BOLTON IRON MAIDEN, THE - Maiden Flight

"Active between 1970 and 1976, the Bolton Iron Maiden (originally known as Birth and then Iron Maiden) was a psychedelic hard-rock band formed in Bolton by Ian Boulton-Smith (Beak) on lead guitar, Derek George Austin on bass and Paul TJ O'Neill on drums/vocals. Influenced by contemporaries like Led Zeppelin, Cream, Free, Groundhogs, or Andromeda, their music blended blues, hard rock, and progressive elements. They soon built a strong reputation supporting acts such as UFO, Bedlam (with Cozy Powell), Caravan, Thin Lizzy, and more. In 1976, the band disbanded following the death of guitarist Ian Boulton-Smith from cancer. In 2005, Paul O'Neill revived interest in BIM by releasing two albums, Maiden Flight and Boulton Rides Again, which compiled studio and live recordings. The proceeds from these albums were donated to Cancer Research and Macmillan Cancer Support. With the blessing of the more famous Iron Maiden and their manager Rod Smallwood, the band adopted the name "The Bolton Iron M