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{{Short description|British rock vocalist (born 1951)}}
{{
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Biff Byford
| image =
| caption = Byford in 2016
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| birth_place = [[Skelmanthorpe]], England
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| years_active = 1970–present
| current_member_of = [[Saxon (band)|Saxon]]
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}}
'''Peter Rodney''' "'''Biff'''" '''Byford''' (born 15 January 1951)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/saxons-biff-byford-hes-sold-7688558|title=Saxon's Biff Byford: He's sold 15 million albums, influenced Metallica and toured the world – but did you know he was from Huddersfield?|author=Chloe Glover|date=30 August 2014|work=Examiner.co.uk|access-date=10 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/at-homes-with-saxon|title=At Homes With Saxon|last=Elliott|first=Paul |date=2 March 2013|website=Classic Rock Magazine|access-date=27 October 2019}}</ref> is an English singer best known as the lead
== Early life ==
Byford was born
Byford was just 11 years old when his mother died. "Being so young," he says, "it was a crushing blow. But that, I think, is when that will to survive was built in."
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He joined a youth club band at 14. When he was 15, in 1966, having left school to work as a junior carpenter, his first steady girlfriend, Linda, fell pregnant. They were promptly married. But the marriage didn't last, even though the couple had two children.
At 18, in 1969, he was employed at the [[Shuttle Eye Colliery|Shuttle Eye]] pit at [[Flockton]], near [[Huddersfield]]. At six-foot-one, he was considered too tall to work underground, in tunnels only three feet high. So instead he worked in the boiler house, manning a giant steam engine that drew up the coal from a mile deep.
== Career ==
[[File:SAXON - Biff Byford & Steven Dobby Dawson.jpg|thumb|Byford (left) and [[Steve Dawson]] with Saxon in 1981]]
He was taught to play guitar by his best friend's brother, who led a local blues group. Byford switched to bass, and passed through various bands in the [[Barnsley]] area. His first appearance on an album was in 1971 when he played flute<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/saxon-frontman-biff-byford-on-yorkshire-metallica-and-rock-n-roll|title=Saxon frontman Biff Byford on Yorkshire, Metallica and rock'n'roll|last=
Byford sang and played bass with a local power trio called Coast from around 1973 to 1976 along with drummer Al Dodd and future Saxon guitarist Paul Quinn,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.decibelgeek.com/chat-steve-dobby-dawson-oliverdawson-saxon-interview/|title=A Chat With STEVE Dobby DAWSON of Oliver/Dawson Saxon (Interview)|date=1 March 2017|website=Decibel Geek|language=en-US|access-date=1 April 2020}}</ref> when he formed Saxon with guitarists Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, bassist [[Steve Dawson]] and former [[The Glitter Band|Glitter Band]] drummer [[Pete Gill]]. The band was originally called Son of a Bitch, but changed to Saxon in 1978. They released their [[Saxon (album)|self-titled debut album]] in 1979, and became part of what was known as the [[new wave of British heavy metal]], which also included bands like [[Iron Maiden]], [[Demon (band)|Demon]] and [[Def Leppard]]. The band had commercial success as well, charting eight consecutive UK [[Top 40]] albums and five Top 40 [[single (music)|singles]] between 1980 and 1986.
At the end of the 1980s, the band declined in popularity, with 1988's [[Destiny (Saxon album)|Destiny]] being their last UK charting album until 2007. Oliver and Dawson left the band and formed a new band with the same name,<ref>[http://www.swanturton.com/ebulletins/archive/DAFSTBSaxon.aspx BYFORD v OLIVER AND DAWSON – High Court Decides Saxon Name] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314061917/http://www.swanturton.com/ebulletins/archive/DAFSTBSaxon.aspx |date=14 March 2010 }}. Swanturton.com (3 March 2003). Retrieved on 20 August 2012.</ref> though they were later forced to change it to [[Oliver/Dawson Saxon]]. (Byford's) Saxon maintained a recording and touring career centred on Germany for much of the 1990s, during 1998-1999, Peter took employment with a West Yorkshire kitchen furniture manufacturer as a salesman, before coming back into broader attention with 2007's ''[[The Inner Sanctum]]''.<ref>[http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=11597 Retrieved 15 July 2009 Sputnik Music ''The Inner Sanctum Review'']. Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved on 20 August 2012.</ref>
[[File:Biff Byford au Hellfest 2010.jpg|thumb|Byford at [[Hellfest]] 2010]]
In April 2007, Byford released his autobiography, entitled ''Never Surrender'' after the Saxon song of the same name. [[Gigwise.com]] reported on 18 January 2010<ref>[http://www.gigwise.com/news/54196/Campaign-Launched-To-Get-Heavy-Metal-Recognised-As-A-Religion Campaign Launched To Get Heavy Metal Recognised As A Religion]. Gigwise (18 January 2010). Retrieved on 20 August 2012.</ref> that Byford was launching a campaign to have Britons declare heavy metal as their religion in the [[United Kingdom Census 2011]], inspired by the [[Jedi census phenomenon]] (where 2001 Census results suggested that [[Jediism]] was the UK's fourth most popular religion).
Byford released his first solo album, titled "School of Hard Knocks" – featuring guest appearances by [[Phil Campbell (musician)|Phil Campbell]], [[Alex Holzwarth]], [[
On 23 July 2021, Byford released the album "Red Brick City" under the band name Heavy Water. The album features Biff on bass and vocals, his son Seb Byford on guitar and vocals, Tom Witts on drums, and Dave Kemp on keyboards and saxophone. Music videos were released for the title track
== Discography ==
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;With The Scintilla Project
* ''The Hybrid'' (2014)
;With [[Amon Amarth]]
* ''[[The Great Heathen Army]]'' (2022) - vocals on "Saxons and Vikings" (track #7)
== Bibliography ==
* ''Never Surrender'', 2007
== References ==
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== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
* [https://
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=6Cz2GAAACAAJ&q=%22Biff+Byford%22 Never Surrender Google Books entry]
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2846758/ Biff Byford] at [[
{{Saxon}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Byford, Biff}}
[[Category:20th-century English male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century English male singers]]
[[Category:English rock singers]]
[[Category:English heavy metal singers]]
[[Category:English male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:English singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Saxon (band) members]]
[[Category:People from
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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