Deep Purple

Biography

Deep Purple are a British rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock×Deep Purple in Rock3 June 1970 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Speed King4:19A2Bloodsucker4:12A3Child in Time10:16B1Flight of the Rat7:52B2Into the Fire3:29B3Living Wreck4:30B4Hard Lovin’ Man7:09. Deep Purple have been referred to as being part of the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-'70s", alongside Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, they have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Deep Purple have also generated several successful spinoff bands, including Rainbow, Whitesnake, and Gillan.
Deep Purple were founded by vocalist Rod Evans, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Nick Simper, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice. After three studio albums, the "Mark I" line-up came to an end in 1969 when Evans and Simper were dismissed from the band and replaced by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover respectively, forming the classic "Mark II" line-up of Deep Purple. Following the orchestral collaboration Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969), the Mark II line-up recorded four studio albums – Deep Purple in Rock (1970), Fireball×FireballAugust 1971 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Fireball3:21A2No No No6:40A3Strange Kind of Woman4:04A4Anyone’s Daughter4:39B1The Mule5:16B2Fools8:15B3No One Came6:25 (1971), Machine Head×Machine Head25 March 1972 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Highway Star6:11A2Maybe I’m a Leo4:56A3Pictures of Home5:05A4Never Before3:58B1Smoke on the Water5:40B2Lazy6:52B3Space Truckin’4:33 (1972), and Who Do We Think We Are (1973) – and a live album, Made in Japan×Made in JapanDecember 1972 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Highway Star6:472Child in Time12:193Smoke on the Water7:274The Mule9:43Disc 21Strange Kind of Woman9:302Lazy10:393Space Truckin'19:50 (1972), that cemented their popularity and played a key role in shaping the emerging genres of hard rock and heavy metal. Gillan and Glover both left the band in 1973 and were replaced by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes respectively. The "Mark III" line-up recorded two studio albums, Burn and Stormbringer×StormbringerNovember 1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Stormbringer4:022Love Don’t Mean a Thing4:213Holy Man4:254Hold On5:025Lady Double Dealer3:196You Can’t Do It Right (With the One You Love)3:227High Ball Shooter4:258The Gypsy4:029Soldier of Fortune3:12 (both 1974), and Blackmore parted ways with the band in 1975 due to musical differences. He was replaced by Tommy Bolin, and the resulting "Mark IV" line-up made one studio album, Come Taste the Band×Come Taste the BandOctober 1975 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Comin’ Home3:52A2Lady Luck2:45A3Gettin’ Tighter3:36A4Dealer3:49A5I Need Love4:22B1Drifter4:01B2Love Child3:05B3This Time Around / Owed to ‘G’ (instrumental)6:07B4You Keep on Moving5:18 (1975). Deep Purple disbanded in July 1976, and Bolin died from a drug overdose five months later.
The "Mark II" line-up reunited in 1984, and recorded two studio albums, Perfect Strangers×Perfect Strangers12 November 1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Knocking at Your Back Door7:052Under the Gun4:353Nobody’s Home4:004Mean Streak4:215Perfect Strangers5:226A Gypsy’s Kiss5:127Wasted Sunsets3:588Hungry Daze4:579Not Responsible4:45 (1984) and The House of Blue Light×The House of Blue Light25 January 1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Bad Attitude5:042The Unwritten Law4:543Call of the Wild4:484Mad Dog4:365Black & White4:396Hard Lovin’ Woman3:257The Spanish Archer5:328Strangeways7:359Mitzi Dupree5:0510Dead or Alive5:00 (1987), before Gillan was fired in 1989 due to creative and personal differences within the band. He was replaced by Joe Lynn Turner, who appeared on one album, Slaves and Masters×Slaves and Masters5 October 1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1King of Dreams5:282The Cut Runs Deep5:423Fire in the Basement4:444Truth Hurts5:155Breakfast in Bed5:176Love Conquers All3:477Fortuneteller5:498Too Much Is Not Enough4:189Wicked Ways6:34 (1990), before his dismissal from the band in 1992. Gillan returned for the next album, The Battle Rages On... (1993). Blackmore left the band again in 1993, and was replaced temporarily by Joe Satriani and then permanently by Steve Morse. The "Mark VII" line-up (consisting of Paice, Lord, Gillan, Glover and Morse) lasted for nearly a decade, during which the band recorded two studio albums, Purpendicular×Purpendicular21 February 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic4:182Loosen My Strings6:003Soon Forgotten4:484Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming7:325Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover4:446The Aviator5:217Rosa’s Cantina5:128A Castle Full of Rascals5:129A Touch Away4:3610Hey Cisco5:5411Somebody Stole My Guitar4:0912The Purpendicular Waltz4:43 (1996) and Abandon×Abandon13 May 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Any Fule Kno That4:282Almost Human4:263Don’t Make Me Happy4:564Seventh Heaven5:255Watching the Sky5:266Fingers to the Bone4:477Jack Ruby3:488She Was4:209Whatsername4:2610’694:5911Evil Louie4:5612Bludsucker4:27 (1998). Lord retired from Deep Purple in 2002 and was replaced by Don Airey, leaving Paice as the only remaining original member. The "Mark VIII" line-up of Paice, Gillan, Glover, Morse and Airey was the longest-lasting line-up in the band's history, spanning twenty years and six studio albums. Their first line-up change in twenty years took place in 2022, when Morse left after twenty-eight years as guitarist and was replaced by Simon McBride.
Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme, and a poll on radio station Planet Rock ranked them fifth among the "most influential bands ever". The band received a Legend Award at the 2008 World Music Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

