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The British hard rock band, Deep Purple, is often also considered one of the founding bands of Heavy Metal. Their story is long and interesting.
Deep Purple began as a group that was intent on imitating both the sound and success of Vanilla Fudge, an equally organ-driven band making waves in North America and Europe in the mid-sixties. As time went on, the group’s musical path veered from lengthy, dramatic covers of pop songs to a heavier sound that was more in line with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The sound and the band became a worldwide success, though the lineup that found that success did not last long. Deep Purple - The Early YearsThe first line-up of Deep Purple, often referred to as Mach 1, came together in 1968 and was called Roundabout:
Initially, the group played extended covers, most notably Joe South's “Hush,” which was the biggest hit for them form that period. They also played covers such as Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe,” The Beatles’ “Help,” Skip James’ “I'm So Glad,” and (later) Neil Diamond's “Kentucky Woman”. Eventually, Ritchie Blackmore suggested changing the name of the group to Deep Purple, his grandmother’s favorite song. Deep Purple – Prime YearsAs time went on, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore grew more interested in the heavier sounds of Led Zeppelin. Rod Evans’ crooning style didn’t fit the bill, and Nick Simper didn’t seem to either. They sunsequently left, while Ian Gillan and Roger Glover joined on vocals and bass respectively. This became Mach II, by far the most successful and famous version of the band:
As 1969 became a huge year for both Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple was putting together an album of similar muscle. In 1970, the album In Rock was released, and it had an immediate impact, charting on both sides of the Atlantic. The song “Speed King” was on this album as were “Child In Time” and “Into The Fire.” That version of the band became extremely popular and issued several more amazing studio albums – Fireball, Machine Head andWho Do We think We Are. Their live album, Made In Japan, was equally successful. The band toured relentlessly – too much as it turned out. Strains within the band increased. Ian Gillan, who did not get along with Ritchie Blackmore, resigned from the band at the end of 1972, though he toured for another six months to fulfill obligations. When Gillan left, Glover was asked to go, as well. Deep Purple Post-GillanThe next lineup – Mach 3 – was both quite talented and successful. Unknown singer David Coverdale (later to form Whitesnake) was “discovered” and Glenn Hughes from the band Trapeze joined on bass. It took both Coverdale and Hughes to make up for Gillan on vocals, but between the two of them, they did an excellent job. This group put out two studio albums – Burn and Stormbringer. As the new members brought a funk influence into the band, Ritchie Blackmore lost interest. He left the group in 1974 to form Rainbow. The remaining members of Deep Purple then persuaded Tommy Bolin to join. That lineup recorded one album and embarked on a disastrous tour. Deep Purple split in 1976. Tommy Bolin died of a drug overdose later that year. Deep Purple – Later YearsThe Mach 2 version of the band (arguably the “classic lineup) reunited in 1984 and released Perfect Strangers. Since then, there have been multiple reunions and lineups that have produced several albums of varying quality:
The lineup in 2008 consists of:
Deep Purple still tours as of this writing, and is a respected classic rock band despite the lineup changes. Ian Gillan no longer has the ability to sing (and scream) as he once did, and the loss of both Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord is evident, but the group generally delivers a quality version of the Deep Purple sound.
The copyright of the article Classic Rock Bands - Deep Purple in Classic Rock Music 70s-90s is owned by Jeff Muendel. Permission to republish Classic Rock Bands - Deep Purple in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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