Deep Purple was born in 1968 following sessions to form a band around ex Searchers band member, drummer Chris Curtis. Jon
Lord on keyboards and Nick Simper on bass, veterans, respectively, of the Artwoods and Johnny Kidd And The Pirates, joined
guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in rehearsals for this new act. Curtis dropped out of the bad quite fast, and when Dave Curtis
(bass) and Bobby Woodman (drums) also proved inappropriate, former members of Maze, Rod Evans on vocals and Ian Paice drums,
replaced them.
Having taken the name of Deep Purple following a brief Scandinavian tour, the five lads began recording their first album,
which they patterned on US band Vanilla Fudge. Shades Of Deep Purple included covers on well known tracks including "Hey Joe"
and "Hush", the latter becoming a Top 5 US hit when issued as a single. Lengthy tours got the band a bit of fame as the band,
all but ignored at home, steadfastly courted the burgeoning American concert circuit. The Book Of Taliesyn and Deep Purple
also features reshaped tunes, notably "Kentucky Woman" (Neil Diamond) and "River Deep - Mountain High" (Ike And Tina Turner),
but the unit also drew acclaim for its original material and the dramatic musical conversation between Lord and
Blackmore.
In July 1969, both Evans and Simper were cast aside from the group, which were soon replace by Ian Gillan on vocals and
Roger Glover on bass from the pop band Episode Six. The new reassembled band is regarded by most critics as the "classic"
Deep Purple line-up, the reshaped quintet made a most spectaculous entrance with Concerto For Group And Orchestra, scored by
John Lord and recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra).
Its orthodox successor, In Rock, established the band as a leading heavy metal attraction and introduced such enduring
favourites as "Speed King" and "Child in Time". Gillan's powerful intonation brought a third dimension to their sound and
this new-found popularity in the UK was enhanced when an attendant single, "Black Night", reached number 2. "Strange Kind Of
Woman" followed it into the Top 10, while Fireball and Machine Head topped the album chart. The latter included the
riff-laden "Smoke On The Water", now lauded as a seminal example of the hard rock oeuvre and a Top 5 hit in America. The
album was also the first release on the band's own Purple label.
Although the platinum-selling Made In Japan captured Deep Purple's live prowess, relations within the band grew
increasingly strained, and Who Do We Think We Are! marked the end of this highly successful line-up. The departures of Gillan
and Glover robbed Deep Purple of an expressive frontman and imaginative arranger, although David Coverdale (b. 22 September
1951, Saltburn-By-The Sea, North Yorkshire, England; vocals) and Glenn Hughes (b. 21 August 1952, Cannock, Staffordshire,
England; bass, ex-Trapeze) brought a new impetus to the act. Burn and Stormbringer both reached the Top 10, but Blackmore
grew increasingly dissatisfied with the band's direction and in May 1975 left to form Rainbow. US guitarist Tommy Bolin (b.
Thomas Richard Bolin, 1 August 1951, Sioux City, Iowa, USA, d. 4 December 1976, Miami, Florida, USA), formerly of the James
Gang, joined Deep Purple for Come Taste The Band, but his jazz soul style was incompatible with the band's heavy metal sound,
and a now-tiring act folded in 1976 following a farewell UK tour.
Coverdale formed Whitesnake, Paice and Lord joined Tony Ashton in Paice, Ashton And Lord, while Bolin died of a heroin
overdose within months of Purple's demise. Judicious archive and "best of' releases kept the band in the public eye, as did
the high profile enjoyed by its several ex-members. Pressure for a reunion bore fruit in 1984 when Gillan, Lord, Blackmore,
Glover and Paice completed Perfect Strangers. A second set, The House Of Blue Light, ensued, but recurring animosity between
Gillan and Blackmore resulted in the singer's departure following the in-concert Nobody's Perfect. Former Rainbow vocalist
Joe Lynn Turner (b. Joseph Linquito, 2 August 1951, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA) was brought into the line-up for 1990"s
Slaves And Masters as the band steadfastly maintained their revitalized career. Gillan rejoined in 1993 only to quit, yet
again, shortly afterwards, while his old sparring partner, Blackmore, also bailed out the following year, to be replaced
briefly by Joe Satriani (b. 15 July 1956). The line-up that recorded the credible Purpendicular and Abandon in the late 90s
comprised Steve Morse (b. 28 July 1954, Hamilton, Ohio, USA) on guitar, with Lord, Gillan, Glover and Paice. At the start of
the new millennium, Lord announced his retirement and was replaced in the line-up by rock veteran Don Airey. He was featured
on the band's 2003 studio album, Bananas.
Time and time again Deep Purple is cited as the band that crafted heavy rock to a fine art. Along with Led Zeppelin and
Black Sabbath they remain the genre's undisputed leaders.