Beginnings (1967–1968)

In 1967, former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis contacted London businessman Tony Edwards, in the hope he would manage a new group he was assembling, to be called Roundabout. Curtis' vision was a "supergroup" where the band members would 'get on' and 'get off', like a musical roundabout. Impressed with the plan, Edwards agreed to finance the venture with his two business partners John Coletta and Ron Hire, who composed Hire-Edwards-Coletta Enterprises (HEC).
The first recruit to the band was classically trained Hammond organ player Jon Lord, Curtis' flatmate, who had most notably played with the Artwoods (led by Art Wood, brother of future Faces and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, and including Keef Hartley). Lord had most recently been performing in a backing band for the vocal group The Flower Pot Men, along with bassist Nick Simper and drummer Carlo Little (Simper had previously been in Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and survived the 1966 car crash that killed Kidd). Lord alerted Simper and Little that he had been recruited for the Roundabout project, and they suggested guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, whom Lord had never met. Simper had known Blackmore since the early 1960s when his first band, the Renegades, debuted around the same time as one of Blackmore's early bands, the Dominators.
HEC persuaded Blackmore to travel from Hamburg to audition for the new group. He was making a name for himself as a studio session guitarist, and had also been a member of the Outlaws, Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages, and Neil Christian & the Crusaders; the latter band was the reason he had moved to Germany. Curtis' erratic behaviour and lifestyle, fuelled by his use of LSD, caused him to display a sudden lack of interest in the project he had started, and HEC dismissed him from Roundabout. HEC were now intrigued with the possibilities Lord and Blackmore brought and persuaded Blackmore to move back to England. Lord and Blackmore began recruiting additional members, retaining Tony Edwards as their manager. Lord convinced Nick Simper to join on bass, but Blackmore insisted they leave Carlo Little behind in favour of drummer Bobby Woodman. Woodman was the former drummer for Vince Taylor's Play-Boys (for whom he had played under the name Bobbie Clarke). The band, still calling themselves Roundabout, started rehearsing and writing in Cadogan Gardens in South Kensington.
In March 1968, Lord, Blackmore, Simper, and Woodman moved into Deeves Hall, a country house in South Mimms, Hertfordshire. The band lived, wrote, and rehearsed at the house; it was fully kitted out with the latest Marshall amplification and, at Lord's request, a Hammond C3 organ. According to Simper, dozens of singers were auditioned (including Rod Stewart and Woodman's friend Dave Curtiss) until the group heard Rod Evans of club band the Maze, and thought his voice fitted their style well. Tagging along with Evans was his band's drummer Ian Paice. Blackmore had seen an 18-year-old Paice on tour with the Maze in Germany in 1966 and had been impressed by his drumming. The band hastily arranged an audition for Paice, given that Woodman was vocally unhappy with the direction of the band's music. Both Paice and Evans won their respective jobs, and the line-up was complete.
During a brief tour of Denmark and Sweden in April, in which they were still billed as Roundabout, Blackmore suggested a new name: Deep Purple, after his grandmother's favourite song, "Deep Purple" by Peter DeRose. The group had resolved to choose a name after everyone had posted one on a board in rehearsal. Second to Deep Purple was "Concrete God", which the band thought was too harsh to take on, while other names suggested included "Orpheus" and "Sugarlump".

Mark I (1968–1969)

