Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson recently opened up about his departure from Samson and whether he reconciled with guitarist Paul Samson before his death, in an interview with Louder Sound.
The discussion centered on Dickinson’s challenging exit from Samson when he joined Iron Maiden and the legal complications that followed.
When asked if it was difficult to leave Samson, Dickinson explained the financial and legal obstacles he faced.
“I never made any money at all in Samson, but when I tried to leave to join Maiden I was sued by Samson’s management for £250,000,” he said. “We eventually got the figure down to £40,000. I borrowed the money off Maiden and bought myself out, and bought Samson out. I, and they, were free to walk.”
He also addressed the creative differences that made the split inevitable.
“I think Paul’d seen it coming. He wanted to take the band in more of a blues direction. He loved ZZ Top, stuff like that,” Dickinson continued. “I wanted it much more metal. It was never going to last.”
When specifically asked about reconciling with Paul Samson before his death in 2002, Dickinson revealed they had reconnected in Samson’s final years.
“Paul got pretty upset when I joined Maiden. I never knew he was ill until his girlfriend contacted me,” he said. “But I saw him a couple of times before he passed away. The main thing was we did some good stuff together. Paul was a great guitar player and a good songwriter.”
Dickinson’s departure marked a significant turning point for both musicians. It launched him into global stardom while Samson continued pursuing his evolving musical vision.
Wikipedia reported that Samson was a key figure in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and had built a strong cult following by the early 1980s. The band released several notable albums including Survivors, Head On, and Shock Tactics before Dickinson’s departure to Iron Maiden.
The creative differences Dickinson mentioned became more pronounced over time. Louder Sound noted that Samson increasingly focused on blues-oriented projects in his later years and even spent time in Chicago playing blues music. This underlined how far his musical tastes had moved from straight heavy metal.
Paul Samson’s life came to an end on August 9, 2002, when he lost his battle with cancer at his Norfolk home. Metal Underground confirmed that he died while working on a new Samson album with vocalist Nicky Moore. The record was later released posthumously under the title PS….
The reconciliation between the two musicians in Samson’s final years demonstrated that despite their professional differences and the legal battles that followed Dickinson’s departure, both men ultimately recognized the value of their collaborative work and maintained mutual respect for each other’s talents.
