Uriah Heep Biography

Uriah Heep are an English rock band, formed
in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken
Hensley (previously a member of The Gods and Toe Fat) to join Spice, a band
signed to his own Bronze Records label.



Sometimes jokingly
referred to as "The Beach Boys of heavy metal" for their melodic songs, and
trademark multi-part harmony backing vocals, although their music draws on
diverse influences including: progressive rock, hard rock, heavy metal,
jazz and even country on occasion. As one of the first bands to fuse
progressive with metal, they are a precursor to the progressive metal
genre.



In spite of their huge popularity in Britain and
continental Europe, Uriah Heep were never able to break into the American
market in a big way, with the exception of three hit songs, "Easy
Livin' " from the 1972 album Demons and Wizards, "Sweet Lorraine" from
the 1972 album The Magician's Birthday (a top ten album in Australia),
and "Stealin' " from the 1973 release Sweet Freedom. The band released
several commercially successful albums in the 1970s, including the seminal
Uriah Heep Live (1973), but their audience declined by the 1980s, to the
point where they became essentially a cult band in the US and UK. Uriah
Heep maintain a significant following in Germany, the Netherlands, the
Scandinavian Peninsula, the Balkan Peninsula, Japan and Russia, where they
still perform at stadium-sized venues.