Dave Murray has been played on NTS shows including Black Impulse, with Innocent Exile first played on 18 March 2017.

Dave Murray (born David Michael Murray on 23 December 1956, Edmonton, London) is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the original members of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He joined the band just two months after their inception in 1975.

Career

As a boy, Murray was a fanatical football player and fan as well as a keen cricketer. But his family was poor – his father was disabled and his mother worked part-time as a cleaner – and the family never settled anywhere long enough for Murray to establish himself in any of the schools' teams he could have played for. By his reckoning, he had been to a dozen different schools by the time he left for good at the age of 16.

Murray developed an interest in rock when he was 15 after hearing "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix on the radio; from there everything changed. He got his first guitar and being such a keen guitarist, he would practice up to 7 hours a day along to records. He formed his first band, a trio called Stone Free. This band also included Adrian Smith (Guitar/Vocals) who later became a member of Iron Maiden.

From there, Murray had played with a number of different bands before meeting Steve Harris and joining Iron Maiden for the first time in 1976. He briefly left the band following an argument with then vocalist Dennis Wilcock. Murray rejoined Smith in a band called Urchin. During this short tenure with the band he recorded one single titled "She's A Roller". Following the single Murray left Urchin and returned to Iron Maiden, replacing Terry Wapram. Wilcock and him still played a couple of gigs together and then Wilcock suddenly left the band.

Murray's guitar style throughout his career has been mainly of the Legato based solo variety. This can be seen in songs from their first self titled album, such as "Phantom of the Opera", to the watery mood solo from "Lightning Strikes Twice", to songs from their latest release A Matter of Life and Death, such as the new single "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". Murray is noted for having naturally strong fingers and frequently using hammer-ons and pull-offs. Murray has also written for the band, though less often than other band members. Usually leaving lyrics to someone else, he occasionally co-writes songs, with "Charlotte the Harlot" being his lone composition credited entirely to him.

Murray is seen by many as the most modest, humble, down-to-earth member of the band. "It's my upbringing, when you start out with nothing, you don't expect much from life. For all this to happen to me - well, it's like a dream, really".

Murray and Steve Harris are the only members of Iron Maiden to have appeared on every one of the band's albums.

Equipment

Throughout his career, Murray has used and endorsed Marshall amplifiers exclusively other than on the Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son albums and respective tours when he used Gallien Krueger amps and he has used Fender Stratocasters almost exclusively. His black 1957/63 (body is from a '63, neck is from a '57) Stratocaster previously owned by the late Free guitarist Paul Kossoff (used from circa 1976-1990 and made by Fender as an Artist Signature model since 2009 - http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0118802806) now resides in a glass case at his home. Although he has been occasionally seen with various Dean, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP and Jackson electrics as well as a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar used live for the song Journeyman, and on the Somewhere Back In Time tour for the intro to Moonchild and a Gibson Chet Atkins solid body acoustic used on the Fear of the Dark tour for Wasting Love, Murray's primary instrument has been a Stratocaster.

Dave used his 1957/63 Strat (equipped with DiMarzio Super Distortion and PAF humbucking pickups) extensively, retiring it at the end of the Seventh Son tour in 1988 when he switched to Jackson guitars having also been an endorsee of ESP since 1986, and subsequently returning to Fender in 1995.

Guitars

Since returning to Fender in 1995 following several years from 1986 - 1993 when he endorsed ESP and Jackson he has had several variations of Stratocaster made for him. The 1st guitar he was given was the prototype for what was to become the Hot Rod Re-Issue series which were Japanese made and featured either a '50's style, maple fingerboard version or '60's style slab rosewood fingerboard. These models featured Floyd Rose Original tremolos and a custom wound DiMarzio humbucker in the bridge and 2 hot single coils in the mid and neck positions. Dave tended to use a candy apple red HRR60's Strat on the fear of the dark tour for the songs 'The Evil That Men Do' and 'Can i Play With Madness' and can be seen on The 1992 Donington live video.