In May 1968, the band moved into Pye Studios in London's Marble Arch to record their debut album, Shades of Deep Purple×Shades of Deep Purple17 July 1968 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1And the Address4:36A2Hush4:11A3One More Rainy Day3:15A4aPrelude: Happiness2:45A4bI’m So Glad4:53B1Mandrake Root5:55B2Help5:45B3Love Help Me3:34B4Hey Joe7:38, which was released in America in July by Tetragrammaton Records, and in Britain in September by EMI Records. Vanilla Fudge was a notable influence on the band, with Blackmore claiming that the group started out wanting to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone". The group had success in North America with a cover of Joe South's "Hush", and by September 1968, the song had reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and No. 2 in the Canadian RPM chart, pushing the Shades LP up to No. 24 on Billboard's pop albums chart. The following month, Deep Purple were booked to support Cream on the US leg of their Goodbye tour.
The band's second album, The Book of Taliesyn×The Book of TaliesynOctober 1968 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Listen, Learn, Read On4:05A2Wring That Neck5:16A3Kentucky Woman4:47A4Exposition / We Can Work It Out7:04B1Shield6:06B2Anthem6:31B3River Deep, Mountain High10:05, was recorded quickly and released in North America in October 1968 to coincide with the tour. It included Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman", which cracked the Top 40 in both the US (No. 38 on the Billboard chart) and Canada (No. 21 on the RPM chart), though sales for the album were not as strong (No. 54 in US, No. 48 in Canada). The Book of Taliesyn was not released in the band's home country until the following year and, like its predecessor, it failed to have much impact on the UK Albums Chart. During the late 1968 US tour, the band made several high-profile television appearances, including Playboy After Dark and The Dating Game (where, in addition to the band performing, Lord appeared as a contestant).
Early in 1969, the band released the non-album single "Emmaretta", named after Emmaretta Marks, at that time a cast member of the musical Hair, whom Evans was trying to seduce. By March of that year, the band had completed recording for their third album, Deep Purple. The album included the track "April", which featured strings and woodwind, showcasing Lord's classical influences such as Bach and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Deep Purple's North American record label, Tetragrammaton, delayed production of the Deep Purple album until after the band's 1969 American tour ended. This, as well as lackluster promotion by the nearly-broke label, caused the album to sell poorly, finishing well out of the Billboard Top 100. Soon after Deep Purple was released in late June 1969, Tetragrammaton went out of business, leaving the band with no money and an uncertain future. Tetragrammaton's assets were eventually assumed by Warner Bros. Records, who released Deep Purple's records in the US through the 1970s.
During the 1969 American tour, Lord and Blackmore met with Paice to discuss their desire to develop the heavy rock side of the band further. They decided that Evans and Simper would not fit well with the style they envisioned, and both were replaced that summer. Paice stated, "A change had to come. If they hadn't left, the band would have totally disintegrated." Both Simper and Blackmore noted that Rod Evans already had one foot out of the door. Simper said that Evans had met a girl in Hollywood and had eyes on being an actor, while Blackmore explained, "Rod just wanted to go to America and live in America." Evans and Simper were later co-founders of the bands Captain Beyond and Warhorse respectively.

Mark II (1969–1973)

Deep Purple Mark II was formed in Hanwell Community Centre in West London in the summer of 1969. In search of a new vocalist, Blackmore set his own sights on 19-year-old singer Terry Reid. Though he found the offer "flattering", Reid was still bound by an exclusive recording contract with his producer Mickie Most and more interested in his solo career. Blackmore had to look elsewhere. The band sought out singer Ian Gillan from Episode Six, a band that had released several singles in the UK without achieving any great commercial success. Six's drummer Mick Underwood – an old comrade of Blackmore's from his days in the Outlaws – introduced the band to Gillan and bassist Roger Glover. According to Nick Simper, "Gillan would join only with Roger Glover." This effectively killed Episode Six, which gave Underwood a persistent feeling of guilt that lasted nearly a decade, until Gillan recruited him for his new post-Purple band in the late 1970s. According to Blackmore, Deep Purple was only interested in Gillan and not Glover, but Glover was retained on the advice of Ian Paice.

Mark II's first release was a Roger Greenaway–Roger Cook tune titled "Hallelujah". At the time of its recording, Nick Simper still thought he was in the band and had called John Coletta to inquire about the recording dates for the song. He then found that the song had already been recorded with Glover on bass. The remaining original members of Deep Purple then instructed management to inform Simper that he had been officially replaced. Despite television appearances to promote the "Hallelujah" single in the UK, the song flopped. Blackmore had told the British weekly music newspaper Record Mirror that the band "need to have a commercial record in Britain", and described the song as "an in-between sort of thing"—a compromise between the type of material the band would normally record, and openly commercial material.

In September 1969, the band gained some much-needed publicity in the UK with the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, a three-movement epic composed by Lord as a solo project and performed by the band at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Malcolm Arnold. Alongside Days of Future Passed by the Moody Blues and Five Bridges by the Nice, it was one of the first collaborations between a rock band and an orchestra. This live album became their first release with any kind of chart success in the UK. Gillan and Blackmore were less than happy at the band being tagged as "a group who played with orchestras", both feeling that the Concerto was a distraction that would get in the way of developing their desired hard-rocking style. Lord acknowledged that while the band members were not keen on the project going in, at the end of the performance "you could have put the five smiles together and spanned the Thames." Lord would also write the Gemini Suite, another orchestra/group collaboration in the same vein, for the band in late 1970, although the band's recording of the piece would not be released until 1993. In 1975, Blackmore stated that he thought the Concerto for Group and Orchestra was not bad but that the Gemini Suite was horrible and very disjointed. Roger Glover later noted that Jon Lord had appeared to be the leader of the band in the early years.

