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Lionheart

Biography

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Lionheart (1980-1986, 2016-present): a Hard Rock band from London, UK.

ritish band Lionheart formed in late 1980, originally featuring singer Jess Cox (ex-Tygers of Pan Tang), guitarist Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden), guitarist/keyboardist Steve Mann (ex-Liar/Tytan, later with M.S.G., Michael Schenker and Eloy), and bassist/vocalist Rocky Newton (ex-The Next Band, Wildfire), and drummer Frank Noon (ex-The Next Band, Def Leppard). The band split up in 1986 but reformed in 2016 with a line-up featuring Stratton, Mann, Newton, plus vocalist Lee Small (Shy and Phenomena) and Clive Edwards (ex-U.F.O. and Wild Horses) on drums.

Right off the bat after Lionheart made their debut at the Marquee Club in London, musical differences ended with Cox leaving the band to be replaced by former Lautrec frontman, Reuben Archer. Former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks replaced the Wild Horses-bound Noon for the 1981 UK tour with Def Leppard with former Wild Horses drummer Clive Edwards eventually replacing Binks. Archer, too, briefly spent time in Wild Horses before forming Stampede with his step son, guitarist Laurence Archer, Noon, and bassist Colin Bond. Representing these early days the song Lionheart, recorded by Archer/Stratton/Mann/Newton, and Frank Noon belatedly surfaced on the Heavy Metal Heroes Vol. 2 by 'Heavy Metal Records' compilation in 1982 remains the only representative recording of the band's early sound, as they changed their style significantly subsequently.

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Enlisting new vocalist Chad Brown and securing the studio services of Leo Sayer band drummer Bob Jenkins, the band proceeded to record their debut album, Hot Tonight (1984), with record producer Kevin Beamish (REO Speedwagon, Starship) at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, California. The resulting album was a slick AOR effort that failed to capture the old fans' interest or that of their target audience in the United States.

In 1985 the band continued with former Grand Prix members, drummer Andy Bierne and keyboardist Phil Lanzon, appearing on England's Channel 4's popular ECT program. Lanzon eventually left to join the reformed Sweet (and later Uriah Heep), while Brown gave way to new vocalist Keith Murrell (ex-Airrace). Failing to make any headway, Lionheart split up in 1986.

Unearthed - Raiders of the Lost Archives, a 30-song collection of Lionheart demos, was issued in 1999 by Pony Canyon in Japan.

Lionheart appeared on Saturday 22 October 2016, third in a seven-act line-up headlined by Steelheart at the three-day Rockingham 2016 melodic/hard rock festival, held in Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Following the Rockingham event, the band decided to continue working together culminating in the Second Nature (2017) and The Reality of Miracles (2020) albums.

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