1990 - 1992

Dave's main guitar at that time was a candy apple red Jackson Strat-style guitar with black scratchplate and Seymour Duncan JB Trembuckers in bridge and neck and a Classic Stack humbucker in middle position. This guitar has chrome hardware, a Kahler Steeler tremolo system and was used as a backup from 1992 to 1999. This guitar can be seen in the Holy Smoke video, on almost every song on Donington '92 and on the song The Clairvoyant on the Raising Hell video and first show of reunion Ed Hunter tour (2 Minutes To Midnight, Stranger In A Strange Land). During this time he also used a similarly spec'd Jackson which was white with white scratchplate (this one had white Dimarzio pickups) although the neck humbucker was changed during the Fear of the Dark tour to a black Seymour Duncan, possibly due to the pickup dying, or Dave possibly wasn't happy with the tone from the original pickup.

1993 - 1999

On the X Factor, Virtual XI and Ed' Hunter tours the main instruments were:

-1 White Strat, white scratchplate, ebony fingerboard, 3 Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, Floyd Rose original tremolo (all hardware is black on this guitar).

1 White Strat, black scratchplate, ebony fingerboard (vintage-style thin fingerboard with the truss rod inserted through the rear of the neck which has a walnut skunk stripe running along the back of the neck), HSH configuration with dual black Seymour Duncan JB Trembucker humbucking pickups and a white Fender Texas Special single-coil pickup in the middle position (Seymour Duncan used to make a neck calibrated JB, they stopped as the Jazz Neck humbucker is essentially exactly the same pickup), Floyd Rose Original, all hardware is black on this guitar.

1 White Strat, black scratchplate, ebony fingerboard (again with vintage-style thin fingerboard and a walnut skunk stripe running along the back of the neck) HSH configuration with dual Seymour Duncan Custom humbucking pickups with zebra bobbins and a white Fender Fat 50s single-coil pickup in the middle, again all hardware is black. That strat. was his main guitar on Raising Hell video. This guitar can be also seen on early shows of Ed Hunter tour. [edit] Since 2000 [edit] Brave New World tour

2 Fender Custom Shop Custom Classic Stratocasters, both specced exactly the same with Floyd Rose locking tremolo systems, 1-piece maple neck/fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, vintage Kluson tuners and three Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucking pickups (HHH configuration) with 5-way switching mounted on a pearloid scratchplate - 1 Vintage White and one Black. The black one has had the white bridge position Hot Rails changed to a black one during the Give Me Ed Till I'm Dead tour (the original pickup died and was replaced with the 1st Hot Rails available, which just happened to be a black pickup). There was also another black Custom Classic Stratocaster with the same specs as the first black guitar, fitted with a mirror pickguard and black plastic parts, which was used as a template for the limited edition Iron Maiden Stratocaster made by Fender Japan in 2001 (this guitar was only made in small production runs and for the 1 year only).

Give Me 'Ed…Till I'm Dead tour

Dave used, as well as the 2 main Strats from the previous tour a Wayne 3-Tone Sunburst Stratocaster with maple neck, Floyd Rose locking tremolo system, three Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucking pickups with 5-way switching and white pickguard. Used on the songs: 22 Acacia Avenue, The Clairvoyant and Wildest Dreams. Wayne also produced Dave a black version of the same guitar which was used in the recording of the Dance of Death album. Wayne were keen to produce a Dave Murray signature model, and went as far as advertising it on their website as 'coming soon' however it never came to fruition.

