Uriah Heep (band)

Uriah Heep
Promotional image of the band's classic lineup in 1972 Left to right: Ken Hensley, Mick Box, Gary Thain, David Byron and Lee Kerslake
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Hard rock heavy metal progressive rock
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Vertigo Bronze Island Warner Bros. Mercury Chrysalis Sanctuary Castle Frontiers
Members	Mick Box Phil Lanzon Bernie Shaw Russell Gilbrook Dave Rimmer
Past members	List of Uriah Heep members
Website	uriah-heep.com

Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Their current lineup consists of guitarist Mick Box, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw, drummer Russell Gilbrook, and bassist Dave Rimmer. They have experienced numerous lineup changes throughout their 55-year career, leaving Box as the only remaining original member. Notable former members of the band are vocalists David Byron, John Lawton, John Sloman, and Peter Goalby; bassists Gary Thain, Trevor Bolder, John Wetton, Bob Daisley, Paul Newton, and John Jowitt; drummers Nigel Olsson, Iain Clark, Lee Kerslake, and Chris Slade; and keyboardists Ken Hensley, Gregg Dechert, and John Sinclair.

Uriah Heep were part of the early 1970s rock scene and have been referred to as major pioneers of the hard rock, heavy metal and progressive rock genres.^[1][2] The band have sold over 40 million albums worldwide, with over 4 million sales in the US,^[3][4] where their best-known songs include "Gypsy", "Easy Livin'", "The Wizard", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Stealin'". They also maintain a significant following and perform at arena-sized venues in the Balkans, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Finland and Scandinavia.

Uriah Heep have released twenty-five studio albums of original material, twenty live albums and forty-one compilation albums (including two greatest hits albums). Thirteen of the band's studio albums have made it to the UK Albums Chart (Return to Fantasy reached No. 7 in 1975), while of the fifteen Billboard 200 Uriah Heep albums, Demons and Wizards was the most successful (No. 23, 1972).^[5] In the late 1970s the band had massive success in Germany, where the "Lady in Black" single was a big hit.^[6][7]