Dennis Stratton

Dennis William Stratton (born 9 October 1952 in Canning Town, East London, England) is a guitar player who is best known as a former member of the British band Iron Maiden from December 1979 to October 1980.\n', ' Born in Canning Town, London, Dennis Stratton showed early promise as a footballer and was briefly on the books at West Ham United until age 16, when he took up guitar.[citation needed] A keen fan of the London East End music scene, he joined his first band Harvest (later known as Wedgewood) in 1973. 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]\n', ' In December 1979, Steve Harris invited Stratton to join Iron Maiden after witnessing a Remus Down Boulevard performance. The band was also in need of a new drummer, and recruited Clive Burr on Stratton\'s recommendation. 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". Stratton also appeared in the home video recording "Live at the Ruskin" (recorded in 1980 and released in 2004 as part of The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days DVD set), and in the band\'s first British television appearance, when they performed "Running Free" on Top of the Pops. Stratton was with the band during their first European tour, supporting Kiss. \n', '