name	Nicko McBrain
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
occupation	Musician
birth name	Michael Henry McBrain
birth date	June 05, 1952
birth place	Hackney, London, England
instrument	Drums, percussion
genre	Heavy metal, blues rock, progressive rock, hard rock
years active	1975–present
associated acts	Iron Maiden, Pat Travers, Streetwalkers, Trust, The Entire Population of Hackney
notable instruments	}}

Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain (born 5 June 1952) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982. Prior to joining Iron Maiden, McBrain drummed for Pat Travers from 1976 to 1978, as well as the French political punk band Trust. His first formal band was The Streetwalkers, a blues band. The nickname 'Nicko' originated from when the keyboard player Billy Day introduced him as "My Italian drummer, his name’s 'Nicko'".

McBrain himself states that as a child he had a stuffed animal (bear) named "Nicholas" that he always carried with him so much so that his parents began calling him Nicky also. McBrain is frequently included in top drummer league tables and rankings as a result of his very influential and skillful performances in studio and on stage. Recently, he has been ranked at No. 18 in Rhythm Magazine's 50 Greatest Drummers Of All Time. McBrain is known for his affable joking personality, eagerness for interviews and public appearances.

Biography

In response to questions from Maiden fans, McBrain highlighted that it was 'not a coincidence' that ''Piece of Mind'' had many references to brains and minds, after he, with the surname McBrain, had recently joined the band.

McBrain has stated on recordings for the Paiste website while promoting his signature drum sticks, that he first wanted to learn drums at a young age after watching a performance of Joe Morello, which immediately led him to play drums with kitchen utensils and pots, to the dislike of his father. He then got his first drumkit and started taking drum lessons from John Ghanem. After studying engineering at City & Guilds (which his father had wanted him to complete), he was able to pursue drumming at a professional level.

Drumming style

McBrain's drumming is an important element of the Iron Maiden sound from 1983's ''Piece of Mind'' on. As described in detail on the band's 2008 'Live After Death DVD', the opening track of "Where Eagles Dare" famously displays McBrain's ability to use the single drum pedal very quickly, plus his rapid tom fills. Nicko is often considered among the best and most influential heavy metal drummers

On this same video documentary, McBrain's drum technician notes that, on the World Slavery Tour, drummers such as Tommy Lee called McBrain an 'octopus' after witnessing the way in which the drummer's stamina gives him the ability to use all of his signature large drum kit in shows.

McBrain often employs the back end of his left hand drum stick to get more aggressive sound of the snare drum. He is able to play a variety of styles, with time signatures such as the 7/8 riff which follows the second chorus of "Alexander the Great". The 7/4 riff on the song "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" and the 14/8 riff that follows the second chorus on the song "The Longest Day" are other examples of his versatility. He is known not to use a double bass pedal (in 2008's ''Live After Death'' DVD, Bruce Dickinson says that Nicko considered double pedals as 'undrummerish'). Instead, he prefers to employ a fast, bare foot technique using a single pedal, as seen in the ''Flight 666'' video on "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (Part 1)" at the 5:18 mark, and emphasized in the song "The Evil That Men Do". It is for these reasons that Steve Harris remarked that "...he can play all kinds of music. Drummers from other bands sit round the back of him to see what he’s doing, but he’s got his kit set so he doesn't even look at what he's hitting half the time" After McBrain joined the band in 1982, Harris also noted how much easier playing with McBrain was for a songwriter.

His drum kit's array is notoriously high, almost completely concealing him when playing live. This display allows bigger drums and cymbals to be placed within reach; he also places the snare drum higher and closer to the rest of the drumset, facing towards him; this allows him to have the bass drum closer to the hi-hat, giving him a more relaxed sitting posture.

Equipment

McBrain currently uses Premier drums and Paiste cymbals. Previously he had endorsed Sonor drums but switched to Premier in the early 1990s when Sonor were sold. For ''A Matter of Life and Death'' he used his Ludwig metal shell LM 402 snare drum which was purchased in 1975, making it the oldest drum in his kit. Nicko has been a long-time user of the Ludwig Speed King pedal, but since the middle of the '90s he uses a 1993 DW 5000 Turbo Single Chain and a newer DW 5000 Hi-hat stand. He endorses Vic Firth signature drum sticks, also using them for his own drumming.

