Clive Burr

Iron Maiden drummer, 1979–1982

Clive Burr played on Iron Maiden's first three albums: Iron Maiden, Killers and The Number of the Beast. His sharp accents, busy fills and sense of swing helped make those records distinctive. He joined at the end of 1979 and left at the end of 1982, recording and touring with both Paul Di'Anno and Bruce Dickinson.

Growing up in East London

Clive was born on 8 March 1957 and grew up in Manor Park, East London. Deep Purple's Ian Paice became an early inspiration. His family encouraged his interest and bought him a drum kit after he had begun practising on a makeshift one at home. He played in Maya, then joined guitarist and singer Paul Samson and bassist Chris Aylmer in Samson, turning professional in late 1977.

With Samson, Clive made his first records, the 1978 singles “Telephone” and “Mr Rock & Roll”. He joined Maiden at the end of 1979, replacing Doug Sampson. Guitarist Dennis Stratton later recalled meeting him in an East London pub and taking him to a rehearsal as the band prepared its first album. Maiden already had most of the songs; the newcomers had to learn them before recording began.

The first two albums

Clive recorded Iron Maiden at Kingsway Studios with Paul Di'Anno, Steve Harris, Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton, with Wil Malone producing. The album appeared on 14 April 1980. Its songs range from the direct rhythm of “Running Free”, which opens with the drums, to the changes of pace in “Phantom of the Opera” and the quieter passages of “Remember Tomorrow” and “Strange World”.

Maiden toured with Kiss in 1980. Adrian Smith replaced Stratton later that year, and Clive recorded Killers with the new line-up and producer Martin Birch at Battery Studios. The album came out on 2 February 1981.

Killers gives the drums a prominent role from the opening instrumental, “The Ides of March”. “Another Life” begins with a drum flourish, and the instrumental “Genghis Khan” moves through several changes of pace. “Wrathchild” puts Clive's accents beside Harris's bass figure, while “Purgatory” demands sustained energy. Clive could establish a recognisable part, add a brief fill and return to the beat without making the song feel interrupted.

The 1981 tour brought Maiden to North America and Japan. The live EP Maiden Japan, recorded in Nagoya and released that September, preserved the Di'Anno line-up near the end of its time together.

The Number of the Beast

Bruce Dickinson replaced Di'Anno in 1981, and The Number of the Beast, released on 22 March 1982, was his first album with the band. Birch again produced the sessions at Battery. The album became Maiden's first UK number one.

In a July 1982 interview with Steve Newton, Clive explained how difficult it could be to generate live energy in a studio without an audience. He credited Birch with encouraging performances that felt natural rather than forced. His listening extended beyond heavy metal: in the same interview, he named Frank Zappa as a favourite and praised the musicians in Zappa's band.

Clive's part in “Run to the Hills” is one of his most recognisable performances. The insistent opening rhythm announces the song, while his fills help mark its changes. He told Rhythm that he devised his part by feel, without instructions from his bandmates, and that the band spent time getting the recorded sound right. He remained proud that younger listeners continued to enjoy it. He also identified the white Tama kit he used for the album and tour.

Clive contributed as a songwriter too. He and Adrian Smith wrote “Gangland”. He shared the credit for “Total Eclipse” with Harris and Murray; it first appeared as the B-side of “Run to the Hills”. The 2022 anniversary vinyl edition replaced “Gangland” with “Total Eclipse”.

The Beast on the Road tour ran from February 1982 to 10 December, when it ended in Niigata, Japan. Maiden played their own shows in Britain and Europe, supported established acts in North America, and headlined Reading Festival in August. Australia and Japan followed in November and December.

Beast over Hammersmith, recorded in March 1982 and first released in the Eddie's Archive box set in 2002, captures Clive playing the new songs live alongside the earlier ones. The set includes “The Prisoner”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and “Phantom of the Opera”, with their long arrangements and changes of pace.

Leaving Maiden

Maiden replaced Clive with Nicko McBrain at the end of 1982. The musicians' accounts differ.