Shortly after the orchestral release, Mark II began a hectic touring and recording schedule that was to see little respite for the next four years. The second album, and first studio album, of the Mark II era, released in 1970, was In Rock (a title supported by the album's Mount Rushmore–inspired cover), which contained "Speed King", "Into the Fire" and "Child in Time×Child in Time1995 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Nobody's Home4:032Mean Streak4:243Wasted Sunsets3:584Hungry Daze4:575The Unwritten Law4:366Mad Dog4:337The Spanish Archer4:588Mitzi Dupree5:059Woman From Tokyo (live)4:0210Child in Time (live)10:2511Strange Kind of Woman (live)7:1912Highway Star (live)6:08", all of which were staples of the band's live performances during that period. The non-album single "Black Night", released around the same time, finally put Deep Purple into the UK Top 10. The interplay between Blackmore's guitar and Lord's distorted organ, coupled with Gillan's powerful, wide-ranging vocals and the rhythm section of Glover and Paice, now started to take on a unique identity that separated the band from its earlier albums. Along with Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin II and Sabbath's Paranoid, In Rock codified the budding heavy metal genre.
On the album's development, Blackmore stated: "I got fed up with playing with classical orchestras, and thought, 'well, this is my turn.' Jon was into more classical. I said, 'well you've done that, I'll do rock, and whatever turns out best we'll carry on with.'" In Rock performed well, especially in the UK where it reached No. 4, while the "Black Night" single reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and the band performed the song live on the BBC's Top of the Pops. In addition to increasing sales in the UK, the band were making a name for themselves as a live act, particularly with regard to the sheer volume of their shows and the improvisational skills of Blackmore and Lord. Said Lord, "We took from jazz, we took from old fashioned rock and roll, we took from the classics. Ritchie and myself...used to swap musical jokes and attacks. He would play something, and I'd have to see if I could match it. That provided a sense of humour, a sense of tension to the band, a sense of, 'what the hell's going to happen next?' The audience didn't know, and nine times out of ten, neither did we!"
A second Mark II studio album, the creatively progressive Fireball×FireballAugust 1971 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Fireball3:21A2No No No6:40A3Strange Kind of Woman4:04A4Anyone’s Daughter4:39B1The Mule5:16B2Fools8:15B3No One Came6:25, was issued in the summer of 1971, reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The title track "Fireball" was released as a single, as was "Strange Kind of Woman", not from the album but recorded during the same sessions (although it replaced "Demon's Eye" on the US version of the album). "Strange Kind of Woman" became their second UK Top 10 single, reaching No. 8.

Within weeks of Fireball's release, the band were already performing songs planned for the next album. One song (which later became "Highway Star") was performed at the first show of the Fireball tour, having been written on the bus to a show in Portsmouth, in answer to a journalist's question: "How do you go about writing songs?" On 24 October 1971 during the US leg of the Fireball tour, the band was set to play the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago when Ian Gillan contracted hepatitis, forcing the band to play without him, with bassist Glover singing the set. After this, the rest of the US dates were cancelled and the band flew home.
In early December 1971, the band travelled to Switzerland to record Machine Head. The album was due to be recorded at the Montreux Casino using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, but a fire during a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert, caused by a man firing a flare gun into the ceiling, burned down the Casino.The shot caused the venue's heating system to explode. There was no loss of life due to the fire. This was mainly due to it being a less than full afternoon show and that the drummer's kit malfunctioned, causing many audience members to leave. This incident famously inspired the song "Smoke on the Water×Smoke on the Water1994 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Black Night3:272Child in Time10:183Speed King4:254Strange Kind of Woman3:485Fireball3:246Smoke on the Water5:417Highway Star6:088Never Before (single edit)3:319Space Truckin’4:3210Woman From Tokyo5:4911Might Just Take Your Life3:3312Burn (single edit)4:3213Stormbringer4:0614Soldier of Fortune3:1415Hush4:2316Kentucky Woman (single edit)4:02". The album was later recorded in a corridor at the nearby empty Grand Hôtel de Territet, with the exception of the music track to "Smoke on the Water". That was recorded at a vacant theatre called The Pavillon before the band was asked to leave. On recording "Smoke on the Water", Blackmore stated to BBC Radio 2: "We did the whole thing in about four takes because we had to. The police were banging on the door. We knew it was the police, but we had such a good sound in this hall. We were waking up all the neighbours for about five miles in Montreux, because it was echo-ing through the mountains. I was just getting the last part of the riff down, we'd just finished it, when the police burst in and said 'you've got to stop'. We had the track down."
Continuing to progress the musical direction of the previous two albums, Machine Head×Machine Head25 March 1972 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Highway Star6:11A2Maybe I’m a Leo4:56A3Pictures of Home5:05A4Never Before3:58B1Smoke on the Water5:40B2Lazy6:52B3Space Truckin’4:33 was released in late March 1972 and became one of the band's most famous releases. It was the band's second No. 1 album in the UK while re-establishing them in North America, hitting No. 7 in the US and No. 1 in Canada. It included tracks that became live classics, such as "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'", "Lazy" and "Smoke on the Water", the last of which remains Deep Purple's most famous song. They continued to tour and record at a rate that would be rare thirty years on; when Machine Head was recorded, the group had only been together three-and-a-half years, yet it was their sixth studio album and seventh album overall.