Tour Kit (2008)

Premier Elite Drums with custom finish

6x6" Tom (All Maple Classic)

8x8" Tom

10x10" Tom

12x12" Tom

13x13" Tom

14x14" Tom

15x15" Tom

16x16" Tom

18x16" Floor Tom

24x18" Gen-X Bass Drum

14x6.5" Ludwig LM402 Snare Drum

The puppet Sooty dressed as a soldier in representation of the A Matter of Life and Death Tour, a Pharaoh in representation of the Somewhere Back in Time Tour and as an extraterrestrial in representation of the Final Frontier World Tour.

Drumheads

Remo Coated Ambassadors (tom batter heads), Ebony Ambassadors (resonant tom heads), Coated Emperor X (snare), Fiberskyn 3 (bass)

Cymbals by Paiste

15" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash (custom)

19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash

16" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash

20" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash

18" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash

14" Signature Heavy Hi-Hat (Reflector Finish) (custom)

13" Formula 602 Heavy Bell (discontinued)

22" Signature Reflector Bell Ride "Powerslave"

17" RUDE Crash/Ride

20" Signature Crash (prototype)

22" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash

20" Signature Reflector Heavy China (custom)

40" Symphonic Gong (Custom Brilliant Finish)

Sticks Vic Firth 16x0.595 inches

McBrain's drum kit and cymbals do not bear the standard Premier and Paiste logos. They are labelled with the brand name using the Iron Maiden logo font.

Changes & Modifications To Drum Kits On Tours

X FACTOUR 1995/96

Signia Maple (White Finish)

6x8 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste 2002 Cymbals

Virtual XI 1998

Signia Marquis (Flame Red Finish)

6x7 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste 2002 Cymbals + Red Symphonic Gong

Brave New World Tour 2000/01

Signia Marquis (Purple Sparkle)

6x7 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16 & 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

Custom Built Rack System

Paiste Dimension Cymbals + Purple Symphonic Gong

Give Me Ead Till I'm Dead, Dance Of Death, Early Years 2003/05

Premier Premier Series (Custom Wrap By Hangman)

Toms Maple Unsupported Shells 6x7 8x8 10x10 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 18x16

Bass Drum Gen-X (Hybrid Birch&Maple;) 24x18

14x5.5 Signia Snare Drum

14x5.5 Signia Marquis Snare Drum

Premier 6000 Hardware

DW 5000 Pedal & Hihat Stand

Paiste 2002 & Signature + Symphonic Gongs with Custom Painting

Previous Sonor Kit

Sonor custom kit:

24" x 18" Bass drum

Ludwig Speed King foot pedal.

18" x 19" Floor tom

6.5" x 14" Bell Bronze custom snare

6", 8", 12", 13", 14", 15" and 16" Hanging toms, 9-ply beechwood custom shelve.

Beyer Dynamic mics

Cymbals by Paiste - Signature Series

13" Heavy bell

16" Power crash

17" Power crash

19" Power crash

20" Power crash

20" Full crash

22" Crash

18" Heavy china x 2

22" Power ride

15" Sound Edge hi-hats

Nicko McBrain Signature Series sticks by Vic Firth

Personal life

McBrain converted to Christianity in 1999 after an experience in the Spanish River Church, near his Boca Raton, Florida home. His wife Rebecca (From Whitman, West Virginia) had been asking him to attend with her, and upon entering the church, McBrain soon found himself crying as he experienced a "calling". Recounting the tale, he said "I just sat there thinking, 'I didn't drink last night…why can't I stand?' I had this love affair with Jesus going on in my heart."