Dance of Death tour

Since the Dance of Death tour his main guitar has been a 2-Tone Sunburst Strat with a 21-fret rosewood fingerboard. This guitar looks like it could well be an early '80's guitar with the Floyd Rose retro fitted later, or the neck has come from an early '80's guitar been retro fitted onto a new body. The headstock is distinctive in that it has the thick set early '80's gold Fender logo, but small Stratocaster logo placing it somewhere after 1982 when Fender re-introduced the smaller headstock but still used the bigger gold Fender and Stratocaster logos, they changed soon after to the thick gold logo with small Stratocaster logo, and before 1986/87 when they changed to a thick silver Fender logo and started producing US Strats with 22 frets as standard. It also has a string tree for the E and B strings, which is made redundant by the string retaining bar behind the locking nut. This guitar also has a trio of Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pick ups.

Somewhere Back in Time 2008/2009 Tour

Main Sunburst Strat, Black and Vintage White Strats as backups (all 3 with SD Hot Rails) for the 2008 leg. For the 2009 leg: Main Sunburst Strat, Wintage White as backup for it (the Vintage White Strat was not used on any of gigs but seen on guitar stand on photos in FC Magazine) and Fender (American) Dave Murray (Artist signature) Stratocaster, which is actually different to the regular Artist Series version available as it shares many of the features found on the Japanese-made HST-57DM "tribute series" models - such as the Floyd Rose locking system and a 5-way selector switch - as opposed to the more 'accurate vintage replica' of the Kossoff-owned Strat which it is based.

Various Strats have been ruined onstage over the years. Many were Squier models, however the last one destroyed on the group's 2007 Download Festival appearance was a Mexican Fender Floyd Rose Strat which was one of two (both white) which were literally wrecked every night and re-built before the next show. There was also a Mexican Fender Floyd Rose Strat used on the early days tour (also white) which wasn't quite destroyed and was auctioned off for the Clive Burr MS Trust Fund after the final date of the tour at Hammersmith. [edit] Guitar Specs

* Ernie Ball Strings - until more recently he used custom gauge .009, .011, .015, .024, .032, .040, although he now uses regular gauge sets (.009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042) * Seymour Duncan Hot Rails single coil sized humbucking pickups with dual blade coils * "Original" Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo Systems * His Artist Signature model features a soft "V"-shaped maple neck with satin back and sports a humbucker/single-coil/humbucker (HSH) configuration - DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 (bridge), American Vintage '57/'62 (middle), DiMarzio PAF DP-103 (neck) - with 3-way switching and American Vintage hardware. The Japanese-made "Tribute" version of the guitar (HST-57DM) features an "Original" Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system, dual DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 humbucking pickups (bridge/neck), a Fender Texas Special single-coil pickup in the middle position, a 5-way pickup selector and an oval neck profile * The original black '57 Stratocaster has the same features as his Artist Series Model

Amplifiers

* Marshall 1960B Straight Cabinet / 4x12 300-Watt Loaded with Celestion 12" G12T 75 Watt Speakers[2] (since 2000 he has used 3 cabinets live) * Marshall DSL100 tube heads (rack gear plugs into power amp section via FX loop)

Units and Tuners

* Boss Tu-12H Digital Tuner * Peterson 490 Autostrobe Tuner * Shure U4D UHF Wireless Unit * Dunlop DCR-1SR Rack CryBaby Wah * Custom-Built Pete Cornish Routing and Power Supply Units * Marshall JMP-1 Valve Midi Preamp * Marshall JFX-1 Effect Unit * Rocktron All-Access Foot Controller

Reference: Guitar World January 2007 Personal life

In his spare time Murray is an avid golfer, as seen in the Rock in Rio DVD. Murray and his wife Tamar have one daughter named Tasha (born 1991).

Discography

Iron Maiden

* 1980: Iron Maiden * 1981: Killers * 1982: The Number of the Beast * 1983: Piece of Mind * 1984: Powerslave * 1986: Somewhere in Time * 1988: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son * 1990: No Prayer for the Dying * 1992: Fear of the Dark * 1995: The X Factor * 1998: Virtual XI * 2000: Brave New World * 2003: Dance of Death * 2006: A Matter of Life and Death

Guest appearances

* Hear 'n Aid (1985) – "Stars" * Psycho Motel (1997) – "With You Again"