In January 1972, the band returned to tour the US once again. They then headed over to play Europe before resuming US dates in March. While in America, Blackmore contracted hepatitis, and the band attempted one show in Flint, Michigan, without a guitarist before attempting to acquire the services of Al Kooper, who rehearsed with the band before bowing out, suggesting Spirit guitarist Randy California instead. California played one show with the group, in Quebec City, Quebec on 6 April, but the rest of this tour was cancelled as well.
The band returned to the US in late May 1972 to undertake their third North America tour (of four total that year). A Japan tour in August of that year led to a double live album, Made in Japan×Made in JapanDecember 1972 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Highway Star6:472Child in Time12:193Smoke on the Water7:274The Mule9:43Disc 21Strange Kind of Woman9:302Lazy10:393Space Truckin'19:50. Originally intended as a Japan-only release, its worldwide release became an instant hit, reaching platinum status in five countries, including the US. It remains one of rock music's most popular and highest selling live albums.
Mark II continued to work and released the album Who Do We Think We Are×Who Do We Think We Are26 January 1973 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Woman From Tokyo5:52A2Mary Long4:26A3Super Trouper2:57A4Smooth Dancer4:12B1Rat Bat Blue5:27B2Place in Line6:33B3Our Lady5:09 in 1973. Spawning the hit single "Woman from Tokyo", the album hit No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 15 in the US chart, while achieving gold record status faster than any Deep Purple album released up to that time. However, internal tensions and exhaustion were more noticeable than ever. Following the successes of Machine Head and Made in Japan, the addition of Who Do We Think We Are made Deep Purple the top-selling artists of 1973 in the US.
Gillan admitted in a 1984 interview that the band were pushed by management to complete the Who Do We Think We Are album on time and go on tour, although they badly needed a break. The bad feelings, including tensions with Blackmore, culminated in Gillan quitting the band after their second tour of Japan in the summer of 1973, followed by the dismissal of Glover, at Blackmore's insistence. In interviews later, Lord called the end of Mark II while the band was at its peak "the biggest shame in rock and roll; God knows what we would have done over the next three or four years. We were writing so well."

Mark III (1973–1975)

The band hired Midlands bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, formerly of Trapeze. According to Paice, Glover told him and Lord a few months before his official termination that he wanted to leave the band, so they had started to drop in on Trapeze shows. After acquiring Hughes, they debated continuing as a four-piece, with Hughes as bassist and lead vocalist. According to Hughes, he was told the band was bringing in Paul Rodgers of Free as a co-lead vocalist, but by that time Rodgers had just started Bad Company. "They did ask", Rodgers recalled, "and I spoke to all of them at length about the possibility. Purple had toured Australia with Free's final lineup. I didn't do it because I was very much into the idea of forming Bad Company." Instead, auditions were held for lead vocal replacements. They settled on David Coverdale, an unknown singer from Saltburn in north-east England, primarily because Blackmore liked his masculine, blues-tinged voice.
Burn, the first album by Deep Purple Mark III, was released in February 1974 to great success, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 9 in the US, and was followed by another world tour. The title track, which opens the album and would open most concerts during the Mark III and IV eras, was a conscious effort by the band to embrace the progressive rock movement, which was popularised at the time by bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis and Gentle Giant. Another notable song and Mk. III concert staple from the album was a slow-burning blues number called "Mistreated".

Mark III embarked on a spring tour that included shows at Madison Square Garden, New York City, on 13 March, and Nassau Coliseum four days later. The band co-headlined (with Emerson, Lake & Palmer) the California Jam festival at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, southern California, on 6 April 1974. Attracting over 300,000 fans, the festival also included 1970s rock giants Black Sabbath, Eagles, Seals & Crofts and Earth, Wind & Fire. Portions of the show were telecast on ABC Television in the US, exposing the band to a wider audience. During the show Blackmore doused his amplifiers with petrol and set them on fire, blowing a hole in the stage. A month later, the band's 22 May performance at the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn, London, was recorded and later released in 1982 as Live in London.
Hughes and Coverdale brought vocal harmonies and elements of funk and blues, respectively, to the band's music, a sound that was even more apparent on the late 1974 release Stormbringer. Along with the title track, the Stormbringer album had a number of songs×Songs31 January 1995 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Black NightA2Speed KingA3FireballA4Strange Kind of WomanA5Woman From TokyoA6Highway StarA7BurnA8Smoke on the WaterA9StormbringerB1Child in TimeB2LazyB4Space Truckin’ that received significant radio play, such as "Lady Double Dealer", "The Gypsy" and "Soldier of Fortune", and the album reached No. 6 in the UK and No. 20 on the US Billboard chart. Blackmore publicly disliked most of the album, however, derisively calling it "shoeshine music" out of distaste for its funk and soul elements. A new live album, Made in Europe×Made in Europe1976 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracksA1Burn7:32A2Mistreated (Interpolating Rock Me Baby)11:42A3Lady Double Dealer4:19B1You Fool No One16:44B2Stormbringer5:33, culled from three shows on the Stormbringer×StormbringerNovember 1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Stormbringer4:022Love Don’t Mean a Thing4:213Holy Man4:254Hold On5:025Lady Double Dealer3:196You Can’t Do It Right (With the One You Love)3:227High Ball Shooter4:258The Gypsy4:029Soldier of Fortune3:12 tour, was assembled during the summer of 1975, but would not see release until late 1976. After the show in Stuttgart–Böblingen, Blackmore announced on 26 March 1975 to his co-musicians in a room of the Arabella Hotel in Munich that he was quitting the band. Lord, Paice, Coverdale and Hughes were speechless, for a few weeks later the band were due to go into the studio to record their next album. Blackmore's departure from Deep Purple, and therefore the end of Mark III, was announced on 21 June 1975. Blackmore then formed his own band with Ronnie James Dio of Elf, called Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, shortened to Rainbow after the first album.

