Bruce Dickinson
Iron Maiden's soaring vocal pilot who also commands a 747, a fencing strip, and a bestselling author's page.
Born 1958 (age 68)·English heavy metal singer·Birthday: August 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bruce Dickinson is the human embodiment of heavy metal's boundless energy and intellect. Joining Iron Maiden in 1981, his powerful, operatic voice and frenetic stage presence helped propel the band to global superstardom, defining the genre's sound for a generation. But Dickinson's life offstage is arguably even more remarkable. A licensed commercial airline captain, he has flown the band's custom jet on world tours and piloted emergency medical flights. He is a champion-level fencer, a published novelist, a brewer, a broadcaster, and a survivor of throat cancer, which he battled and defeated before returning to the stage with undiminished power. Dickinson refuses the stereotype of the rock star, proving that curiosity and competence can fuel a life as epic as any of his band's lyrical sagas.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bruce was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bruce Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bruce's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden during their most commercially successful period, including albums like 'The Number of the Beast' and 'Powerslave'.
- Earned a commercial pilot's license and served as a captain for Astraeus Airlines, even flying the band's customized 747, 'Ed Force One'.
- Authored two novels, 'The Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace' and 'The Missionary Position', and a memoir, 'What Does This Button Do?'.
- Achieved a ranking of 7th in the UK in fencing and represented Great Britain in the sport at a master's level.
Did You Know?
He holds a Class 1 medical certificate from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the same level required for airline captains.
Dickinson wrote the screenplay for the 1999 film 'Chemical Wedding', in which he also starred.
He once hosted a radio show on BBC 6 Music called 'Bruce Dickinson's Friday Rock Show'.
After his cancer treatment, he returned to perform a full Iron Maiden tour, demonstrating his vocal recovery.
“If you're gonna be a rock star, you might as well be a pilot as well.”
