Died On This Date (August 9, 2002) Paul Samson / Heavy Metal Great
themusicsover Paul Samson
June 4, 1953 – August 9, 2002
With his band, Samson, Paul Samson helped usher in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal of the late ’70s. With contemporaries like Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Girlschool, Samson brought a cleaner, more progressive sound to the metal that originated from the likes of Black Sabbath. Forming the band in 1978, Samson built a steady cult following over it’s six-year existence. At one point, the band was fronted by Bruce Bruce who later changed his name back to Bruce Dickinson and left to join Iron Maiden. Samson’s guitar could also be heard on Ram Jam’s 1977 hit, “Black Betty.” Samson died of cancer while recording a Samson comeback album in 2002.
What You Should Own
Kelly Johnson was, most famously, lead guitarist and sometime lead singer for Girlschool, arguably the first major all-female heavy metal band. Formed in 1977 out of the ashes of London’s Painted Lady, Girlschool released a series of classic metal albums and played in front of huge crowds alongside the likes of Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Saxon and the Scorpions. Having recorded on four albums, Johnson left Girlschool in 1983 to move to Los Angeles. She reunited with the band in 1993 and stayed through 2000, around the time she learned she had spinal cancer, of which she died in 2007.