SAXON's BIFF BYFORD: How I First Became Aware I Needed Triple Bypass Surgery

SAXON frontman Biff Byford spoke to the Daily Star about how he first became aware that he had a health problem before undergoing an emergency triple bypass surgery last September.

"I was out training on my bicycle," Biff recalled. "I like to keep fit. But going up a hill that day, it began to feel as if my lungs were straining a bit too much. Then a few days later I was down in Brighton with the SAXON boys and I started feeling a bit wacky. When I got home, the doctor found a strange rhythm on my heart. So I was sent to hospital. They took me straight in."

The 69-year-old singer feels much better now and will return to the road with SAXON in March before embarking on a solo tour in April.

A heart bypass surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, is used to improve blood flow to the heart. A surgeon uses blood vessels taken from another area of the body to bypass the damaged arteries.

The term triple bypass refers to the number of coronary arteries bypassed in the procedure. In other words, a triple bypass means three coronary arteries are bypassed.

Byford's first solo album, "School Of Hard Knocks", was released last Friday, February 21 via Silver Lining Music.

Biff's first-ever solo tour dates begins in the U.K. in April and continues to the rest of Europe in May. The show, in the form of "An Evening With...", will be split into two halves. The first features Biff in conversation with Don Jamieson (American comedian and star of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show") on all aspects of his life and career. After the break, Biff and his band will play some new songs, covers and, maybe, a SAXON song or two.