Steve Harris: The Visionary Force Behind Iron Maiden (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798317175986)

Stephen Percy Harris was born on March 12, 1956, in the back room of his grandmother's house in Leytonstone, then part of Essex, England. His birth into modest circumstances in London's East End would give little indication of the global impact he would later make on the world of music. The son of a truck driver father and a homemaker mother who also took on various part-time jobs, Harris grew up in a working-class environment that would later influence his steadfast work ethic and determination.

Growing up with three sisters in post-war Britain, Harris's childhood was typical of many East End children of the era. The area had been heavily bombed during World War II, and the 1950s and 1960s were a time of rebuilding and recovery. Like many young boys in England, Harris's first passion was football. This wasn't just a casual interest; Harris showed genuine talent for the sport from an early age.