Saxon

Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in Barnsley in 1975. As leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), they had eight UK Top 40 albums during the 1980s including four UK Top 10 albums and two Top 5 albums. They had numerous hit singles on the UK Singles Chart and experienced success all over Europe and Japan, as well as in the United States. During the 1980s, Saxon established themselves among Europe's most successful metal acts. The band tours regularly and have sold more than 15 million records worldwide. History Formation and early years (1975–1979) Saxon came together from components of two Yorkshire bands: S.O.B. and Coast. The former was initially called Blue Condition, forming in 1970 with Graham Oliver on guitar, Steve "Dobby" Dawson on bass, and John Walker on drums. Their style was blues rock and hard rock. Shifting the line-up, Blue Condition changed their name to S.O.B. in 1974, taking inspiration from the 1972 Free album Tons of Sobs. Meanwhile, Coast was a local rival rock band named after the 1972 song "Coast to Coast" by Trapeze. Coast contained a singing bass player Peter "Biff" Byford, and guitarist Steve Quinn. In 1975, Coast was falling apart, and S.O.B.'s lead singer and guitarist Steve Furth left to go solo, so in November 1975 a new band was formed by S.O.B.'s Oliver, Dawson and Walker, and Coast's Byford and Quinn. Byford became the new lead singer. They adopted the name Son of a Bitch for its more aggressive tone, and they pushed toward a heavier sound. They recorded a demo known as Tapestry in late 1975, and gigged extensively during 1975–1978. Walker quit after a couple of years, and was replaced briefly by Dave Cowell in 1977. Former Glitter Band member Pete Gill soon replaced Cowell as drummer.