Janick Gers

Janick Gers
Janick Gers at Ottawa Bluesfest 2010
Background information
Born	(1957-01-27) 27 January 1957 (age 60) Hartlepool, England
Genres	Heavy metal, progressive rock, hard rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1975–present
Labels	EMI
Associated acts	Iron Maiden, White Spirit, Gillan, Gogmagog, Fish, Bruce Dickinson
Notable instruments

Janick Robert Gers (/ˈjænɪk ˈɡərz/; born 27 January 1957 in Hartlepool, England) is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.

Janick Gers began his career as the lead guitarist of the new wave of British heavy metal band White Spirit, before joining Gillan, a group formed by then-former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. After Gillan disbanded, Gers undertook a Humanities degree before joining Gogmagog, which included former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno and drummer Clive Burr. The project came to nothing; however, Gers went on to work with Marillion vocalist Fish before being asked to record a song called "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" with Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson for a soundtrack. The project expanded into an album, Tattooed Millionaire, and during its recording Gers was asked to join Iron Maiden in place of Adrian Smith. He has remained with the band ever since, even after Smith rejoined the band in 1999, contributing to a total of nine studio albums.