[4] He spent his teenage years singing in various rock bands and working as a butcher in Station Road and as a chef in hotels and restaurants.
King assembled a star-studded line-up featuring Di'Anno, drummer Clive Burr, guitarists Janick Gers and Pete Willis and bassist Neil Murray, but the members became increasingly frustrated by a policy that forbade them from writing any original material.
[16] However, Parsons left shortly after to replace Vince Hoare in the London-based glam band Belladonna (formed by former Hell's Belles vocalist Paul Quigley, with Paul Lewis, Jeff Fox and Neil Criss)[17] and Falck reappeared on the scene in time together with Danish bassist Pete West (Peter Vester) to record the band's first album Fighting Back,[3] written entirely by John Hurley, except the title track which was credited to Bob Falck.
[3] Subsequently, American guitarist Randy Scott, along with Dave Harman on guitar and Eddie Davidson on bass, signed up with Battlezone.
During 1990, Di'Anno fronted Praying Mantis for a tour of Japan,[3] which was recorded for the subsequent Live at Last album release with ex-Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton.
The bassist subsequently joined the ranks of Magnum singer Bob Catley's solo band for UK dates in April 2006.
Then, in a Spinal Tap–ish twist of fate, Paul Di'Anno called Dennis Stratton in 1989, about the Japanese wanting to have a ten-year anniversary of the new wave of British heavy metal.
Shortly afterward, a live album called Assault on South America was recorded, featuring a number of Iron Maiden and Battlezone tracks and covers of "We Will Rock You" and "Smoke on the Water".
[24] Later, a Canada-based record company called Magnetic Air Productions issued a pirate (bootleg) release worldwide, under a different cover, with no royalties being paid to the band.
Killers then played two days of showcases at Arnie Goodman's New York City studio for several major record companies including Virgin, EMI, Sony and BMG.
Maiden songs played included "Phantom of the Opera" and "Wrathchild" which evidently impressed a BMG representative enough to give the band a $250,000 contract.
Nick Burr left Killers after the completion of Murder One and was replaced by former Battlezone and Persian Risk guitarist Graham Bath.
Di'Anno left New York and moved in with his new American girlfriend in L.A. A fight between him and her involving a knife caught the attention of the police, who came into the apartment and arrested him for spousal abuse, cocaine possession and firearms offences.
In December 2013, Paul Di'Anno and Cliff Evans announced that the band would regroup and release a new album entitled The Lazarus Syndrome.
It was economically and logistically preferable for Di'Anno to live in Brazil during this period, in order to tour South America and release a self-produced album pleasing to that particular market.
[29] In February 2002, Di'Anno had a mini-tour in Norway and visited Kroa in Volda, Samfundet in Trondheim, Betong in Oslo, Parkbiografen in Skien, Folken in Stavanger and Kvarteret in Bergen.
Late 2008, Di'Anno relocated to the southeast of Brazil and toured with a new band/project named Rockfellas with three Brazilian musicians: Jean Dolabella (drummer; ex-Diesel/Udora/Sepultura), Marcão (guitarist; of Charlie Brown Jr.) and Canisso (of Raimundos/ex-Rodox), playing rock & roll and metal classics.
In between 2005 and 2014, Di'Anno toured with his Swedish band[30] in 13 countries in Europe, Asia and South America (Sweden, Venezuela, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria, India, Russia, Ukraine, Greece).
Di'Anno was, before being jailed in March 2011, recording a new solo album with Paulo Turin,[35] the guitarist who worked on Feel My Pain and Nomad.
In 2014, Di'Anno sang on lead vocals on the bonus track "Fuck You All" on the album Big Trouble by hard rock band Hollywood Monsters.
The album was released in 2014 on Mausoleum Records and featured Steph Honde on vocals and guitars, Vinny Appice on drums, Tim Bogert on bass and Don Airey on keyboards.
In this tour, the singer was accompanied by musicians from Rio de Janeiro, Vinnie Tex (guitar), Thiago Velasquez (bass) and drummer Braulio Drumond; they currently part of the North American Leather Leone's band.
[39] In May 2016, Di'Anno was hospitalised for undisclosed medical issues and was forced to cancel his previously announced June 2016 tour of Brazil.
According to the tour's promoter, Blog n Roll Produções, Di'Anno is undergoing a series of tests to help ensure an accurate diagnosis and identify an appropriate course of treatment.
[41] Di'Anno was due to make his final performance on 30 August 2020 at the Beermageddon Festival in Bromsgrove, England, before he retired from touring, though he did not clarify on whether he intended to continue to record music.
We were so looking forward to Paul Di'Anno and a lineup of past Iron Maiden members gracing the Geddon stage, it would have been one of the most memorable festival appearances we have ever had, but sadly it isn't to be.
He usually sang with a raspy and rougher sound, although he was capable of singing with a purer voice as demonstrated by slower numbers like "Remember Tomorrow", "Strange World" and "Prodigal Son".
[9] A crowdfunder was launched in January 2021 to help raise money for the singer's knee surgery, following several years of poor health.
Following the successful surgery, Di'Anno confirmed reports that Iron Maiden helped pay for the final part of his treatment in Croatia.
[55] Record label Conquest Music confirmed his death the same day, and stated that Di'Anno died after "being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair".