Saxon

Few bands gave the new wave of British heavy metal its shape quite like Saxon, a group whose roots lie in Barnsley, where musicians from two rival Yorkshire outfits came together in 1975. Out of that merger came a sound that pushed toward heaviness and aggression, and the name they eventually settled on was a product of commercial pragmatism rather than bravado. Their success reached Europe, South America, Japan, the United States and Canada, and their records have sold more than 23 million copies worldwide.

The breakthrough arrived with Wheels of Steel in 1980, which reached No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart and produced the title track and "747 (Strangers in the Night)". A year later, Denim and Leather cemented their standing, its title track still regarded as a heavy metal anthem. Drummer Pete Gill's departure after an injury was absorbed when Nigel Glockler, who learned the full set in a day and a half, stepped in. Power & the Glory in 1983, their best-selling album to date, confirmed them among Europe's leading metal acts, and Crusader, on EMI, sold over two million copies.