Saxon started life in 1976, as a combination of two bands: Sob and Coast, in South Yorkshire. They called themselves, at the time, Son of a Bitch. It's members were Graham Oliver, Steve Dawson, Paul Quinn, Pete Gill and Peter Byford. Wanting to get a record deal, however, they realised that their name would put off potential labels. They re-named themselves Saxon.

Life for the band started off with the routine of playing clubs, but they also supported bands like Gillan and Heavy Metal Kids. After a few years they had demo tapes recorded at Tapestry Studios, which were promptly ignored by record companies. The NWOBHM was at it's peak at this time, and a new band was not needed to make the record companies money.

Soon, however, they got a deal with a new British label, Carrere Records, after being recommended by an EMI man (he was a friend of that label's founder). From May '79-Jan '80, an album and two singles were released. The first single, Stallions of the Highway, hit #1 in the Powerhouse charts.

Quickly, Saxon had become a big name, releasing more albums and singles, and doing more touring. They did Top Of The Pops in 1980.

Their touring was hectic, and they had been to every corner in the world. In Japan, the single Motorcycle Man stayed in their charts for five months.

An interesting event occured two days before a UK/European tour for their album Denim & Leather. Drummer Pete Gill damaged a hand, and Nigel Glockler, a friend, was brought in the replace him. He had to learn the band's entire set in a day and a half! He did, and has stayed with the band.

In 1981 they played at the fabled Monsters of Rock at Castle Donnington, and the following year released a live album from that concert. After that they went to Germany for their Monsters of Rock festival, making Saxon the first band to play the Festival twice.

In 1983 Saxon left Carrere, as there had been disagreements as to thew actual sales of Saxon's records. They were signed up by EMI. Crusader, in 1984, was the last album that was released on Carrere Records. The band toured America with Motley Crue, and were invited as guests by Iron Maiden on their own tour.

In 1986 bassist Steve Dawson left, due to problems with his wife. He was replaced with Paul Johnson. 1987 and '88 saw more lineup changes. Nigel Glocker left to join GTR, and was replaced with Nigel Durham. GTR floundered, and Glocker came back to Saxon immediatly. The next year Johnson left, and was replaced with youngster (at 22) Tim Carter.

In 1987, Saxon released their last album on EMI: Destiny. EMI didn't want any more albums from them, so of course they left.

The 1990s started off well for Saxon. They were signed up by Virgin, and did a European tour called '10 Years of Denim & Leather'. The tour didn't stop at Europe, however, and the band went on to America, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay and Uruguay!

More albums followed, and in 1994 guitarist Graham Oliver left, after 18 years with the band. He was replaced with Doug Scarrat. Oliver went on to reform Son of a Bitch.

1998 saw Glocker stop playing drums, but he remains with Saxon as a songwriter.

On the Iron Maiden tribute album, 666 The Number One Beast, all the guitar parts were played by Paul Quinn.

Saxon are a band who have, like all bands, had their ups and downs, yet still managed to keep going to over two decades. Despite not being as famous as some of their NWOBHM counterparts, the band are still going strong. Good for them.

Discography

Saxon, May '79
Wheels Of Steel, May '80
Strong Arm of The Law, Nov '80
Denim & Leather, Oct '81
The Eagle Has Landed, May '82 (album named by fans)
Crusader, 1984
Innocence Is No Excuse, Sept '85
Rock The Nations, 1986
Destiny, 1987
Rock and Roll Gypsies, 1989
Solid Ball of Rock, Feb '91
Forever Free, 1992
Dogs of War, 1995
Wheels of Steel/Strong Arm of The Law, 1997 (2CD + bonus tracks)
Metalhead, 2000