Mick Box

Michael Frederick Box (born 9 June 1947) is an English musician who is the lead guitarist of rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron. He is the only member from the band's founding in 1969 who is still active with the group, and, following the deaths of Lee Kerslake and Ken Hensley in 2020, is also the last surviving member of the group's classic line-up.

Early life Mick Box was born in north London. His father was a carpenter.

Career Before establishing Uriah Heep, the band was called Spice. The band performed from 1968 to 1969 with David Byron and Nigel Pegrum. Box said they chose that name because they didn't want to get categorised into a narrow genre. "There's lots of spices, and that was our train of thought with the name of the band" said Box in a 2021 interview. After Ken Hensley joined the members of Spice, they became Uriah Heep in 1970.

When he started performing with Uriah Heep, other new bands included Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. The band would go on to be pioneers of prog rock and have sold over 40 million albums worldwide.

Mick Box in Norway, 1977During a gig in Kentucky in 1975, Box fell off the stage and into the pit orchestra, dislocating his left arm to the point his bone was sticking out (his arm was put back in place after the concert ended), he continued to perform and during the gig a nurse came on stage and looked at his arm; when the show ended Mick stepped to the front of the stage, bowed down, and fell down into the pit a second time, this time breaking his right wrist in four places. In 2024, Box announced the band would go on a worldwide farewell tour that would last between two or three years and intended to go to as many places as possible.

Personal life Box lives in Palmers Green, north London with his fourth wife, Sheila.

According to Box, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented a 50th Anniversary Celebration, but he said that he was planning on a 52-year Celebration. He said he felt strange being in quarantine, because he was accustomed to being "on the road," and interacting with fans at concerts. He used the time to compose songs and produced some videos for the Lockdown Diaries.

"You start re-evaluating stuff, and I just thought, I'm going to keep my passion and spirit going here, because by doing so it allows their music to still be in focus. .

Influences Box said that he was influenced by Les Paul and Mary Ford, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow and Barney Kessel. He attributes some of these influences to his first guitar instructor because he was the second guitarist for Django Reinhardt, as well as coming from a jazz background.

With Uriah Heep ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble – 1970 Salisbury – 1971 Look at Yourself – 1971 Demons & Wizards – 1972 The Magician's Birthday – 1972 Live '73 – 1973 Sweet Freedom – 1973 Wonderworld – 1974 Return to Fantasy – 1975 High and Mighty – 1976 Firefly...1977 Innocent Victim...1977 Fallen Angel – 1978 Conquest – 1980 Abominog – 1982 Head First – 1983 Equator – 1985 Raging Silence – 1989 Different World – 1991 Sea of Light – 1995 Sonic Origami – 1998 Wake the Sleeper – 2008 Celebration – Forty Years of Rock – 2009 Into the Wild – 2011 Outsider – 2014 Living the Dream – 2018 Chaos & Colour – 2023

With Iris Lady in Black – 2002

With Spearfish Back for the Future – 2003