Deep Purple

The founding band of the hard rock style in the early 1970s, Deep Purple has gone through many different incarnations and enjoyed great success, symbolized by the title track "Smoke on the Water". Formed in Hertford, England, in 1968, Deep Purple moved to London and recorded three blues- and psychedelic-influenced albums with singer Rod Evans, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and organist Jon Lord, before succumbing to the symphonic rock craze with new singer Ian Gillan on Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969), produced with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1970, the album Deep Purple in Rock, including the classic "Child in Time", laid the foundations for a hard rock sound that was acclaimed in the UK (#4). The standard line-up, completed by Roger Glover (bass) and Ian Paice (drums), saw its fame spread throughout Europe and the United States with the albums Fireball (1971), Machine Head (1972) and its anthology track "Smoke on the Water", followed by the double live album Made in Japan (1973). This configuration, considered to be a golden age, was reconstituted between 1984 and 1989, and again in 1992-1993. In between, David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner took over on vocals, Tommy Bolin and Steve Morse on guitar, Don Airey on organ and Glenn Hughes on bass, depending on recordings and tours. Split up in 1976, Deep Purple reappeared for the albums Perfect Strangers (1984), The House of Blue Light (1987), Slaves and Masters (1990) and The Battle Rages On... (1993), which reunited Gillan, Blackmore, Lord, Glover and Paice, while guitarist Joe Satriani replaced Blackmore on tour. The first album with Steve Morse, Purpendicular (1995) is followed by Abandon (1998), Bananas (2003) and Rapture of the Deep (2005). This formula is continued on Now What?! (2013), Infinite (2017) and Woosh! (2020), featuring Canadian producer Bob Ezrin, who is again at work on the covers album Turning to Crime (2021). Meanwhile, admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 8, 2016, Deep Purple underwent its ninth incarnation in 2024 with the album =1, which saw the departure of Steve Morse, replaced by Simon McBride.