“I had a couple of solos mapped out, but for the most part I just go for it... I think that you lose all the soul if you think about it too much”: Roy Z on keeping things simple and song-serving with Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford's solo bands

Roy Z.

Before hooking up with Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson in 1994 for Balls to Picasso, SoCal native Roy Ramirez – aka Roy Z – was known for his bands Seventh Thunder, Gypsy Moreno, and Royal Flush. His time with the group Tribe of Gypsies, though, would prove especially important. 

Through a chance meeting with Dickinson in 1993, Roy Z and his bandmates became his backing band as he embarked on a solo career after leaving Iron Maiden.