In an interview, McBrain was asked if he felt it was appropriate to be a member of Iron Maiden in light of his Christian views. He responded by saying, “When you become a Christian, you don’t become sinless. The idea is to sin less. We’re all sinners. We’re never going to be clean till the day the good Lord is standing in front and judgment comes. But to me, I try to live my life. I do fall off, and occasionally I fall off hard and I have to get down on my knees and beg forgiveness. So it’s not an easy ride, and it’s not professed to be either.” He was also asked if he shared his religious views with his band mates, and if so, how they felt about it. McBrain responded, “We’ve had some incredibly deep conversations amongst each of us. I can’t say to you that I’m trying to convert all these guys in my band to be Christians. I’m leading them on my route, and if they choose to follow what God’s plan is in the Bible, that’s up to them. I say to them all, you know, look, in my belief, at the moment, if you turn to your saviour Jesus Christ, I’ll have eternal life in Heaven with you! … We don’t talk about it every time we get together, but we’ve had some interesting conversations over the years.”

McBrain also has a pilot's license, for which he has a twin engine rating. McBrain was arrested after an altercation with a parking attendant in New Haven, Connecticut in 2003. McBrain has two sons: Nicholas (born 1983) and Justin (born 1992).

Trivia

His favourite Iron Maiden album is ''A Matter of Life and Death''.

McBrain is a keen golfer, and in fact he was invited to speak to the European Ryder Cup team by captain Nick Faldo in July 2008.

McBrain is the tallest Iron Maiden member, standing at 6' 0".

McBrain is also the oldest out of all the current and former Iron Maiden members, born in 1952.

He frequently plays the drums during Maiden downtime both in his drum clinics and his McBrain Damage band. He also formed a side project band called 7x70 with Dan Spitz from Anthrax, but it is unknown if they are still active.

On the No More Lies EP, he contributes to the lyrics.

McBrain is an oenophile, and often discusses wine varietals in interviews.

He currently manages New York metal band Voices of Extreme (or V.O.X).

McBrain has also appeared as a guest on the children's television show ''Sooty'' and Sweep, where Soo "wondered if Nicko could play something funky." In reference to his appearance on the show, McBrain's drum kit is decorated with a Sooty puppet, which is often dressed accordingly with the band's corresponding tours.

Before being Iron Maiden's drummer, McBrain was the Devil on "The Number of the Beast" videoclip and Beast On The Road tour. He also appeared as the blue-faced Grim Reaper in the music video for "Flight of Icarus", from the album ''Piece of Mind'', his official debut with the band musically.

In 2009 he opened a restaurant called Rock 'N' Roll Ribs in Coral Springs, Florida. He played at its grand opening.

McBrain will have a cameo in the upcoming horror film "Girls Gone Dead" as, quote, "a karaoke emcee".

McBrain is an avid collector of Jaguar automobiles.

Discography

Streetwalkers

''Downtown Flyers'' (1975)

''Red Card'' (1976)

Pat Travers

''Makin' Magic'' (1977)

''Putting It Straight'' (1977)

Trust

''Marche ou Crève (Original French Release)/Savage (English Language Version)'' (1981)

Iron Maiden

''Piece of Mind'' (1983)

''Powerslave'' (1984)

''Somewhere in Time'' (1986)

''Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'' (1988)

''No Prayer for the Dying'' (1990)

''Fear of the Dark'' (1992)

''The X Factor'' (1995)

''Virtual XI'' (1998)

''Brave New World'' (2000)

''Dance of Death'' (2003)

''A Matter of Life and Death'' (2006)

''The Final Frontier'' (2010)

Notes

References

Budofsky, Adam;Heusel, Michele; Dawson, Michael Ray and Parillo, Michael. ''The Drummer''. Hal Leonard Corporation (2006). ISBN 9781423405672.

Wall, Mick. ''IRON Maiden: run to the hills : the official biography''. Sanctuary Publishing (1999). ISBN 9781860746666

External links

Profile on official Iron Maiden website

Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:English rock drummers Category:English heavy metal drummers Category:Iron Maiden members Category:Trust (band) members Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:People from Hackney Category:English Christians Category:Converts to Christianity

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