Mark IV (1975–1976)

Following Blackmore's departure, the group considered disbanding but decided to continue and find another guitarist. Clem Clempson (Colosseum, Humble Pie), Zal Cleminson (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), Mick Ronson (The Spiders From Mars) and Rory Gallagher were considered; the final choice was American Tommy Bolin. There are at least two versions of the Bolin recruitment story: Coverdale claims to have been the one who suggested auditioning Bolin. "He walked in, thin as a rake, his hair coloured green, yellow and blue with feathers in it. Slinking along beside him was this stunning Hawaiian girl in a crochet dress with nothing on underneath. He plugged into four Marshall 100-watt stacks and...the job was his." But in an interview published by Melody Maker in June 1975, Bolin claimed that he came to the audition following a recommendation from Blackmore. Bolin had been a member of many late-1960s bands – Denny & The Triumphs, American Standard, and Zephyr, which released three albums from 1969 to 1972. Before he joined Deep Purple, Bolin's best-known recordings had been made as a session musician on Billy Cobham's 1973 jazz fusion album Spectrum, and as lead guitarist on two post-Joe Walsh James Gang albums: Bang (1973) and Miami (1974). He had also played with Dr. John, Albert King, the Good Rats, Moxy and Alphonse Mouzon, and was busy working on his first solo album, Teaser, when he accepted the invitation to join Deep Purple.
The resulting album from Deep Purple Mark IV, Come Taste the Band×Come Taste the BandOctober 1975 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Comin’ Home3:52A2Lady Luck2:45A3Gettin’ Tighter3:36A4Dealer3:49A5I Need Love4:22B1Drifter4:01B2Love Child3:05B3This Time Around / Owed to ‘G’ (instrumental)6:07B4You Keep on Moving5:18, was released in October 1975, one month before Bolin's Teaser album. Despite mixed reviews and middling sales (No. 19 in the UK and No. 43 in the US), the collection revitalised the band once again, bringing a new, extreme funk edge to their hard rock sound. Bolin's influence was crucial, and with encouragement from Hughes and Coverdale, the guitarist developed much of the album's material. Despite Bolin's talents, his personal problems with hard drugs began to surface. During the Come Taste the Band tour, many fans openly booed Bolin's inability to play solos like Ritchie Blackmore, not realising that Bolin was physically hampered by his addiction. At this same time, as he admitted in interviews years later, Hughes was suffering from cocaine addiction.
The last show on the tour was on 15 March 1976 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. At the end of the concert, Coverdale walked off in tears and handed in his resignation. He was told there was no band left to quit, as Lord and Paice had already decided to break up the band. The break-up was made public in July 1976, with then-manager Rob Cooksey issuing a statement: "The band will not record or perform together as Deep Purple again". Last Concert in Japan, a live album of the last concert on the Japanese leg of the Come Taste the Band tour, was issued in 1977.
Bolin went on to record his second solo album, Private Eyes. On 4 December 1976, after a show in Miami supporting Jeff Beck, Bolin was found unconscious by his girlfriend and bandmates. Unable to wake him, she hurriedly called paramedics, but it was too late. The official cause of death was multiple-drug intoxication. Bolin was 25 years old.

Band split (1976–1984)

After the break-up, most of the members of Deep Purple went on to have considerable success in a number of other bands, including Rainbow (1975–1984; Ritchie Blackmore and, from 1979, Roger Glover), Whitesnake (1978–2022; David Coverdale, Jon Lord until 1984, and Ian Paice during 1979–1982) and Gillan (1978–1982; Ian Gillan). Gillan also joined Black Sabbath from late 1982 to early 1984 (Glenn Hughes would also join Sabbath for a short time later in the 1980s). The then-defunct Deep Purple began to gain a type of mystical status, with fan-driven reissues and newly assembled live and compilation albums being released throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. This fuelled a number of promoter-led attempts to get the band to reform, especially with the revival of the hard rock market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1980, a touring version of the band surfaced; of this, Rod Evans, who had left Captain Beyond at the end of 1973, was the only member who had ever been in Deep Purple. The legitimate Deep Purple camp brought legal action over unauthorised use of the name; this was eventually successful, and Evans was ordered to pay damages of US$672,000 for using the band name without permission.

Mark II reunion (1984–1989)

