Janick Gers
guitar
b. 1957 in Hartlepool
Iron Maiden today
Janick Robert Gers (; born 27 January 1957) is an English musician who is best known as one of the three guitarists in heavy metal band Iron Maiden since 1990. He initially joined to replace Adrian Smith, but remained in the band after Smith rejoined in 1999. Gers was previously a member of Gillan and co-founder of the band White Spirit in 1975.
Early life
Janick Gers was born on January 27, 1957 he is of Polish ancestry via his father, Bolesław, who was an able seaman of the Polish Navy and served on ORP Burza and ORP Błyskawica on which he came to England during World War 2, and later he joined the Royal Navy. Bolesław Gers remained in England after the war, married Janick's British mother Lois in 1956 and had 4 children of which Janick is the oldest. He grew up in Hartlepool and graduated from English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College in the 1970s, and earned a college degree in sociology and English literature after leaving Gillan in the 1980s.
Personal life
He has two children with his wife Sandra, and lives in Yarm, Teesside. His son Dylan also plays guitar and has released ambient post rock tracks as both a solo artist and with Noah Yorke, son of Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. Gers has relatives in the Bydgoszcz area and Sośno village in Poland and visited them regularly as a teenager from 1972 and until 1977. Gers bought his first guitar during one of those visits, in a music store in Złotów close to Piła. Gers met his Polish family again after 34 years at a 2011 concert in Warsaw. Gers is a fan of Hartlepool United and is a season-ticket holder in the Neale Cooper Stand at Victoria Park. Gers had an uncredited part in the BBC drama The Paradise Club in 1990, appearing as the lead guitarist of a band called Fraud Squad. He appeared in the 2010 fan-made Iron Maiden documentary Maiden Heaven.
Every band they have passed through, with what they played and when — and whether they were there at the start.
Songs Janick Gers is credited on, oldest first — music, words, or both.
- The Time MachineIron Maiden · Senjutsu (2021)Writer
Where they came from, where they are, and who they are to other people.
- Born
- 1957-01-27 · Hartlepool
- Schooled at
- English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College
- Also works as
- guitarist, composer
- Plays
- guitar
Shows where their tenure covers the date — not just any night the band played.
Where to hear from them lately. These are live searches, not a list somebody froze — so they stay current.
- Wikipedia →the full article
- Interviews on YouTube →newest first
- Recent news & comments →Google News
- Blabbermouth →metal press
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons