Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Their current lineup consists of guitarist Mick Box, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw, drummer Russell Gilbrook, and bassist Dave Rimmer. They have experienced numerous lineup changes throughout their 54-year career, leaving Box as the only remaining original member. Notable former members of the band are vocalists David Byron, John Lawton, John Sloman and Peter Goalby, bassists Gary Thain, Trevor Bolder, John Wetton, Bob Daisley, Paul Newton, and John Jowitt, drummers Nigel Olsson, Iain Clark, Lee Kerslake and Chris Slade, and keyboardists Ken Hensley, Gregg Dechert and John Sinclair.
Uriah Heep were part of the early 1970s rock scene, and have been referred to as pioneers of the hard rock, heavy metal and progressive rock genres. The band has sold over 40 million albums worldwide with over four million sales in the U.S, where its best-known songs include "Gypsy", "Easy Livin'", "The Wizard", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Stealin'". They also maintain a significant following and perform at arena-sized venues in the Balkans, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Finland and Scandinavia.
Uriah Heep have released twenty-five studio albums of original material, twenty live albums and forty-one compilation albums (including two greatest hits albums). Thirteen of the band's studio albums have made it to the UK Albums Chart (Return to Fantasy reached No. 7 in 1975), while of the fifteen Billboard 200 Uriah Heep albums, Demons and Wizards was the most successful (No. 23, 1972). In the late 1970s the band had massive success in Germany, where the "Lady in Black" single was a big hit.
Links to Peel[]
Peel played many of Uriah Heep's songs in the early 70's on his radio programmes and was at several gigs where the band performed. He also reviewed some of the band's singles in Singles Reviews between 1973 and 1975, overall giving generally positive reviews of their singles. However, on his 18th May 1974 Singles Reviews article, he mentioned that he was never been enslaved by their LP's. However, by the end of the 70's, Peel rarely played any of their material.
Shows Played[]
- 1971 Mix Reel: Look At Yourself
- 1972
- 18 July 1972: Easy Livin’ (single) Bronze
- 1973
- 16 August 1973: Stealin' (LP - Sweet Freedom) Bronze
- 1977
- 16 February 1977: unknown