In April 1984, eight years after the demise of Deep Purple, a full-scale (and legal) reunion took place with the "classic" Mark II line-up of 1969–1973: Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. The reformed band signed a worldwide deal with PolyGram, with Mercury Records releasing their albums in the US, and Polydor Records in the UK and other countries. The album Perfect Strangers×Perfect Strangers12 November 1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Knocking at Your Back Door7:052Under the Gun4:353Nobody’s Home4:004Mean Streak4:215Perfect Strangers5:226A Gypsy’s Kiss5:127Wasted Sunsets3:588Hungry Daze4:579Not Responsible4:45 was recorded in Vermont and released in October 1984. The album was commercially successful, reaching No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart and No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in the US. The album included the singles and concert staples "Knocking at Your Back Door×Knocking at Your Back Door1997 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Knocking at Your Back Door7:022Perfect Strangers5:213Under the Gun4:344A Gypsy’s Kiss5:125Black & White4:396Hard Lovin’ Woman3:267Strange Kind of Woman7:368Bad Attitude4:599Smoke on the Water7:4210Nobody’s Home3:5911Hungry Daze4:5612The Spanish Archer5:3313Highway Star6:0914Woman From Tokyo4:00" and "Perfect Strangers". Perfect Strangers became the second Deep Purple album to go platinum in the US, following Machine Head×Machine Head25 March 1972 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Highway Star6:11A2Maybe I’m a Leo4:56A3Pictures of Home5:05A4Never Before3:58B1Smoke on the Water5:40B2Lazy6:52B3Space Truckin’4:33 (Made in Japan×Made in JapanDecember 1972 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Highway Star6:472Child in Time12:193Smoke on the Water7:274The Mule9:43Disc 21Strange Kind of Woman9:302Lazy10:393Space Truckin'19:50 would also finally hit platinum status in the US in 1986, the same year Machine Head increased to double platinum).
The reunion tour followed, starting in Australia and winding its way across the world to North America, then into Europe by the following summer. Financially, the tour was also a tremendous success. In the US, the 1985 tour out-grossed every other artist except Bruce Springsteen. The UK homecoming saw the band headline the 1985 Knebworth Fayre in June, where the weather was bad (torrential rain and 6 inches (15 cm) of mud) in front of 80,000 fans. The gig was called the "Return of the Knebworth Fayre".
Mark II followed Perfect Strangers with The House of Blue Light in 1987, which was supported by another world tour (interrupted after Blackmore broke a finger on stage while trying to catch his guitar after throwing it in the air). A new live album Nobody's Perfect, which was culled from several shows on this tour, was released in 1988. In the UK a new Mark II version of "Hush" was also released in 1988 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Deep Purple.

Mark V (1989–1992)

Gillan was fired in 1989; his relations with Blackmore had again soured, and their musical differences had diverged too far. Originally, the band intended to recruit Survivor frontman Jimi Jamison as Gillan's replacement. After two weeks of sessions with the band, however, Jamison announced he could not join Deep Purple owing to complications with Scotti Brothers Records, his record label. Eventually, after auditioning several high-profile candidates, including Brian Howe (White Spirit, Ted Nugent, Bad Company), Doug Pinnick (King's X), Australians Jimmy Barnes (Cold Chisel) and John Farnham (Little River Band), Terry Brock (Strangeways, Giant) and Norman "Kal" Swan (Tytan, Lion, Bad Moon Rising), the band agreed on Joe Lynn Turner, who had previously been a member of Rainbow with Blackmore and Glover.
This Mark V line-up recorded just one album, Slaves and Masters×Slaves and Masters5 October 1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1King of Dreams5:282The Cut Runs Deep5:423Fire in the Basement4:444Truth Hurts5:155Breakfast in Bed5:176Love Conquers All3:477Fortuneteller5:498Too Much Is Not Enough4:189Wicked Ways6:34 (1990), and undertook a world tour for most of 1991. The album achieved modest success, reaching No. 45 in the UK and No. 87 in the US Billboard chart, with some fans and critics feeling the music was closer in style to Rainbow than to Deep Purple.

Second Mark II reunion (1992–1993) and Mark VI (1993–1994)

With the tour complete, the band set to work on another album, the early sessions of which would see Turner being forced out. 1993 was going to be Deep Purple's 25th anniversary year, with Lord, Paice and Glover (and the record company) wanting Gillan back for another Mark II reunion to celebrate this milestone. Although Blackmore preferred Turner to remain in the group, he grudgingly relented, after requesting and eventually receiving $250,000 in his bank account and Mark II completed the aptly titled The Battle Rages On... in 1993.
Blackmore still disagreed with the decision, which created more tension between himself and the rest of the band, especially Gillan. Of particular contention was that Gillan had reworked much of the material that had been written with Turner for the new album. Blackmore felt that Gillan's rewrites had made the songs less melodic than they had been in their original versions. The band began a European tour, which was documented on the live album Come Hell or High Water×Come Hell or High WaterNovember 1994 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Highway Star6:422Black Night5:473A Twist in the Tale4:254Perfect Strangers6:525Anyone’s Daughter3:536Child in Time10:437Anya12:078Speed King7:349Smoke on the Water10:09, released in 1994. A live home video of the same name was also released, covering a show in Birmingham, England, that displayed a very disgruntled Blackmore, who did not perform many of the guitar parts and who at one point threw a cup of water at a cameraman, for unknown reasons. The complete show was eventually released in 2006 as Live at the NEC but was quickly withdrawn after Gillan publicly complained, feeling it represented a bad time in the group's history: "It was one of the lowest points of my life – all of our lives, actually".
Blackmore left Deep Purple for the second and final time after a show in Helsinki, Finland, in November 1993. Joe Satriani was drafted to complete the Japanese dates in December and stayed on for a European summer tour in 1994. He was asked to join permanently, but his contractual commitments with Epic Records were prohibitive. In August 1994, the band unanimously chose Steve Morse, of Dixie Dregs and Kansas, as their new guitarist.

