Never lauded loudly enough yet influential enough to see their classic “All In Your Mind” covered by IRON MAIDEN, British progressive hard rockers STRAY, steered for more than five decades by guitarist Del Bromham whose propensity for arresting storytelling – demonstrated on the likes of “Move That Wigwam” and “Houdini” – has been one of the secrets of this ensemble’s longevity. The need to spin a poetic and true-to-life yarn was obvious on the veteran’s solo records, such as 2013’s "Nine Yards" and "White Feather" from 2018, so his listener’s shouldn’t be surprised – yet should be delighted – to find Bromham’s autobiography see the light of day in November. A hardback book with forewords by fans Captain Sensible and Steve Harris, is titled “Rock And Roll Survivor” and spans 240 pages on which Del’s reminiscing about past adventures where he witnessed Ozzy and Lemmy’s shenanigans and shared the stage with RUSH and KISS among others musicians.
But why issue this tome now?
Rock And Roll Survivor
“It was a decision which was made following, shall we say, persuasion from others which instigated me writing my autobiography… if that makes sense,” says Del Bromham.
“I started playing solo shows, just me and an acoustic guitar around 2004, when I made my first solo album, titled "The Devil's Highway" – followed by a European tour with Leslie West also playing acoustically. I had no real plan as such but I found that when I played these solo shows they seemed to have more of an intimate nature. It felt surprisingly comfortable. and my little chats in between songs developed into what the songs were about, how or why they were written, and then from there I would start talking about my life in general. I have always been someone who likes to talk to the people who are good enough to come out to see me perform and I enjoy having conversations with those people. So many times people have said to me things like ‘You should write a book’, but to be honest I didn’t think anyone would be interested. To me it was only famous and people of celebrity status that could write an autobiography.”
“It must have been a day or two before my birthday that I was sitting at home with my partner Annie and I was telling her a story about something or the other – I can’t remember what exactly? When I finished speaking, she said to me, and not for the first time, ‘I have never heard that story before! Del. you should really write a book’. I once again replied with the comment that I thought no-one would be interested. Annie said that I should write all my stories down because my two grandchildren, Liam and Jaxon, would love to know what their Grandad did in years gone by. That did it! So, on November 25th 2021, on my [70th] birthday, I began writing. At first I stared at a blank page not knowing where to start. So I began at the beginning, when I was born, and to my surprise, the words kept coming out. So many memories – and I feel I am blessed to have a pretty good memory. I have always kept scrapbooks and diaries so I had plenty to draw from. At this point I was writing this really for myself and my family. Then one day I was speaking to a friend and former head of Angel Air Records, Peter Purnell. When I told him what I was doing, he thought it was a wonderful idea and did I have a publisher? Some of the artists he had worked for had written autobiographies and he asked if he could make some enquiries on my behalf? Within a few days Peter had come back to me to say that Wymer Publishing were interested in the biography. I met with Jerry Bloom of Wymer, and the book titled ‘Rock And Roll Survivor’ is due for release in November 2022. Incidentally, the title is from the line of a song I have written for the new STRAY album – working title: ‘Survivor’ – called ‘I Am’. Not sure when the album will be released or who with, but hopefully in 2023.’
