Today (June 5, 2012), IRON MAIDEN's legendary drummer Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is celebrating his 60th birthday! McBrain was born on June 5, 1952 in London, England. Raise your irons in behalf of "Nicko's" birthday!
Here are some interesting facts about "Nicko":
- At the age of ten, he started to play drums with pots, pans and other kitchen utensils, before, to his parents' dismay, he began drumming on the gas cooker with a pair of knives and chipped off the paintwork. McBrain was 11 years old when his father bought him his first drum kit.
- He soon started playing The Rolling Stones and The Beatles covers with school bands, before he began regularly playing "pubs and weddings" by the age of 14.
- Having played in small pub bands from the age of 14, upon leaving school McBrain paid his bills with session work.
- His nickname "Nicko": his parents nicknamed him "Nicky" after his favorite teddy bear, Nicholas. "Nicky" was his nickname until an intoxicated Billy Day introduced him to Dick Asher, head of CBS Records, as "Neeko", while he was recording with Billy Day at CBS Studios, Whitfield Street. McBrain liked the name, changing it to "Nicko" "so that it sounded more English," and decided to keep it.
- Prior to joining MAIDEN, McBrain was the drummer for French political band TRUST.
- McBrain joined IRON MAIDEN in 1982, as a replacement for drummer Clive Burr. Since then he has recorded 12 studio albums with the legendary Heavy Metal band. As news of Burr's departure had not yet been announced, made his first appearance with Iron Maiden on German TV disguised as Eddie (the bands mascot).
- He debuted as the bands drummer on 'Piece Of Mind' (released in 1983).
- Since he joined MAIDEN, McBrain has formed a close partnership with bassist, Steve Harris, and completed what many critics consider the band's "definitive" lineup! Although the band's lineup altered drastically in the 1990s, McBrain remained in Iron Maiden and, since the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith in 1999, the group has undergone a resurgence in popularity, and are now considered as "bigger than ever".
- Although he writes the drum parts for all the band's songs, McBrain registered his first and only songwriting credit for "New Frontier," from 2003's "Dance Of Death", which expresses his opposition to human cloning, arising from his religious beliefs.
Don't forget that this summer, "Nicko" and the rest of IRON MAIDEN will be touring North America With Alice Cooper!
June (Tickets available NOW):
- Thu 21: Charlotte, NC, USA at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- Sat 23: Atlanta, GA, USA at Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood
- Tue 26: Boston, MA, USA at Comcast Center
- Wed 27: Wantagh, NY, USA at Jones Beach
- Fri 29: Philadelphia, PA, USA at Susquehanna Bank Center
- Sat 30: Washington, DC, USA at Jiffy Lube Live
July (Tickets available NOW):
- Mon 2: Newark, NJ, USA at Prudential Center
- Wed 4: Milwaukee, WI, USA at Marcus Amphitheater - Summerfest
- Thu 5: Chicago, IL, USA at First Midwest Bank
- Sun 8: Quebec City, QC, CANADA at Colisee Pepsi Arena
- Wed 11: Montreal, QC, CANADA at Bell Centre
- Fri 13: Toronto, ON, CANADA at Molson Amphitheater
- Sat 14: Sarnia, ON, CANADA at Bayfest
- Mon 16: Buffalo, NY, USA at Darien Center
- Wed 18: Detroit, MI, USA at DTE Music Theatre
- Thu 19: Indianapolis, IN, USA at Klipsch Music Center
- Sat 21: Cadott, WI, USA at Rock Fest
- Tue 24: Winnipeg, MB, CANADA at MTS Center
- Thu 26: Calgary, AB, CANADA at Scotiabank Saddledome
- Fri 27: Edmonton, AB, CANADA at Rexall Place
- Sun 29: Vancouver, BC, CANADA at Rogers Arena
- Mon 30: Seattle, WA, USA at White River Amphitheatre
August (Tickets available NOW):
- Wed 1: Salt Lake City, UT, USA at USANA Amphitheatre
- Fri 3: San Francisco, CA, USA at Shoreline Amphitheatre
- Mon 6: Phoenix, AZ, USA at Cricket Pavilion
- Thu 9: Irvine, CA, USA at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- Sun 12: Albuquerque, NM, USA at Hard Rock Pavilion
- Mon 13: Denver, CO, USA at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre / Pepsi Center
- Wed 15: San Antonio, TX, USA at AT&T Center
- Fri 17: Dallas, TX, USA at Gexa Energy Pavilion
- Sat 18: Houston, TX, USA at The Woodlands / Toyota Center
Related links:
Iron Maiden's Official Site
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