Bruce Dickinson gave a contemporary account in an interview published in July 1983. He said personal and emotional problems had affected Clive's playing, and that disagreements had grown during the final Australian and Japanese dates. He described the split as fairly amicable. Harris and Smith, in recollections quoted by Maiden Revelations, described inconsistent performances and the effects of life on tour.

In Lee Marlow's interview for the February 2011 issue of Classic Rock, Clive denied that drink or drugs caused his dismissal. He linked the experience to grieving for his father. By his account, he returned to Britain, Nicko covered shows, and the atmosphere had changed when he rejoined the band in America. He remembered losing his father and losing his place in Maiden as connected.

Dickinson's 1983 account places the problems on the Australian and Japanese dates; Clive's places them in America. MaidenFans researchers have compared these accounts with photographs, recordings and other recollections without establishing which American concerts Nicko supposedly played. The timing and the alleged substitution remain uncertain.

Trust, Stratus and later bands

Clive continued recording after Maiden. He played on the French band Trust's Trust IV in 1983, also known as Idéal. Its English-language version followed as Man's Trap in 1984. He also worked briefly with Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz.

Clive Burr's Escape included Praying Mantis musicians Tino and Chris Troy and singer Bernie Shaw; keyboard player Alan Nelson joined later. Dave Potts managed the band and worked on songs with Clive. After a dispute over the Escape name, the band became Stratus and released Throwing Shapes in 1985.

He reunited with Paul Di'Anno for Gogmagog's 1985 EP I Will Be There. The group also included guitarists Janick Gers and Pete Willis and bassist Neil Murray. Di'Anno later said the musicians disliked the material and were not allowed to write their own songs.

Clive recorded with Elixir in 1988. Their album appeared in an altered form as Lethal Potion in 1990; the band restored its intended sequence and title, Sovereign Remedy, in 2004. Guitarist Phil Denton remembered several months of work and one live appearance with Clive before he left to fulfil commitments to Desperado.

Desperado paired Clive with Dee Snider, guitarist Bernie Tormé and bassist Marc Russell. The band completed an album for release in 1990, but the label cancelled it. The recordings later appeared as Ace.

Clive played with Praying Mantis on their 1995 Japanese tour, alongside Stratton and the Troy brothers. The concerts at Club Citta in Kawasaki on 11 and 12 November became Captured Alive in Tokyo City, released in 1996.

Illness and the benefit concerts

Clive developed multiple sclerosis in the 1990s. He told Classic Rock that problems with his grip had become difficult to ignore by 1994; the diagnosis followed tests over several months. The illness eventually stopped him playing and left him using a wheelchair. He lived with his partner Mimi, who also had MS.

Iron Maiden and their fans raised money to help him. The band played three benefits at Brixton Academy on 19, 20 and 21 March 2002. The Clive Burr MS Trust supported equipment, transport, care and everyday expenses for Clive and other people with MS. Fans also organised their own events and fundraising.

Maiden played another benefit at Hammersmith Apollo in September 2005, where Clive joined the band on stage at the end of the show. Maiden's manager Rod Smallwood first reported that it had raised at least £110,000; a November update put the total above £120,000. The band played another benefit at Brixton on 24 June 2007.

Death and legacy

Clive died in his sleep at home on 12 March 2013, four days after his 56th birthday. Maiden announced his death the following day. Harris praised his contribution to the band's beginnings; Dickinson remembered the humour and irreverence he had retained during his illness.

Other drummers explained what they had learned from him. Slayer's Dave Lombardo described the first three Maiden albums as part of his musical education. Machine Head's Dave McClain remembered both the impact of seeing Clive's white kit on stage and the drum parts he still drew on for ideas.

Anthrax's Charlie Benante recalled meeting Clive outside a New York show in 1981, asking for drumsticks, and watching him go into the venue and return with a pair. Benante said he still had them when he paid tribute in 2013. He also credited Killers with pushing him to improve his own playing.

On MaidenFans, listeners single out the drum openings of “Another Life”, “The Prisoner” and “Run to the Hills”. Those parts remain some of the most immediate ways to recognise Clive's playing, decades after he recorded them.