Dave Murray

Dave (Moonface) 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. 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 also 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 2006 release A Matter of Life and Death, such as the 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.