Detroit-based Robert Alford is a rock ’n’ roll photographer of thirty-five-plus years who has photographed more than five hundred acts, from AC/DC to ZZ Top. His work has featured prominently in magazines such as CREEM, People, Rolling Stone, and on album covers, in liner notes, on television, and in books and documentaries.
Gavin Baddeley is an English journalist and author specializing in ghoulish pop culture and macabre history. He is perhaps best known for his 1999 book, Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock ’n’ Roll, an acclaimed study of Satanism, though his 2010 “bible of decadence and darkness,” The Gospel of Filth, is now fast becoming a cult tome. He first discovered Iron Maiden’s debut album at the impressionable age of fourteen, and has been a fan ever since.
Daniel Bukszpan is the author of The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal. He has been a freelance writer since 1994, and he has written for such publications as the New York Post, Pop Smear, Guitar World, the Pit Report, and Hails and Horns. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Asia, and his son, Roman.
The son of a London fireman, Garry Bushell (garry-bushell.co.uk) began his career as a rock writer in Sounds in 1975, and in 1984 wrote Iron Maiden’s authorized biography, Running Free. In addition, Garry managed the Cockney Rejects and the Blood, discovered Twisted Sister in a West Chester County bar, and travelled the world with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, the Specials, and Mötörhead. Dubbed “the Godfather of Street-Punk,” he compiled the original Oi! albums and still sings with punk band the Gonads. He currently writes pulp fiction novels and bad jokes about TV in the U.K. nationals. Howard Stern once dubbed him “my ambassador in England.”
Ian Christe is the author of Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal and Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga. He is also the publisher of Bazillion Points Books (bazillionpoints.com), home to Swedish Death Metal by Daniel Ekeroth, Hellbent for Cooking by Annick Giroux, Sheriff McCoy by Andy McCoy, Dirty Deeds by Mark Evans, Touch and Go: The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine ’79–’83 by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson, and Mellodrama: The Mellotron Movie DVD.
Andrew Earles first gained attention in the late 1990s during the last real ’zine movement with his own publication, The Cimarron Weekend. His first foray into music and cultural criticism/commentary came in late 1999. Since then he has gone on to write for more than 45 print and online outlets, including Pitchfork, Vice/Noisey, The Onion, Decibel, Spin, Paste, Chunklet, Magnet, McSweeney’s, The Washington City Paper, The Baltimore City Paper, Philadelphia City Paper, The Philadelphia Weekly, The Memphis Flyer, and The Knoxville Voice, among many others. The author of two books—Husker Du: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock (2011) and Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981–1996 (2014)—Earles has also contributed to several other, including Lost In the Grooves, Mock Stars, and The Overrated Book, as well as Voyageur Press’s illustrated histories of Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, AC/DC, and Rush. Most recently, Andrew updated and contributed an additional chapter in Voyageur’s revised edition of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. As of this writing, Andrew is developing seven books about seven disparate subjects related to music culture and history.
Ryan LaMar has been an Iron Maiden fan since he was nine. He currently serves as a captain in the U.S. Army and holds a degree in history from Washington State University. He also studied at the graduate school at Western Washington University where he undertook researching Iron Maiden’s tourography as a graduate project. He continues to refine it as new historical evidence comes to light.
Bob Leafe (bobleafe.com) has photographed more than fifteen hundred music performers, from Led Zeppelin to Liberace. He has been the house photographer for major concert venues, radio stations, TV shows, and for MTV, where he shot the first Video Music Awards and the 1984 New Year’s Eve Ball. He’s been published in more than one hundred U.S. magazines and all over the world.
Martin Popoff (martinpopoff.com) is the author of twenty-eight books on hard rock and heavy metal. Additionally, he has written more record reviews than anyone living or dead. His band bios include works on Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, UFO, Rainbow, Dio, Rush, and the mighty Blue Öyster Cult.
Derek Riggs is the sole creator of Eddie, Iron Maiden’s ubiquitous mascot. He designed the monster as a specimen artwork for his portfolio in the late 1970s, and the first “Eddie picture,” entitled Electric Matthew Says Hello, appeared on the first Iron Maiden album cover. The piece was conceived as a cover for a punk album, thus the character’s mohawk (longer hair was later added at the request of Iron Maiden). Riggs showed the artwork to several record companies and as a result was thrown out of many art directors’ offices. After ten years or so, Riggs grew bored of Eddie and became a freelancer so that he could expand into other styles. He remains a freelance artist today, and a book of his illustrations entitled Run for Cover: The Art of Derek Riggs can be purchased from his website, www.derekriggs.com.
John Tucker (johntuckeronline.com) is an acknowledged authority on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. As a fanzine writer and photographer at the time—as well as a massive fan of the music—Tucker was perfectly placed to watch the NWOBHM unfold around him. He has written three books, including The New Wave of British Heavy Metal: Suzie Smiled (2006), contributed to countless metal magazines, and worked with various record labels.
Mick Wall (mickwall.com) is one of Britain’s best-known music journalists, broadcasters, and authors. His most recent book is the critically acclaimed biography of Metallica, Enter Night (2011). Formerly editor-in-chief of Classic Rock magazine and a founding father of Kerrang!, his work has also appeared in The Times (London), Mojo, Guitar World, and numerous other newspapers and magazines around the world. His thirty-five-year career has also included stints as a high-profile PR exec, artist manager, TV and radio presenter, and record company executive.
Frank White began his photography career on February 12, 1975, shooting Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden. He began selling his images in 1982, first to Relix and then to several other music publications, including Guitar World, Circus, CREEM, Kerrang!, Hit Parader, Rock Scene, and others. His images have also been licensed to record companies, MTV, and VH1. In 1986, he began the Frank White Photo Agency. He continues to photograph music and other subjects.