Biff Byford
Encyclopedia
Peter Rodney "Biff" Byford is an English
rock
singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal
band Saxon
. Byford formed Son of a Bitch with guitarists Graham Oliver
and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson
and drummer Pete Gill
in 1976. Prior to this, Byford had been the vocalist with Blue Condition from about 1970.
In 1978 Son of a Bitch changed its name to Saxon and released a self-titled album
in 1979. Co-inciding with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
at the turn of the decade, Saxon had eight UK
Top 40 album
s and five Top 40 singles
between 1980 and 1986. After this, Saxon declined in popularity, eventually leading to a split in 1995 with Oliver and Dawson forming a new band with the same name. Byford's Saxon maintained a recording and touring career centred on Germany
for much of the 1990s before coming back into worldwide attention with 2007's The Inner Sanctum
. In April the same year, Byford released his autobiography
, entitled Never Surrender after the Saxon song of the same name. Since 2003 he has worked part time as the administrator of the Amadeus Orchestra.
Gigwise.com
reported on January 18, 2010 that Byford was launching a campaign to have Britons declare heavy metal as their religion in the United Kingdom Census 2011
, inspired by the Jedi census phenomenon
(where 2001 Census results suggested that Jediism
was the UK's fourth most popular religion).
with Air Pavilion
with Fastway
with Freedom Call
with Destruction
with Helloween
with Doro
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
. Byford formed Son of a Bitch with guitarists Graham Oliver
Graham Oliver
Graham Oliver is an English guitarist.-Career:He played with the heavy metal band Saxon from 1977 to 1994. After leaving the band he initially reformed his old band Son of a Bitch with former Saxon bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill...
and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson
Steven "Dobby" Dawson , is an English bass guitarist, founder of Saxon.Dawson was the inspiration for Harry Shearer's Spinal Tap character Derek Smalls.-Saxon:*Saxon *Wheels of Steel...
and drummer Pete Gill
Pete Gill
Pete Gill is a heavy metal drummer, formerly a member of The Glitter Band, Saxon and Motörhead.Gill was one of the two drummers in The Glitter Band, then formed part of the original line up Saxon in 1978. He stayed with them until 1981 when he injured his hand...
in 1976. Prior to this, Byford had been the vocalist with Blue Condition from about 1970.
In 1978 Son of a Bitch changed its name to Saxon and released a self-titled album
Saxon (album)
Saxon is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band Saxon released in 1979 .-Track listing:Bonus tracks on 2009 remastered album-Personnel:*Biff Byford - vocals*Graham Oliver - guitar*Paul Quinn - guitar...
in 1979. Co-inciding with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
at the turn of the decade, Saxon had eight UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 40 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and five Top 40 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
between 1980 and 1986. After this, Saxon declined in popularity, eventually leading to a split in 1995 with Oliver and Dawson forming a new band with the same name. Byford's Saxon maintained a recording and touring career centred on Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for much of the 1990s before coming back into worldwide attention with 2007's The Inner Sanctum
The Inner Sanctum
The Inner Sanctum is the seventeenth album by the British heavy metal band Saxon, released on March 5, 2007. A limited edition with DVD is available too....
. In April the same year, Byford released his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, entitled Never Surrender after the Saxon song of the same name. Since 2003 he has worked part time as the administrator of the Amadeus Orchestra.
Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....
reported on January 18, 2010 that Byford was launching a campaign to have Britons declare heavy metal as their religion in the United Kingdom Census 2011
United Kingdom Census 2011
The most recent census of the United Kingdom, known as the 2011 census, took place on 27 March 2011, a decade after the previous census. It was conducted on the same day in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure coherence and consistency...
, inspired by the Jedi census phenomenon
Jedi census phenomenon
The Jedi census phenomenon is a grassroots movement that was initiated in 2001 for residents of a number of English-speaking countries, urging them to record their religion as "Jedi" or "Jedi Knight" on the national census.It is believed the majority of self-reported Jedi claimed the religion for...
(where 2001 Census results suggested that Jediism
Jediism
Jediism is a religious movement based on the philosophical and spiritual ideas of the Jedi as depicted in Star Wars media.-Belief:Practitioners identify themselves with the Jedi Knights in Star Wars, believe in the existence of the Force and that interaction with the Force is possible. Believers...
was the UK's fourth most popular religion).
Discography
with Saxonwith Air Pavilion
- Kaizoku (1989) - vocals on "She's Hot Stuff"
with Fastway
Fastway (band)
Fastway is a British heavy metal band formed by guitarist, "Fast" Eddie Clarke, formerly of Motörhead, and bassist, Pete Way, formerly of UFO.-Career:...
- Bad Bad Girls (1990)
with Freedom Call
Freedom Call
Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998.-Biography:Freedom Call was formed in 1998 by old friends Chris Bay and Daniel Zimmermann during an off-period for the latter's main band, Gamma Ray...
- TaragonTaragonTaragon is an EP by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on November 20, 1999, by NTS Records. Originally available only in France and Japan, the EP was re-released worldwide in 2004, as part of the Live Invasion album....
(1999) - narration on "Tears of Taragon (Story Version)"
with Destruction
Destruction (band)
Destruction is a German thrash metal band. They are considered one of the "three kings" of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator and Sodom...
- Inventor of EvilInventor of EvilInventor of Evil is the ninth full-length album by the German thrash metal band Destruction, released in 2005.- Track listing :- Personnel :*Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer – bass, vocals*Mike Sifringer – guitar*Marc Reign – drums*Maxine C...
(2005) - vocals on "The Alliance of Hellhoundz"
with Helloween
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
- Gambling with the DevilGambling with the Devil-Critical reception:The album has received mostly positive reviews, with critics hailing it as one of the band's strongest efforts in quite a while.Andi Deris' vocals on the album also got praise for their power, range and emotion.-Charts:-Credits:...
(2007) - spoken word on "Crack the Riddle" - 7 Sinners7 Sinners7 Sinners is the thirteenth studio album by Helloween, released October 31, 2010.A video clip for "Are You Metal?" was released 11 October 2010. Its visuals draw from the Saw movie franchise and play on clichés of the metal genre...
(2010) - spoken word on 'Who is Mr. Madman?'
with Doro
Doro (musician)
Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock ....
- Celebrate (The Night Of The Warlock) (2008) - vocals on "Celebrate" (track #2)