Iron Maiden in the Hall of Fame: the Trooper Is Still Running Free

The Trooper Is Still Running Free

        Rock and Roll is an important genre of music because it has the power to not only influence people, but live on through multiple generations. This genre of music has made its mark on history and continues to contribute to the story of music. Every child has a dream, and as a child, I always wanted to be in a rock band. I would always get dressed up like a rock star, with lots of makeup, big hair, and any clothing covered in sequins. I would blow up my blow up guitar so that I could “jam out” like rock stars do. When I moved back to my current home, my next door neighbor and his friend wanted to start a rock and roll band. I was so thrilled that I immediately wanted to join them, no matter what I had to do.  We had a guitarist, bass guitarist, drummer, piano player and vocalist. Almost every single day after school we would go home and practice until one of the older neighbors would tell us that was enough for the day. Getting to be in a band, even if it were for a short period of time had a large impact on me. Rock has also made a huge impact worldwide, not just in American society. While this genre of music has been influenced by many different types of music, it consistently helps set a trend for all forms of rock music including heavy metal.

        Rock and Roll has many different forms, but the Hall of Fame very rarely includes one style of rock: heavy metal. Since the year 1986, only a handful of bands have been admitted into the Hall of Fame that could classify as heavy metal bands. Some of these bands and artists include Black Sabbath, Metallica, AC/DC, KISS, and Van Halen. These inductees have to follow a certain guideline to be admitted in the Hall of Fame, such as 25 years of experience since the first album was released and the band or individual must have a positive contribution to Rock and Roll. Specifically, there is a group that I believe has been overlooked, Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden has contributed to the genre of Rock and Roll for over 25 years and has influenced multiple band’s sounds or tone of music. Maiden is one of heavy metal’s most influential bands, and are one of metal’s most distinctive acts with melodic guitaring, ambitious songwriting, and outstanding vocalist that have created many powerful hits. Based on the history of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the guidelines to be accepted, Iron Maiden is more than qualified to be admitted into it.

        The “birth” of Iron Maiden took place in Leyton, East London, England in the year of 1975. Iron Maiden began playing within the few years after. Throughout the course of the band Iron Maiden, there have been multiple members added and taken away from the band. This can prove to be a hardship or trial for many bands due to having to find their “sound” again. In 1975, bassist Steve Harris, formerly part of the band Smiler, founded the band. The group’s lineup was very controversial for the first few years, but in 1978 the first percussionist Doug Sampson, only guitarist Dave Murray, and vocalist Paul Di’Anno were decided on. After having their songs heard by the public, Maiden enlisted the help of a second guitarist, Dennis Stratton. The first hardship hit late in 1979 when Doug Sampson departed due to his health issues. He was quickly replaced by drummer Clive Burr who was later replaced by former Trust drummer Nicko McBrain. Due to his avid substance abuse, vocalist Paul Di’Anno was dismissed from the band after their tour in 1981, being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. While having to implement a new vocalist can prove to be a trial, Dickinson proved to be a good fit for the band when the recorded debut of the song The Number of the Beast became groundbreaking. With this new song and others like Hallowed Be Thy Name came another hardship. These songs were known as one of the all-time great rock albums, even though it was one of the band's first chart-topping albums in the U.K. and was a Top Ten seller in several countries. Many Christian activists and conservative politicians in America claimed that Iron Maiden was Satanic because Rock and Roll is “the devil’s music.” This was assumed because of their chart-topping songs, but Iron Maiden automatically denied the claim.