For most Metal fans my age, drummer Barry Graham Purkis needs no introduction. For the the rest of you…well…
Barry Purkis honed his craft both locally and abroad with Mal Ryder & The Primitives. On returning to England, Barry joined Iron Maiden in 1977. That didn’t last long and in 1979 he joined Samson, at which point Thunderstick, his masked persona, came to life. (His Samson bandmates included aspiring vocalist Bruce Dickinson, then known as Bruce Bruce). After that, Thunderstick formed a band bearing his own name. Interestingly, it was in a review of a London gig featuring Samson, Iron Maiden and Angel Witch that the term NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) was coined.
But now enough trivia.
What is the story behind Thunderstick’s mask? Why was it that Bruce Dickinson almost didn’t return to Iron Maiden after the Blaze years ended? What does Thunderstick plan to unleash soon? Listen to the man himself answer these questions and many, many others…..
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