Nicknamed air-raid siren in the early days of his career with Maiden, Bruce Dickinson became one of the greatest Heavy Metal vocalists of all time. After he joined the band in 1981 and recorded “Number of The Beast” with them in 1982, it was the beginning of a very successful career not only for him but also for the band. They were praised and had success with the two first albums with Paul Di’Anno but they went to another level with Bruce.
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It’s not really easy to find a replacement for a previously praised frontman but most of the bands need to do that over the years. One of them was Rainbow, led by Ritchie Blackmore, who first had Ronnie James Dio and his first replacement was Graham Bonnet. He was in the band for only a year, from 1979 to 1980, recording the studio album “Down To Earth” (1979). Bruce is a big fan of the singer and that album, he once even revealed which is his favorite song with Bonnet on vocals.
The Rainbow song with Graham Bonnet that Bruce Dickinson loves
Although Rainbow released only 8 studio albums and had other four vocalists, Graham Bonnet still is one of the fans’ favorites. He also was famous for fronting Alcatrazz and The Michael Schenker group, but ‘Down To Earth” remains as one of the most famous records he was part of. In an interview with Qobuz (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage), Bruce Dickinson praised the Rainbow era and Graham. He revealed that the track “Eyes of The World”, is his favorite one with the singer.
“I loved Graham Bonnet on ‘Down to Earth’. I mean, ‘Eyes of The World’ is one of my favorite Rainbow songs. ‘Lost In Hollywood’, ‘Eyes of The World’, I mean. ‘Since You Been Gone’ hum… yeah okay (doesn’t like that much). But ‘Eyes of The World’ to me it’s just fantastic, you know,” Bruce Dickinson said.
Dickinson really loves Bonnet’s work with Rainbow and even invited him to an Iron Maiden show a few years ago to be able to know him. The Graham Bonnet guitarist Conrado Persinato, recalled in an interview with Gustavo Maiato in 2022. Roy Z who is a longtime Bruce collaborator and also worked with Graham arranged the meeting.
“Recently, Iron Maiden played two shows in California. Roy Z, who produces Bruce Dickinson, was invited to work on the latest Graham Bonnet album. So, Roy called me and asked if I wanted to go backstage because Bruce wanted to meet Graham! Bruce liked the song Roy Z worked on. So, we all went there!”
“We had a chat about our love for Ritchie Blackmore. It was cool to see the respect Bruce had for Graham. He said Graham was a huge influence. I saw Bruce acting like a fan! It’s an exchange, right? You get influenced and then influence others,”
Graham went to see Iron Maiden recently and praised the band
That wasn’t the only Iron Maiden concert that Graham Bonnet went to see. Recently in 2024, he posted on his social media a photo with Bruce Dickinson and praised Maiden. He went to see their show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and thanked the band for the hospitality.
“Last night, Beth-Ami, Conrado, Levi (Beth-Ami’s son) and I attended the Iron Maiden “Future Past” show at the Kia Forum. It was an almost indescribable event. From the moment we arrived and picked up our tickets and passes and were ushered into the Forum Club, it was perfection. We arrived early enough to see friends, have a nice dinner and then it was time for the show. I’m always thrown when UFO’s Doctor, Doctor comes on. I sang that with the Michael Schenker Fest and it takes a minute to register. I even asked Beth-Ami “what is this song, it sounds so familiar. ”
He continued:
“Then Maiden hit the stage and it was like a gut punch (in a good way). The band is on fire from the first note, delivering a blistering performance from start to finish. Bruce is the consummate frontman with his almost thespian like physical performance all while belting out hit after hit. I was so impressed with the entire band. After the show, we headed back to the Forum Club for a quick visit with Bruce and his lovely wife Leana.”
“They both were so hospitable and engaging, we didn’t want to leave but there were loads of guests. So we grabbed a few photos and then we were on our way. On the way home, we all talked about what a stupendous show it was. I can’t even believe that they are going to do the show again tonight. The amount of energy that they expend nightly is unfathomable. I want to express my gratitude to Bruce, Leana and all the Iron Maiden gang for giving us this unforgettable night. Thank you all, ♥️” Graham Bonnet said.
I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago.
Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions.
After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world!
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