Although he is not one of the main writers of "Iron Maiden", he is one of the two stable and permanent pillars of the band, which has been part of each and every one of its albums and has significantly influenced its sound.
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Here are some interesting facts about guitarist Dave Murray:
1. He was born in Edmonton in north London England on 23 December 1956 as David Michael Murray.
2. He grew up in a poor family which often moved from place to place throughout London. His father was not in good the health, so his mother was the main provider.
3. Poverty led to a lot of quarrels at home and this caused Dave a lot of frustration. Therefore, as a teenager he often wandered the streets, he was part of the "Skin Heads" gang, and was often involved in street fights.
4. Eventually the family settled in the "Clapton" area and Dave grew up nearby guitarist Adrian Smith who became his childhood friend.
5. Dave became interested in music at the age of 15, after hearing Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" on the radio. He said that since then everything has changed for him. He left school, and began to grow his hair, he was roaming through record stores, and listening to a lot of music, while at the same time he began to play the guitar.
6. Among the artists that Dave listened to and influenced most of all is "Thin Lizzy", "Deep Purple", "Black Sabbath", "UFO", "Queen", "Free", "Judas Priest", "Wishbone Ash" And more.
7. At the age of 16 he formed the trio "Stone Free" with Adrian Smith. Dave played guitar and Smith served as the singer.
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8. After Smith saw the attention Dave was getting from the girl fans, he decided to learn to play the guitar and purchased Dave's old guitar for £ 5.
9. In 1972, Dave and Adrian Smith formed the band "Evil Ways" which later changed its name to "Urchin".
10. In 1974 Dave left the band and joined "Electric Gas". Later he moved to the punk band "The Secret", with which he recorded his first single "The Young Ones" and later the demo "Café De Dance" under the pseudonym "Reggie Mental".
11. In 1976 he successfully auditioned for "Iron Maiden", but the two guitarists who were then in the band Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance objected and gave bassist Steve Harris an ultimatum. Harris preferred Murray over the two. He noted that Sullivan and Rance left him no choice because Dave was the best guitarist he ever worked with.
12. Unfortunately after a few months Murray was kicked out of the band following an argument with singer Dennis Wilcock. During this time Dave returned to "Urchin" and was privileged to record the single "She's a Roller" with them.
13. Shortly afterward Dave returned to "Iron Maiden" after singer Dennis Wilcock left the band. Since then he had become a regular and permanent member of "Iron Maiden".
14. Murray was the one responsible for recruiting Adrian Smith to "Iron Maiden". In 1979 Smith received an offer to join Iron Maiden but "Urchin" had just signed a recording contract with "EMI" and Smith rejected the offer. After "Urchin" broke up in 1980 Murray and Harris met Adrian Smith and again offered him to join "Iron Maiden". After a successful audition, he was accepted into the band.
15. Murray is the only member of "Iron Maiden", along with Steve Harris, who appears on all of the band's albums.
16. Although he is not one of the main songwriters of "Iron Maiden", his influence on its sound is tremendous.
17. His contribution to writing is usually made together with other members of the band. In fact, the only song he wrote exclusively for "Iron Maiden", is "Charlotte the Harlot", which appears on the band's debut album.
18. Other songs he co-wrote are: "Still Life", "Deja Vu", "Chains of Misery", "Judas Be My Guide", "Brave New World", "The Nomad", "The Thin Line Between Love, and Hate", "Rainmaker", "Age of Innocence", "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breege" and more.
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19. Dave is mainly characterized by the use of the Legato guitar playing technique. Dave's solos are fast, fluid, and clean where you can hear every note.
20. He is mostly identified with the Fender Stratocaster guitar, but has also made use of Gibson Les Paul, most notably in recording the "The Book of Souls" album from 2015.
21. One of his most famous guitars - the black fender Stratocaster with a body from 1963 and a neck from 1957, used to belong to guitarist Paul Kossoff who is known, among other things, from the band "Free".
22. In 1985 Dave was a guest on the song "Stars", from the charity project "Hear 'n Aid" by the best metal artists of the era, under the supervision of Ronnie James Dio.
23. Dave is featured on the song "With You Again" from the 1997 album "Welcome to the World" by the band "Psycho Motel" - Adrian Smith's band formed in 1995.
24. He appears alongside Adrian Smith in the list of the 10 greatest guitar players in metal by Gibson Guitars.
25. One of his main hobbies is playing golf which he tends to share among others with drummer Nicko McBrain during the band tours.
26. Some days of the year he lives on the island of Maui in Hawaii.