David Byron (born David Garrick; 29 January 1947 - 28 February 1985) was the original lead vocalist for Spice (from 1967 through 1969) and is most famous for singing in the legendary 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