Lady In Black Iris & Uriah Heep -

is a quintessential rock ballad by the British hard rock band Uriah Heep , released on their 1971 album Salisbury . While the song is a staple of their career, it is also highly celebrated for a notable collaboration and "reinvention" with the Romanian hard rock band Iris . The Uriah Heep Original (1971)

: Written by Ken Hensley, the band's multi-instrumentalist. Unusually, Hensley sang the lead vocals because David Byron, the band's primary singer, reportedly disliked the song and refused to record it. Lady In Black IRIS & Uriah Heep

: It became a massive hit in Germany, reaching #1 in 1977 and spending 13 weeks at the top of the charts. The band received the Golden Lion award—the German equivalent of a Grammy—for this achievement. The Collaboration: Iris & Uriah Heep (2002) is a quintessential rock ballad by the British

: To celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2001, the legendary Romanian band Iris invited members of Uriah Heep to collaborate. Unusually, Hensley sang the lead vocals because David

: Hensley was inspired by seeing an unknown woman walking past his hotel window in northwest England during a tour. He used his imagination to turn this brief vision into a "philosophical parable" about the futility of war.