Mick Box

English guitarist (born 1947) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mick Box

Michael Frederick Box (born 9 June 1947) is an English musician who is the lead guitarist of rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron.[1] He is the only member from the band's founding in 1969 who is still active with the group, and – following the deaths of Lee Kerslake and Ken Hensley in 2020 – is also the last surviving member of the group's classic line-up.[2]

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Mick Box in Norway, 1977

Quick Facts Background information, Birth name ...
Mick Box
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Box performing in 2017
Background information
Birth nameMichael Frederick Box
Born (1947-06-09) 9 June 1947 (age 77)
Walthamstow, East London, England
GenresHard rock, progressive rock, heavy metal
OccupationGuitarist
Years active1964–present
Websitemick-box.net
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Biography

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Perspective

Early influences

In 2018 Mick Box said that he was influenced by Les Paul and Mary Ford, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow and Barney Kessel. He attributes some of these influences to his first guitar instructor because he was the second guitarist for Django Reinhardt, as well as coming from a jazz background.[3]

When he started performing with Uriah Heep, other new bands included Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin.[3]

Spice

Before establishing Uriah Heep, Box's band was called Spice. The band performed from 1968 to 1969 with David Byron and Nigel Pegrum.[4] Box said they chose that name because they didn't want to get categorised into a narrow genre. "There's lots of spices, and that was our train of thought with the name of the band" said Box in a 2021 interview. After Ken Hensley joined the members of Spice, they became Uriah Heep.[5]

Recent activities

According to Box, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented a 50th Anniversary Celebration, but he said that he was planning on a 52 year Celebration. He said he felt strange being in quarantine, because he was accustomed to being "on the road," and interacting with fans at concerts. He used the time to compose songs and produced some videos for the Lockdown Diaries.[5]

Box has used his talent to promote the Nightingale Cancer Support Centre.[5][6]

Discography

With David Byron

With Uriah Heep

With Iris

With Spearfish

  • Back for the Future – 2003[8]

References

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