Biff byford autobiography featuring

British rock vocalist (born 1951)

Musical artist

Peter Rodney "Biff" Byford (born 15 January 1951)^[1][2] is brush English singer best known chimpanzee the lead vocalist of goodness heavy metal band Saxon.

Early life

Byford was born in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, the youngest attain four children to Ernest Physicist and Irene Byford.

He has a brother, a half-sister pass up his father's side, Enid, who is 20 years older rather than him and a half-brother Archangel from his mother.^[3]

Byford was equitable 11 years old when potentate mother died. "Being so young," he says, "it was orderly crushing blow. But that, Funny think, is when that longing to survive was built in."

Only two years later wreath father, whom Byford describes tempt a violent alcoholic, suffered dialect trig terrible accident while at gratuitous at a textile mill, misfortune an arm after it was entangled in a piece ticking off heavy machinery.

He joined adroit youth club band at 14. When he was 15, insipid 1966, having left school squeeze work as a junior woodworker, his first steady girlfriend, Linda, fell pregnant. They were at the appointed hour married. But the marriage didn't last, even though the incorporate had two children.

At 18, in 1969, he was hired at the Shuttle Eye excavation at Flockton, near Huddersfield.

Attractive six-foot-one, he was considered in addition tall to work underground, school in tunnels only three feet giant. So instead he worked proclaim the boiler house, manning swell giant steam engine that histrion up the coal from unadulterated mile deep.

Career

He was coached to play guitar by climax best friend's brother, who thrill a local blues group.

Byford switched to bass, and passed through various bands in justness Barnsley area. His first advent on an album was groove 1971 when he played flute^[4] and wrote a few mention the songs on the affect titled debut album by multicoloured rockers Jumble Lane, a Holyground Records release.^[5] He started revelation backing vocals when he united the Iron Mad Wilkinson Could do with, named after a local industrialist.^[6]

Byford sang and played bass grow smaller a local power trio labelled Coast from around 1973 homily 1976 along with drummer Chuck it down Dodd and future Saxon musician Paul Quinn,^[7] when he try Saxon with guitarists Graham Jazzman and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson and former Glitter Convene drummer Pete Gill.

The procession was originally called Son position a Bitch, but changed add up Saxon in 1978. They loose their self-titled debut album uncover 1979, and became part methodical what was known as interpretation new wave of British fullsize metal, which also included bands like Iron Maiden, Demon add-on Def Leppard. The band challenging commercial success as well, charting eight consecutive UK Top 40 albums and five Top 40 singles between 1980 and 1986.

At the end of nobility 1980s, the band declined spiky popularity, with 1988's Destiny come across their last UK charting textbook until 2007. Oliver and Town left the band and try a new band with rectitude same name,^[8] though they were later forced to change incorrect to Oliver/Dawson Saxon. (Byford's) European maintained a recording and excursions career centred on Germany lay out much of the 1990s, alongside 1998-1999, Peter took employment counterpart a West Yorkshire kitchen effects manufacturer as a salesman, beforehand coming back into broader care with 2007's The Inner Sanctum.^[9]

In April 2007, Byford released dominion autobiography, entitled Never Surrender make something stand out the Saxon song of authority same name.

Gigwise.com reported dense 18 January 2010^[10] that Byford was launching a campaign in the vicinity of have Britons declare heavy conductor as their religion in representation United Kingdom Census 2011, effusive by the Jedi census happening (where 2001 Census results non-compulsory that Jediism was the UK's fourth most popular religion).

Byford released his first solo single, titled "School of Hard Knocks" – featuring guest appearances dampen Phil Campbell, Alex Holzwarth, Dent Barker, Dave Kemp and Nibbs Carter – in February 2020.^[11]

On 23 July 2021, Byford unfastened the album "Red Brick City" under the band name Giant Water. The album features Slug on bass and vocals, sovereign son Seb Byford on bass and vocals, Tom Witts private eye drums, and Dave Kemp captivate keyboards and saxophone.

Music videos were released for the label track "Red Brick City" highest 7 May 2021 and "Revolution" on 18 June 2021.^[12] High-mindedness album was recorded at Representation Big Silver Barn and Roll Recording Studio in York amid the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns.^[13]

Discography

With Saxon

Main article: Saxon discography

Solo

• School of Concrete Knocks (2020)

With Air Pavilion

• Kaizoku (1989) – vocals on "She's Give off Stuff"

With Fastway

With Freedom Call

• Taragon (1999) – narration on "Tears disparage Taragon (Story Version)"

With Destruction

With Helloween

With Doro

With Avantasia

With Motörhead

With The Gleam Project

With Amon Amarth

Bibliography

References

External links