Roy Z
| Roy Z | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roy Ramirez |
| Also known as | Roy Zerimar |
| Born | February 1968 (age 49) |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hard rock, power metal, latin rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass, piano, keyboard, percussion, vocals |
| Associated acts | Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Jupiter Falls, Warrior, Rob Rock, Tribe of Gypsies, Glenn Hughes |
Roy Z (born February, 1968) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Bruce Dickinson (from Iron Maiden), Halford, and Judas Priest. He also is the founder of Tribe of Gypsies, a Latin influenced hard rock band.
Roy Z was born Roy Ramirez in Los Angeles, but changed his name in the 1980s because "ethnic names were not trendy at the time". Roy reversed Ramirez and became 'Roy Zerimar', though people began calling him 'Roy Z' for short. Roy began playing guitar and studying music at a young age, influenced by players such as Peter Green, Uli Roth, Jimmy Page, Frank Marino, Carlos Santana, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Beck, and Robin Trower. He was featured in Mike Varney's "Spotlight" column in Guitar Player magazine.
A regular on the Southern California hard rock scene in the late 1980s, Roy played with several bands, including Seventh Thunder, Gypsy Moreno, Royal Flush, Driver, Warrior, and Mike Vescera. In 1991, Roy recorded a 5-song demo which netted a record deal with German indie label Dream Circle Records and led to the formation of Tribe of Gypsies.
When Bruce Dickinson split with Iron Maiden in 1993, he hand picked Roy and Tribe of Gypsies members Eddie Casillas (bass), David Ingraham (drums), and Doug van Booven (percussion) to complete his solo band. Adding a Latin feel to the metal legend's distinctive voice, the resulting album Balls to Picasso is a somewhat eclectic affair, ranging from the power ballad "Tears of the Dragon" (which also received a music video) to the doomy rocker "Cyclops". Although recorded in 1993, the self-titled Tribe of Gypsies debut album did not surface until 1996 when it was finally released on JVC/Victor in Japan. Three more releases followed in quick succession before the band finally toured the U.S. for the first time, supporting Santana on a handful of dates on the Supernatural tour.
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