David Byron Solo Albums

When David Byron was found dead in his Reading home on February 28th 1985, his death was barely reported in the music press. And yet to the millions of people who bought his records the memory and music of David Byron lives on, for unlike quite a few dead pop stars, Byron had left behind some of the best examples of heavy rock singing ever recorded.

Born David Garrick in Essex on January 29th 1947, his first venture into professional music was with a Epping based semi-pro band called The Stalkers who also featured guitarist Mick Box. Byron and Box worked well together and teamed up to form the band Spice which also featured Paul Newton on bass and Alex Napier on drums. The band gigged extensively locally under the management of Paul Newton's father and they secured a recording deal with United Artists who issued the bands one and only single What About The Music/In Love (UP 2246) copies of which now fetch around £50 on the collectors' market. Although Spice regularly played venues like the Marquee it wasn't until they met up with manager Gerry Bron that things began to happen.

Deciding that the Spice sound would require keyboards they recuited keyboardist/guitarist/singer/songwriter Ken Hensley who was Paul Newton's bandmate in The Gods. The band rehearsed and played diligently and during this time Bron redubbed the band Uriah Heep from the Charles Dickens classic novel David Copperfield. Shortly afterward the band's career really took off, first in Germany, England and finally the States.

David Byron sang on ten Uriah Heep albums. Their first (which had originally been slated as a Spice release which becomes apparent after listening to The Lansdowne Tapes,) Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble, Salisbury, Look At Yourself, Demons And Wizards, The Magician's Birthday, Live (also known amongst fans as Friday Night In Birmingham), Sweet Freedom, Wonderworld, Return To Fantasy, High And Mighty. During these six years David Byron gained a reputation with his operatic vocals and harmonies as one of the best rock vocalists and frontmen in the world.

In 1975 Byron released his first solo album, Take No Prisoners (Bronze Records ILPS 9824) which also featured fellow heep members Mick Box, Lee Kerslake, Ken Hensley and John Wetton. But unfortunatly for Byron (and sadly for his fans), he'd also gained a reputation for hard drinking which eventually led to him being sacked from Uriah Heep at the end of a Spanish tour in July 1976. Ken Hensley said at that time, David was one of those classic people who couldn't face up to the fact that things were wrong and he looked for solace in a bottle. Also of note, the song Man Full Of Yesterdays from David's solo album, was supposed to be about Uriah Heep's bass player Gary Thain, who was to die shortly afterwards, but ironically came to describe Byron himself in later years. Anyway, it's safe to say that after this neither David Byron nor Uriah Heep were ever the same. The magic of Box, Byron and Hensley was broken.

Determined to get his career going again Byron teamed up with former Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson and former Wings drummer Geoff Britton to form Rough Diamond. They recorded one self titled LP for Island Records (ILPS 9490) in March 1977. Unfortunately the album sold poorly and Byron split.

Teaming up with multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Daniel Boone and recruiting some in-demand session musicians (including famed drummer Stuart Elliot), Byron secured a deal with Arista Records and released his second solo album Baby Faced Killer (Spart 1077) and the single Rich Man's Lady/All In Your Mind (Arista 218). Unfortunately, neither gained commercial success.

Next Byron got together with 'wonderkid' guitarist Robin George and formed The Byron Band. They were signed to Creole Records and debuted with the single Every Inch Of The Way/Routine (CR 8). This was followed by the single Never Say Die/Tired Eyes (CR 12) before the release of the 1981 LP On The Rocks (CRX 2). But like his previous band Rough Diamond, neither critical nor commercial acclaim was forthcoming.

Sadly, Byron never recovered from his alcoholism which steadily grew worse and after one too many unprofessional stage disappointments (he collapsed drunk on stage at the Marquee shortly into his set) and he was pretty much left washed up. Alcohol eventually overcame David Byron. He was found dead on February 28th 1985 and like all great stars of his magnitude, he was taken from us too soon. However, he left behind a vast catalog of material of both Uriah Heep and his own solo material which will ensure that the memory and music of David Byron lives on.

Mark Brennan
Taken from the CDs Take No Prisoners and On The Rocks.

Content Copyright © 1997 Jay Pearson

LinkExchange Member

Free Home Pages at GeoCities