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Thunderstick Biography

source: WikiPedia

This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.

Thunderstick, real name Barry Graham Purkis (7 December 1954), is an English drummer who wore various masks and used to perform on-stage closed in a cage. He was in the popular cult-band Samson which his name is most associated with. In 1979 he developed his persona modeled after horror icons such as The Rocky Horror Show, Dr. Phibes and the old Hammer horror films, alternatively wearing black and white make-up, an old man/schoolteacher mask, a black cotton mask and his trademarked rhinestone covered mirrorball mask. he did not wear a leather mask, contrary to urban myth. He played inside a cage, even used during a brief but memorable 2000's Samson reunion. With Samson he enjoyed a certain degree of success, especially when their album ''Head On'' was released in 1980 to much acclaim (UK No. 34) and the following single ''Riding With The Angels'', from the album ''Shock Tactics'', charted good (UK No. 54). In a rare occurrence his face was seen when he performed the main-role in the b-movie ''Biceps of Steel'', featuring his band at the time Samson. In the film his then brother-in-law Ben K. Reeves performed as Thunderstick in his stead, only for the shots where Purkis and Thunderstick were set to appear at the same time. In the June 2005 issue of Classic Rock Magazine, Thunderstick has been listed as no. 36 in the "50 Greatest Drummers in Rock" feature.

Wikipedia This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.
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