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DEEP PURPLE
- 1968
COUNTRY:
UNITED KINGDOM
GENRE(S):
HARD ROCK, MELODIC HARD ROCK, ROCK
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Formed in Hertford, England, in 1968, Deep Purple was initially made up of keyboardist Jon Lord, drummer Ian Paice, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper. The band has always evolved over the years, undergoing eight major changes, all of which have been called 'Mark' followed by a number.
In their early days ('Mark I'), Deep Purple made a name for themselves with their progressive and psychedelic rock. Their first album, 'Shades of Deep Purple' (1968), featured a mix of original compositions and covers, including a rendition of Joe South's 'Hush', which became their first hit. It was followed by 'The Book of Taliesyn' (1968) and the eponymous album (1969), which met with a lukewarm reception.
A new line-up ('Mark II') was formed in the late 1960s, with Ian Gillan on vocals and Roger Glover on bass replacing Simper and Evans. These changes played a key role in defining the band's signature sound. The 1970 album "In Rock" marked a turning point in Deep Purple's career, with the band moving towards a heavier, more hard rock style. It included one of the band's greatest hits, 'Child In Time', based on the song 'Bombay Calling' from 'It's a Beautiful Day'.
After the honourable 'Fireball' in 1971, Deep Purple released their iconic 'Machine Head' album the following year, which contained timeless tracks such as 'Smoke on the Water' and 'Highway Star'. These songs became anthems and propelled the band to international fame. 'Smoke on the Water', in particular, is famous for its distinctive guitar riff and is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Deep Purple embarked on a months-long tour immortalised by 'Made In Japan', a live recording featuring the best of three concerts in Japan.
Despite their success, internal tensions led to further changes in the band ('Mark III'). Glover and Gillian were replaced by Glenn Hughes and a young unknown, David Coverdale. "Burn" was released in 1974, heavily influenced by the new arrivals, followed by "Stormbringer" the same year.
In 1975, Deep Purple officially announced the departure of Ritchie Blackmore due to musical differences. Blackmore had met Ronnie James Dio from Elf at a concert and the two men went on to form their own band, Rainbow. He was replaced by Tommy Bolin ('Mark IV'), who supported his new bandmates on 'Come Taste The Band', released the same year. Even more funk and soul than the previous album, this new production disconcerted the band's fans even more. The album sold poorly, Bolin and Hughes took drugs and Deep Purple imploded in 1976. Tommy Bolin died that year of an overdose at the age of 25. David Coverdale left to form Whitesnake, which the other musicians eventually joined in the late 80s.
Deep Purple was now defunct, but its reputation continued to flourish. Numerous live albums were released and met with some success. To the great surprise of fans, the 'Mark II' line-up reformed in 1984 and recorded "Perfect Strangers", an album of melodic rock tinged with rhythm and blues. It was a great success in Europe and the United States, unlike the following album, "The House Of Blue Light" (1987), which contained no real hits and in which the tensions between Gillian and Blackmore were once again felt.
In 1988, Gillan was fired from Deep Purple and replaced by Joe Lynn Turner, former Rainbow singer from 1980 to 1984. The band ('Mark V') released 'Slaves And Masters' in 1990, a highly formatted, FM-oriented AOR opus that received a lukewarm reception from the critics. Gillan finally stepped in again in 1992, and 'The Battle Rages On' came out a year later, a more nervous affair and, above all, the last offering from Richie Blackmore, who bowed out in the middle of a tour, replaced at short notice by Joe Satriani ('Mark VI').
Steve Morse, former member of Kansas and founder of Dixie Dregs, joined the band to record 'Purpendicular' in 1996, the first of a series of rather uneven albums. Tired of touring and wishing to devote himself to more personal projects, Jorn Lord announced his departure in 2002. His successor was none other than Don Airey, who had replaced him for the last few concerts ('Mark VIII'). Jorn Lord died ten years later of pancreatic cancer.
It will take two albums ('Abandon' in 1998 and 'Bananas' in 2003) for Deep Purple to find their feet again, with the following productions: 'Rapture Of The Deep' in 2005, 'Now What' in 2013, 'Infinite' in 2017 and even 'Whoosh' in 2020, an album that should never have seen the light of day, the band having announced their split and a farewell tour after 'Infinite'.
To this day, Deep Purple is still active, but without Ian Gillan, who has decided to turn the page to care for his wife, who is suffering from cancer. "Turning To Crime", a cover album released in 2021, is their final release.
More informations on http://www.deeppurple.com/
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DID YOU KNOW?
 The band was briefly called Roundabout before Ritchie Blackmore came up with Deep Purple, a name taken from a song played by his grandmother in the 1930s.
For purely commercial reasons, a fake Deep Purple appeared in 1980 with Rod Evans, the only former member of the band. The concerts were disastrous and the project's creators were fined over $600,000.
Deep Purple were inducted into the Hall of Fame on 8 April 2016.
Deep Purple holds the Guinness World Record for the globe's loudest band. Their performance on July 9, 1972, at the London Rainbow Theatre reached an ear-splitting 117 decibels.
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DERNIERS ARTICLES ASSOCIES
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DERNIERE INTERVIEW
DEEP PURPLE (OCTOBER 2020)
While the band was supposed to put an end to its legendary career, Deep Purple is back with a new album, "Whoosh!", as successful as unexpected, that guitarist Steve Morse came to present to us.
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