10 Rock Bands That Were Successful After Major Lineup Changes

10. Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden was formed in 1975 by bassist and songwriter Steve Harris, the only remaining founding member. They're famous for being pioneers of the UK heavy metal scene, with a discography 37 albums deep. The original lead vocalist for Maiden was Paul Day, who was very quickly replaced with Dennis Wilcock. Wilcock was a KISS fan who incorporated similar theatrics into his performance. Eventually he left to start his own band and Paul Di'Anno stepped into the role. Di'Anno fronted Iron Maiden on their first two releases, "Iron Maiden" (1980) and "Killers" (1991), the latter of which led to their first world tour. Unfortunately for Di'Anno, cocaine sunk its teeth into him and his erratic and self-destructive behavior led to his firing at the conclusion of the Killers tour. Bruce Dickinson, formerly of Samson, was immediately brought on to replace Di'Anno. Dickinson brought with him an incredible voice and signature sound, debuting on 1982's "The Number of the Beast", their first #1 record. That album has gone on to sell over 14 million copies worldwide and kicked off what would be a hugely successful run for the band. Iron Maiden would see plenty more lineup changes throughout their career, with Dickinson himself departing and eventually returning at one point. But with the band still active nearly 40 years after its inception, its safe to say that the revolving door of musicians didn't hinder their success at all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geHLdg_VNww