Born in Canning Town, London, Stratton showed early promise as a footballer and was briefly on the books at West Ham United until age 16,[citation needed] when he took up guitar.

Two years later, Stratton formed the band Remus Down Boulevard, which toured in support of Rory Gallagher and Status Quo, and recorded a live album with music producer Jonathan King.

[citation needed] In December 1979, Steve Harris invited Stratton to join Iron Maiden after witnessing a Remus Down Boulevard performance.

[4] Stratton played on the group's first studio album, Iron Maiden, which was released in April 1980, and on the non-album single "Women in Uniform".

More recently, Stratton still performs locally in the East London area, sometimes with a reformed version of Remus Down Boulevard, and occasionally tours Europe with various cover bands that play classic Iron Maiden songs.