Cruises
. In October 1978, Lead vocalist Mark Newman joined, but after about 6 shows Paul resumed lead vocals and they were back to a 3 piece again.
At the end of 1978, Clive Burr left, his last show was at The Bandwagon in North London on New Years Eve. Paul and Chris auditioned over 60 drummers, and eventually decided on Barry Purkis to replace Clive. The band were offered a recording contract, but Chris wouldn't commit, so Paul and Barry decided that as John McCoy was producing, and had co-written much of the material, they would ask him to play bass on the album. The album was recorded for release on Lazer records, and given the title 'Survivors".
The band's second album, Head On
, was released July 1980, and peaked at #34 in the UK Albums Chart
The supporting tour was full of controversy and legal issues, due to problems with their management. They kept writing and rehearsing for a new record. Ten songs had already been composed, by October 1980, and were ready to be recorded. At the same time, the band re-issued their debut album, Survivors, now with Dickinson handling vocal duties. The tour continued until the end of the year, when Samson entered the studio to record their third album, Shock Tactics
. This was the last album Dickinson recorded with the band. Samson faced an innumerable amount of problems with their management. They were always being booked on ill-matched support tours. After leaving their management in 1981 they discovered that their record company was going bankrupt. Dickinson said they "made every mistake in the business". His last performance with Samson was at the Reading Festival
in 1981. This was recorded by the BBC
and released in 1990, as the live album Live at Reading 1981
.
The group posted three entries in the UK Singles Chart
. These were "Riding With The Angels (1981, #54), "Losing My Grip" (1982, #63) and "Red Skies (1983, #65).
In 1990 Paul Samson asked New York singer/songwriter Rik Anthony to write lyrics and melodies for Samson's studio reformation project. As a fifty-fifty writing collaboration, Rik wrote all of the lyrics, and Paul wrote all of the music. Rik wrote and recorded the lyrics and melodies for eight songs while in New York, and flew to London to re-record five demos at Picnic Studios. With limited time and a limited budget, the band could only record five demo songs, but due to band member conflict during the recording process, the project was never completed, and remained as rough demos. The Picnic demos were never picked up by Samson's record company, and sat idle for almost nine years. Rik and Paul toured throughout Germany, Holland and the UK, with Bassist Gerry Sherwin and drummer Tony Tuohy, under the name English Rogues, but never with Chris and Barry. Due to lack of money and record company interest, the Samson reformation project was shelved, and Rik went back to New York. In 1999, Paul Samson released a CD containing five of Rik and Paul's compositions from the Picnic Demos, entitled Past, Present and Future.
In 1999 the Samson-Moore-Aylmer-Thunderstick line-up reformed for a series of live dates, including a "25th Anniversary of the NWoBHM
" concert at the London Astoria
on 26 May 2000, which also featured Angel Witch
on the bill. Samson's performance was recorded and released as a live album. The same line-up later appeared at the Wacken Open Air
rock festival on 4 August 2000.
The group effectively disbanded with Paul Samson's death from cancer
on 9 August 2002. Nicky Moore
paid tribute to his late bandmate at the Sweden Rock Festival
on 12 June 2004, with a set entitled "Nicky Moore plays Samson".
Bass player Chris Aylmer died on 9 January 2007 following a battle with throat cancer. He was reported to have been responsible for suggesting the band's name. He assumed the role of bass player, having previously been the band's soundman
.
The band appeared in a short-movie Biceps of Steel
in 1980, directed by Julien Temple
, which was intended as the B-film to a major feature produced and promoted by the record company. The film featured two music-video type sequences which form the 15 minute film. Though it has been largely forgotten, clips from it were seen in the movie The Incubus (1981). However, in 2006, Biceps of Steel re-surfaced on Bruce Dickinson's Anthology DVD
.
Live albums
Compilations
EPs
Videos
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson
Paul Samson
Paul Samson was a British guitarist, closely associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.Born Paul Sanson, after a period in several obscure bands, Samson formed his own eponymous outfit, Samson, in 1977, consisting of Chris Aylmer on bass guitar, and Clive Burr on drums...
. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
singer Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunderstick
Thunderstick
Thunderstick, real name Barry Graham Purkis, is an English drummer who wore various masks and used to perform on-stage closed in a cage. He was in the popular cult-band Samson which his name is most associated with....
(real name Barry Graham Purkis), who wore a leather mask and performed on stage in a metal cage. Drummer Clive Burr
Clive Burr
Clive Burr is a British drummer, best known as a member of Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.-Career:Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979...
was also member of the band, both before and after his tenure with Iron Maiden. Drummer Mel Gaynor
Mel Gaynor
Mel George Gaynor is a British musician. He is best known as the long time drummer for the rock band, Simple Minds...
had a successful music career being a member of Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
for over 20 years. Dickinson's replacement on vocals, Nicky Moore
Nicky Moore
Nicky Moore is a vocalist who is best known as a former member of the British band Samson. He replaced Bruce Dickinson who left the band to join Iron Maiden in 1982. Moore left Samson in the late 80s and rejoined in the late 90s....
