Nicko McBrain
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| Nicko McBrain | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Henry McBrain |
| Born | June 5, 1952 Hackney, |
| Genre(s) | Heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
| Years active | 1977 – present |
| Associated acts | Pat Travers Streetwalkers Trust Iron Maiden The Entire Population of Hackney McBrain Damage The Rebecca McBrain Band |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Premier Percussion, Paiste Cymbals | |
Michael Henry McBrain (born June 5, 1952 in Hackney, London, England) is the drummer for heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The nickname 'Nicko' is from Michael’s childhood, where his favourite stuffed animal was named ‘Nicholas the bear’. Due to this, his parents called him ‘Nicky’. 'Nicko' was spawned when he was meeting a manager from CBS Records, with the keyboard player Billy Day. Billy introduced him as "My Italian drummer – His name’s 'Neeko'". Michael liked the moniker, so he decided to use it as a stage name, after adapting the spelling slightly.
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[edit] Biography
In the 1970s, McBrain played drums on some Pat Travers albums, and also played for Streetwalkers from 1975 to 1976; he also appeared in the band McKitty in the early 1980s. It was during a McKitty gig in Belgium that he first met Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris. He joined Iron Maiden in December 1982 for the 1983 Piece of Mind album, replacing Clive Burr, after McBrain's previous band Trust had supported Iron Maiden on the 'Number of the Beast' world tour in 1982. As part of this tour, Nicko had to dress up as the devil and scare the audience before confronting Eddie. On one night of this tour, he stood in for Burr, and he has been with Iron Maiden ever since. In his role in Iron Maiden he has been cited as a major influence by many modern drummers in a wide range of styles, and often holds drum clinics for fans and drummers alike.
McBrain's first songwriting credit with the band is on the song "New Frontier" from the their 2003 album Dance of Death. McBrain also claimed he had written a song for 2006's A Matter of Life and Death but because he met with the band late in the writing process, there was no space on the album for it. [1]
He has filmed several short videos for the band's official website and keeps a diary when the band is on tour, which can be read by Fan Club members. These diaries reveal his endearing, wacky sense of humour and his affection for his fans.
[edit] Style
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
His presence can be said to have added a large amount to the Iron Maiden sound and was felt immediately on the first album he recorded with the band, Piece of Mind. McBrain has been known to be able to play a variety of styles and with that time signatures, such as the 9/8 riff that features on "Alexander the Great", the 7/4 riff on the song "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" and the 15/8 riff that follows the second chorus on the song "The Longest Day".
[edit] Equipment
McBrain currently uses Premier drums and Paiste cymbals. Previously, he had been a long-time endorser of Sonor drums but he switched brands to Premier in the early 1990s. For the A Matter of Life and Death album, he brought his "beast" snare drum "out of retirement". It is a Ludwig metal shell LM 402 snare drum, and was purchased in 1975, making it the oldest drum in his kit. Nicko has been a long time user of the Ludwig Speed King pedal. Since the Brave New World album he uses a DW 5000 accelerator pedal and a DW 5000 Hihat stand. He uses his own Vic Firth Signature sticks.
[edit] Drums by Premier
- 06” × 06” Maple Classic Tom
- 08” × 08” Maple Classic Tom
- 10” × 10” Maple Classic Tom
- 12” × 12” Maple Classic Tom
- 13” × 13” Maple Classic Tom
- 14” × 14” Maple Classic Tom
- 15” × 15” Maple Classic Tom
- 16” × 16” Maple Classic Tom
- 18” × 16” Maple Classic Floor Tom
- 24” × 18” Gen-X Bass Drum
[edit] Cymbals by Paiste[2]
- 15" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash (custom)
- 19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 16" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 20" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 18" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 14" Signature Heavy Hi-Hat (Reflector Finish) (custom)
- 13" Formula 602 Heavy Bell (discontinued)
- 22" Signature Reflector Bell Ride "Power Slave"
- 17" RUDE Crash/Ride
- 20" Signature Crash (prototype)
- 22" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 20" Signature Reflector Heavy China (custom)
- 40" Symphonic Gong (Custom Brilliant Finish)
McBrain's drum kit and cymbals do not bear the standard Premier and Paiste logos; instead, they are labeled with the brand name using the Iron Maiden logo font.
[edit] Faith
McBrain converted to Christianity in 1999 after an experience in the Spanish River Church, near his Boca Raton, Florida home. His wife, Rebecca, a Christian, had been asking him to attend her church with him, and on entering the Church McBrain found himself crying as he experienced a "calling". Recounting the tale, he said: "I just sat there thinking, 'I didn't drink last night…why can't I stand?'" "I had this love affair with Jesus going on in my heart." [3][4]
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- McBrain is a keen golfer.
- He frequently plays the drums during Maiden downtime both in his drum clinics and his McBrain Damage band. He also formed a side project band called 7x70 with Dan Spitz from Anthrax and Vanilla Ice, but it is unknown if they are still active. [5]
- On the No More Lies EP, he contributes to the lyrics.
- He currently manages New York metal band Voices of Extreme (or V.O.X).
- McBrain has also appeared as a guest on the children's television show Sooty and Sweep, where he was asked by Soo to "play something funky, Nicko." In reference to his appearance on the show, McBrain's drum kit is decorated with a Sooty puppet, which is often dressed accordingly with the band's corresponding tours.[6]
- On 22 March 2007, McBrain was banned from driving for six months and fined £500 after being found guilty of speeding on the M74 motorway near Lockerbie, Scotland. He was clocked doing 116mph and pleaded guilty to the offence by letter, as he could not attend court as he was on tour.
- Before being Iron Maiden's drummer, McBrain was the Devil on the Number of the Beast videoclip.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Streetwalkers
[edit] Pat Travers
[edit] Trust
- Marche ou Creve (Original French Release) Savage (English Language Version) (1981)
[edit] Iron Maiden
- Piece of Mind (1983)
- Powerslave (1984)
- Live After Death (1985) Live Album
- Somewhere in Time (1986)
- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
- No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
- Fear Of The Dark (1992)
- Live at Donington (1992) Live Album
- A Real Live One (1993) Live Album
- A Real Dead One (1993) Live Album
- The X Factor (1995)
- Virtual XI (1998)
- Brave New World (2000)
- Rock in Rio (2002) Live Album
- Dance of Death (2003)
- Death on the Road (2005) Live Album
- A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - IRON MAIDEN Drummer, Guitarist Talk About New Album
- ^ Paiste.com: Nicko McBrain's setup. Retrieved on 14 March 2008.
- ^ The drummer with million
- ^ WCA News - March/April 2001 - Cracking Through a Heart of Iron
- ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - Ex-MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON: 'I Refuse To Limit My Musical Experiences'
- ^ The Sooty Show featuring Nicko McBrain
