📍Leytonstone, London E11, UK
1956 – 1975“Stephen Percy Harris was born in Leytonstone, in east London, then part of Essex, in March 1956, and grew up there with his three sisters. His father worked away for long periods as a lorry driver, so he was raised mostly by his mother, and after his parents split up, the teenage Steve moved in with his grandmother, Ada, who supported his musical ambitions. Leytonstone was a working-class district of terraced streets, and West Ham United were the local heroes. Steve's first love was football. He played for his school team and for the amateur side Beaumont Youth, and he was spotted by West Ham's legendary scout, Wally St Pier, and invited to train with the club as a boy; it was his dream to play for the Hammers. But by his late teens he was falling in love with music, from Genesis and Jethro Tull to Wishbone Ash and Deep Purple, and he bought a bass guitar for forty pounds and taught himself to play, developing his famous galloping style. He left Leyton County High School and worked as an architectural draughtsman in the East End, studying at college two nights a week, while playing in local bands like Gypsy's Kiss and Smiler. On Christmas Day 1975 he founded Iron Maiden, named after a medieval torture device, and he wrote most of the band's songs, from The Trooper to Hallowed Be Thy Name, building one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history. He has remained a devoted West Ham supporter, with the club's crest on his bass guitar, and he still plays football whenever he can.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today