10 Rock & Metal Bands Who Fired Their Singer

With at least 17 studio albums to date, and a whirlwind career spanning six different decades (so far), Iron Maiden are one of the most recognisable rock and metal brands the world over. Pioneers of the British heavy metal new wave, with the hairstyles to prove it, Maiden's distinctive sound (underpinned by operatic vocals and many, many guitars) has propelled them around the globe almost non-stop, ensuring their longevity against contemporaries who have faded away in a cloud of Elnett.

But that doesn't mean the band haven't suffered their fair share of splits, divisions and lost members along the way. During the early days in the 1970s, before they had ever released an album, members came and went like the lunchtime queue at Greggs. A slew of singers, guitarists and drummers was only held together by bassist Steve Harris -- the one member to have survived Maiden's entire run.

Having said that, the band began to take shape with the arrival of long-term guitarist Dave Murray, and they thought they had found their frontman in Paul Di'Anno, who sang on the first two records. But the singer's heavy lifestyle -- which involved, by his own account, snorting cocaine all day every day -- didn't jive with the band's musical aspirations and he got the studded boot before Bruce Dickinson was brought in for good. Well, almost. Not counting that hiccup in the '90s when he left to embark on his short-lived solo career.