The hard rock and heavy metal community is mourning the loss of Paul Mario Day, the original singer for Iron Maiden, who passed away at the age of 69. The British-born musician, who later became known for his work with bands such as More, Wildfire, and Sweet, had reportedly been battling cancer for several years.
Andy Scott, guitarist for Sweet, confirmed Day’s passing earlier today, Tuesday, July 29, in a social media post. Scott reflected on their collaboration, stating: “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, “Live at the Marquee,” 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.” Scott added that Day “passed away peacefully at his home in Australia” and extended his deepest condolences to Day‘s wife Cecily, family, and friends, calling it “A sad day for all Sweet fans.“
More also issued a statement on social media, expressing their sorrow: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great More vocalist Paul Mario Day. Paul was a huge part of the NWOBHM from his time in an early version of Iron Maiden and of course his fantastic performance on the album Warhead. 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!'”
The band emphasized their commitment to continuing to play his music, stating they would “always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to Warhead.” They concluded by sending condolences to Paul‘s family, friends, and fans, urging them to “Play his music loud and sing along! Thank you. Rock in peace Paul.”
Day‘s tenure with Iron Maiden was brief, from 1975 to 1976. A decade ago, Day controversially suggested in an online post that he had co-written the Iron Maiden song “Strange World” but was never given credit.
He wrote: “This is my opinion. When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them. We were all nobodys all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience. In 1976, photos/recording were next to impossible to have if you were poor boys from East London, so I cannot prove I wrote the words and melody for ‘Strange World‘. As for before the time of albums and recording deals, I would say it was creative theft, not deliberate, as probably I would have done the same thing myself to keep it clean and simple. I think, however, if it made me a mega amount of money in the future, I would have done the right thing and [made] amends. As back then we were all pulling for the same side and it still hurts to think the first-ever song I ever composed was on a big-selling album and nobody knows it was me. Not to mention how I scrape to earn a living while Mr. [Steve] Harris is living like a god!”
Day’s departure from Iron Maiden in 1976 was attributed to a perceived lack of stage presence. Reflecting on this decision, Day offered a surprisingly philosophical perspective. “What happened to me, I think, was quite reasonable,” he said. He likened the pain to “losing a girlfriend that you had been in love with for maybe five years,” but recognized it as a crucial learning experience.
Day admitted his inexperience as a frontman at the time, having never performed with a drummer before. “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. The real reality. Iron Maiden at that time were nothing, honestly. It was the beginning… Everyone had to start from zero. That was when I was in the band, that was their zero point. What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. As much as it hurt, as much as it upset me, I learnt a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing.”
After being replaced by Dennis Wilcock in Iron Maiden, Paul Mario Day went on to forge a significant career, fronting Sweet and More. His contributions to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) era and beyond will be remembered by fans worldwide. His former Iron Maiden drummer Doug Sampson continues to play with Airforce, a band that also features Rance.