, performed with Samson throughout the mid-1980s and again from the late 1990s onwards; he has also been a member of the bands Mammoth and Nicky Moore and the Blues Corporation.
Career
In 1976, Paul Samson replaced Bernie Tormé in London based band Scrapyard, joining Bassist John McCoy and Drummer Roger Hunt. The band name was changed to McCoy, and they built up a busy gigging schedule, whilst also independently playing various sessions. Eventually, McCoy left to join Atomic Rooster. His replacement was the bands sound engineer and close friend of Paul's, Chris Aylmer. Chris suggested a name change to Samson, and recommended a young Drummer called Clive Burr, who he had previously played with in the band Maya. Clive joined, and Samson was born, although Paul used bassist Bill Pickard and drummer Paul Gunn on odd gigs when Chris and Clive were honouring previous commitments. Although various other people were tried out to expand the line up. Paul got in touch with an old bandmate, bass player Stewart Cochrane, and asked him to try out for a four-piece, with current bass player Chris Aylmer on second guitar alongside Paul. Only one gig was played in this incarnation, at The Nag's Head pub in Rochester, Kent on 11th March 1978, where it was decided that Paul and Chris's playing styles weren't compatible, so they went back to a 3 piece. Stewart Cochrane subsequently left and joined an avant-garde jazz rock band named Spanish Fly; he later continued his career as an orchestra-leader for Holland America LineHolland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
and Windstar Cruises
Windstar Cruises
Windstar Cruises is a cruise ship line notable for its modern computer-controlled sailing ships.The line was established as Windstar Sail Cruises in 1984, and its first ship, the msy Wind Star, launched in 1986, followed by the Wind Song and Wind Spirit...
. In October 1978, Lead vocalist Mark Newman joined, but after about 6 shows Paul resumed lead vocals and they were back to a 3 piece again.
At the end of 1978, Clive Burr left, his last show was at The Bandwagon in North London on New Years Eve. Paul and Chris auditioned over 60 drummers, and eventually decided on Barry Purkis to replace Clive. The band were offered a recording contract, but Chris wouldn't commit, so Paul and Barry decided that as John McCoy was producing, and had co-written much of the material, they would ask him to play bass on the album. The album was recorded for release on Lazer records, and given the title 'Survivors".
The band's second album, Head On
Head On (Samson album)
Head On is the second album by British heavy metal band Samson. It was released in 1980. The cover art features the band's masked drummer, Thunderstick...
, was released July 1980, and peaked at #34 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
The supporting tour was full of controversy and legal issues, due to problems with their management. They kept writing and rehearsing for a new record. Ten songs had already been composed, by October 1980, and were ready to be recorded. At the same time, the band re-issued their debut album, Survivors, now with Dickinson handling vocal duties. The tour continued until the end of the year, when Samson entered the studio to record their third album, Shock Tactics
Shock tactics
Shock tactics, shock tactic or Shock attack is the name of an offensive maneuver which attempts to place the enemy under psychological pressure by a rapid and fully committed advance with the aim of causing their soldiers to retreat...
. This was the last album Dickinson recorded with the band. Samson faced an innumerable amount of problems with their management. They were always being booked on ill-matched support tours. After leaving their management in 1981 they discovered that their record company was going bankrupt. Dickinson said they "made every mistake in the business". His last performance with Samson was at the Reading Festival
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in 1981. This was recorded by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and released in 1990, as the live album Live at Reading 1981
Live at Reading 1981
Live at Reading 1981 was the second live album released by Samson. This was recorded in 1981 at the Reading Festival, with singer Bruce Dickinson, just before he left the band to join Iron Maiden.-Track list:#"Big Brother" - 6:14...
.
The group posted three entries in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. These were "Riding With The Angels (1981, #54), "Losing My Grip" (1982, #63) and "Red Skies (1983, #65).
In 1990 Paul Samson asked New York singer/songwriter Rik Anthony to write lyrics and melodies for Samson's studio reformation project. As a fifty-fifty writing collaboration, Rik wrote all of the lyrics, and Paul wrote all of the music. Rik wrote and recorded the lyrics and melodies for eight songs while in New York, and flew to London to re-record five demos at Picnic Studios. With limited time and a limited budget, the band could only record five demo songs, but due to band member conflict during the recording process, the project was never completed, and remained as rough demos. The Picnic demos were never picked up by Samson's record company, and sat idle for almost nine years. Rik and Paul toured throughout Germany, Holland and the UK, with Bassist Gerry Sherwin and drummer Tony Tuohy, under the name English Rogues, but never with Chris and Barry. Due to lack of money and record company interest, the Samson reformation project was shelved, and Rik went back to New York. In 1999, Paul Samson released a CD containing five of Rik and Paul's compositions from the Picnic Demos, entitled Past, Present and Future.
