David Byron (29 January 1947 – 28 February 1985, born as David Garrick) was the lead vocalist for Spice (1967 – 1969) and became most famous as the original singer of the English rock band Uriah Heep between 1969 and 1976.Despite his vocal range (paired with a sense of dynamics), and a charismatic stage presence, Byron was dismissed from Uriah Heep in 1976, at the demand of keyboardist Ken Hensley (the band's primary songwriter), who gave the ultimatum "it's him or me" to band manager Gerry Bron, citing Byron's increasingly erratic behaviour due to alcohol abuse.
