On Tuesday (7.29,) via social media, the passing of the short-lived original lead vocalist Paul Mario Day of Iron Maiden the confirmed by his other former band, More:
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great MORE vocalist Paul Mario Day. Paul was a huge part of the [New Wave of British Heavy Metal] from his time in an early version of Iron Maiden and of course his fantastic performance on the ‘Warhead’ album.” “He was a well loved figure in British rock music and played many memorable shows not least the legendary 1981 Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donington with AC/DC, Whitesnake/David Coverdale as well as tours with Iron Maiden Def Leppard and many other legendary artists. Mike Freeland remembers him fondly as a ‘bloody great vocalist!’ It’s an honour for us to continue to play his music and we will always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to ‘Warhead’. We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family and friends and also the many fans around the world who love his music.”
Though the 69-year old Paul did not have any Iron Maiden recorded music to his credit, he subsequently claimed co-authorship of their song ‘Strange World.’
According to Maiden founding member and bassist Steve Harris, the former vocalist lacked “energy or charisma on stage” and was replaced Dennis Wilcock before Paul Di’Anno (who passed away in October 2024) took on lead vocal responsibilities, appearing on the iconic rockers first two LP, 1980’s Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981.)
Addressing Steve’s critique, Paul once told Blabbermouth: “Steve was saying, ‘You’ve got to get better. You’ve got to be more in the audience’s face. You’ve got to be commanding. You’ve got to be a hero.’ ” “And I agreed with him, but I didn’t actually know how to make that happen. I got warning for maybe three months: ‘Get it together. Get it together.’ ” “And I wanted to, I just didn’t know how to do it. So the funny thing is, the worst experience was the best lesson because when I got that notice and I felt so gutted, it changed me.”
In addition to his time with Iron Maiden and More, Paul was in the groups Wildfire and glam rock outfit Sweet, who posted the following tribute:
“Paul Mario Day RIP.” “IN 1985 Mick Tucker and myself put together the first new line-up of Sweet after the hiatus of the original band. We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further. Our first dates were in Australia, total sell-outs which boded well for the future. Europe followed suit and 3 sold out nights at the Marquee in London produced a live album, video and DVD. “Live at the Marquee” did well in various charts around the world and Paul’s vocal performance has stood the test of time.” “PMD was the original singer with Iron Maiden and had a stint with the band More before joining Sweet.” “He passed away peacefully at his home in Australia. My deepest condolences to his wife Cecily and family and friends. A sad day for all Sweet fans. Andy x.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: derivative work: Javatyk (talk) Iron_Maiden_in_Bercy_1.jpg: Metalheart