In 1999 the Samson-Moore-Aylmer-Thunderstick line-up reformed for a series of live dates, including a "25th Anniversary of the NWoBHM
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
" concert at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
on 26 May 2000, which also featured Angel Witch
Angel Witch
Angel Witch is a British heavy metal band which formed in London, England in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.-Biography:...
on the bill. Samson's performance was recorded and released as a live album. The same line-up later appeared at the Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
rock festival on 4 August 2000.
The group effectively disbanded with Paul Samson's death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on 9 August 2002. Nicky Moore
Nicky Moore
Nicky Moore is a vocalist who is best known as a former member of the British band Samson. He replaced Bruce Dickinson who left the band to join Iron Maiden in 1982. Moore left Samson in the late 80s and rejoined in the late 90s....
paid tribute to his late bandmate at the Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
on 12 June 2004, with a set entitled "Nicky Moore plays Samson".
Bass player Chris Aylmer died on 9 January 2007 following a battle with throat cancer. He was reported to have been responsible for suggesting the band's name. He assumed the role of bass player, having previously been the band's soundman
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
.
The band appeared in a short-movie Biceps of Steel
Biceps of Steel
Biceps of Steel is a short B-movie/movie video filmed circa 1980 but only released in 2003 . It featured the NWOBHM band Samson and two songs from their album Head On . The short film depicts a super roadie who fights evil orange jumpsuit wearing bouncers who are stopping a rock-n-roll crowd from...
in 1980, directed by Julien Temple
Julien Temple
Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...
, which was intended as the B-film to a major feature produced and promoted by the record company. The film featured two music-video type sequences which form the 15 minute film. Though it has been largely forgotten, clips from it were seen in the movie The Incubus (1981). However, in 2006, Biceps of Steel re-surfaced on Bruce Dickinson's Anthology DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Discography
Studio albums- Survivors (1979)
- Head OnHead On (Samson album)Head On is the second album by British heavy metal band Samson. It was released in 1980. The cover art features the band's masked drummer, Thunderstick...
(1980) - Shock TacticsShock tacticsShock tactics, shock tactic or Shock attack is the name of an offensive maneuver which attempts to place the enemy under psychological pressure by a rapid and fully committed advance with the aim of causing their soldiers to retreat...
(1981) - Before the StormBefore the Storm (Samson album)Before the Storm is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band Samson. It was released in 1982, with the new vocalist Nicky Moore. He was recruited to replace Bruce Dickinson after his departure, to join Iron Maiden...
(1982) - Don't Get Mad, Get Even (1984)
- Head Tactics (1986)
- Joint Forces (1986) (Paul Samson solo record issued as Samson)
- Refugee (1990)
- Samson (1993)
Live albums
- Thank You and Goodnight (1985)
- Live at Reading '81Live at Reading 1981Live at Reading 1981 was the second live album released by Samson. This was recorded in 1981 at the Reading Festival, with singer Bruce Dickinson, just before he left the band to join Iron Maiden.-Track list:#"Big Brother" - 6:14...
(1990) - Metal Crusade '99 (1999 - featuring four bands including Samson)
- Live in London 2000 (2001)
Compilations
- Last Rites (1984)
- 1988 (1988)
- Pillars of Rock (1990)
- Burning Emotion: The Best of Samson (1985–1990) (1995)
- The BBC Sessions (1997)
- The Masters (1998)
- Past, Present, and Future (1999)
- There and Back (2001)
- Riding with the Angels: The Anthology (2002)
- Tomorrow and Yesterday (2006)
EPs
- Mr. Rock 'N' Roll (1984)
- And There It Is (1988)
Videos
- Biceps of Steel (1980)
Lineups
| Year | Guitars | Lead Vocals | Bass | Drums | 2nd Guitar | Keyboards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Paul Samson | Paul Samson | Stewart Cochrane | Clive Burr | Chris Aylmer | |
| 1978 | Chris Aylmer | |||||
| 1979 | John McCoy | Barry Graham Purkis | ||||
| 1980 | Bruce Dickinson | Chris Aylmer | ||||
| 1981 | Mel Gaynor | |||||
| 1981 | Nicky Moore | |||||
| 1982–1985 | Pete Jupp | |||||
| 1985 | Mervyn Goldsworthy | Dave Colwell | ||||
| 1985 | Edgar Patrik | |||||
| 1986 | Mark Brabbs | |||||
| 1986 | Sam Blue | Kevin Riddles | ||||
| 1986 | Nicky Moore | John McCoy | Chris Shirley | |||
| 1987 | Paul Samson | Dave Boyce | ||||
| 1988–1990 | Mick White | Charlie McKenzie | Toby Sadler | |||
| 1990 | Peter Scallan | |||||
| 1990-1993 | Rik Anthony | Chris Aylmer | Barry Graham Purkis | |||
| 1993–2000 | Paul Samson | Tony Tuohy | ||||
| 2000–2002 | Nicky Moore | Barry Graham Purkis | ||||
| 2002 | Ian Ellis, John McCoy | Brian Fleming | John McCoy |
External links
- The Official Paul Samson Website
- Allmusic: [ Samson]
- Samson Facebook page