Thanks to Bruce Dickinson, we once again know that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn’t mean much to Iron Maiden, with the singer proclaiming he doesn’t want the band in because they’re “not dead yet,” and that it’s run by the “music business establishment.” So what honor does actually mean something to Iron Maiden? Bassist Steve Harris had a response, thinking back over the years of accolades the band has received.
Speaking with Metal Hammer, he singled out the Ivor Novello Award the band received back in 2001. It was during that year that the band was saluted for International Achievement.
The Ivor Novello Awards are given out yearly in the U.K. and voted for by the Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors), saluting the best in songwriting by U.K. acts. The awards were named after Ivor Novello, who was a hugely influential Welsh actor and entertainer.
“I think, one of the key things, especially for me, was the Ivor Novello Award,” Harris confirms. “I didn’t want to go to the presentation. I find all that stuff a little bit…I’m pretty shy when it comes to things like that! I feel a bit embarrassed, so I let the others [in the band] who are good at that sort of thing do that.”
He added, “I thought that was quite an honor in a lot of ways because it’s for songwriting, and for me, I’ve always said it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of you as a player, the songwriting is the most important thing. So to get an award like that was really nice.”
READ MORE: The Super Deep Cut That Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris Really Wants to Play Live
While the International Achievement honor was granted for their lifetime of work back in 2001, Maiden were far from done at the time. Five studio albums have been released since that honor with the latest being 2021’s Senjutsu. And the band remains one of the most popular metal touring acts in the world. You can get tickets to see them here.
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