Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep came out of London as part of the early '70s rock boom, and they have been hauling their keyboard-heavy sound around the world ever since. Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock: they are counted among the pioneers of all three, and on songs like "Easy Livin'", "Look at Yourself", "July Morning" and "Gypsy" you can hear why, with Ken Hensley's keyboards churning like a storm front and David Byron singing with full operatic drama.

The lineup has turned over more times than a used-car lot. Mick Box and his guitar are the one thread running from the start, while vocalists, bassists and drummers have come and gone: John Wetton, Trevor Bolder, Lee Kerslake, Chris Slade and John Lawton all put in their time, and Bernie Shaw took over the microphone in 1986. Demons and Wizards remains their biggest American chart album, Return to Fantasy went top ten at home, and by the late '70s "Lady in Black" had made them heroes in Germany.

That is the secret of their staying power: decades on, Heep keep filling arena-sized rooms in Germany, Japan, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Russia and the Balkans.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.