Mark VII (1994–2002)

Morse's arrival revitalised the band creatively, and in 1996 a new album titled Purpendicular×Purpendicular21 February 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic4:182Loosen My Strings6:003Soon Forgotten4:484Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming7:325Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover4:446The Aviator5:217Rosa’s Cantina5:128A Castle Full of Rascals5:129A Touch Away4:3610Hey Cisco5:5411Somebody Stole My Guitar4:0912The Purpendicular Waltz4:43 was released, showing a wide variety of musical styles – though in the post-grunge mid-1990s it was no surprise that it never made chart success on the Billboard 200 in the US. This Mark VII line-up then released a new live album Live at The Olympia '96 in 1997. With a revamped set list to tour, Deep Purple enjoyed successful tours throughout the rest of the 1990s, releasing the harder-sounding Abandon in 1998, and touring with renewed enthusiasm.
1999 marked the 30th anniversary of the Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Lord, with the help of a Dutch fan, Marco de Goeij, who was also a musicologist and composer, painstakingly recreated the concerto, the original score having been lost. It was once again performed at the Royal Albert Hall in September 1999, this time with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann. The concert also included songs from each member's solo careers, as well as a short Deep Purple set, and the occasion was released as the album In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra×In Concert With the London Symphony Orchestra1999 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Pictured Within8:382Wait a While6:443Sitting in a Dream4:014Love Is All4:405Via Miami4:526That’s Why God Is Singing the Blues4:037Take It Off the Top4:438Wring That Neck4:389Pictures of Home9:26Disc 21Concerto for Group and Orchestra: I. Moderato – Allegro16:582Concerto for Group and Orchestra: II. Andante19:443Concerto for Group and Orchestra: III. Vivace – Presto13:284Ted the Mechanic4:515Watching the Sky5:396Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming7:447Smoke on the Water6:46 in 2000. 2001 saw the release of the box set The Soundboard Series, containing concerts from the 2001 Australian Tour plus two from Tokyo, Japan. Much of the next few years was spent on the road touring. The group continued forward until 2002 when founding member Lord announced his amicable retirement from the band to pursue personal projects (especially orchestral work). His departure left Ian Paice as the band's sole remaining founder member. Lord left his Hammond organ to his replacement, rock keyboard veteran Don Airey, who had helped Deep Purple out when Lord's knee was injured in 2001. Airey had previously worked with Glover (as well as Ritchie Blackmore) as a member of Rainbow from 1979 to 1982.

Mark VIII (2002–2022)

In 2003, the new Mark VIII line-up released Bananas, their first studio album in five years, and began touring in support. EMI Records refused a contract extension with Deep Purple, possibly because of lower sales.

The band played at the Live 8 concert in Park Place (Barrie, Ontario) in July 2005, and in October released their next album, Rapture of the Deep×Rapture of the Deep21 October 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Money Talks5:342Girls Like That4:023Wrong Man4:554Rapture of the Deep5:575Clearly Quite Absurd5:276Don’t Let Go4:327Back to Back4:058Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye4:199MTV4:5510Junkyard Blues5:3211Before Time Began6:29Disc 21Clearly Quite Absurd (new version)3:392Things I Never Said4:493The Well-Dressed Guitar (studio version)2:524Rapture of the Deep (live)5:155Wrong Man (live)4:296Highway Star (live)8:097Smoke on the Water (live)6:508Perfect Strangers (live)6:41, which was followed by the Rapture of the Deep tour. Both Bananas and Rapture of the Deep were produced by Michael Bradford. In 2009 Ian Gillan said, "Record sales have been steadily declining, but people are prepared to pay a lot for concert tickets." In addition, Gillan stated: "I don't think happiness comes with money."
Deep Purple did concert tours in 48 countries in 2011. The Songs That Built Rock Tour used a 38-piece orchestra, and included a performance at the O2 Arena in London. Until May 2011, the band members had disagreed about whether to make a new studio album, because it would not really make money any more. Roger Glover stated that Deep Purple should make a new studio album "even if it costs us money." In early 2011, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes told VH1 they would like to reunite Mark III for the right opportunity, such as a benefit concert. This did not happen however, as Ritchie Blackmore was difficult to contact and was not interested, as he was busy with his current band Blackmore's Night. The band's chief sound engineer of nine years of tours, Moray McMillin, died in September 2011, aged 57. After a lot of songwriting sessions in Europe, Deep Purple decided to record through the summer of 2012, and the band announced they would release their new studio album in 2013. Steve Morse announced to French magazine Rock Hard that the new studio album would be produced by Bob Ezrin.

On 16 July 2012 the band's co-founding member and former organ player, Jon Lord, died in London, aged 71. In December 2012 Roger Glover stated that the band had completed work on 14 songs for a new studio album, with 11 or 12 tracks set to appear on the final album to be released in 2013. On 26 February 2013 the title of the band's nineteenth studio album was announced as Now What?!×Now What?!26 April 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11A Simple Song4:392Weirdistan4:143Out of Hand6:114Hell to Pay5:125Bodyline4:276Above and Beyond5:317Blood From a Stone5:188Uncommon Man7:009Après vous5:2610All the Time in the World4:2111Vincent Price4:4612It’ll Be Me3:04Disc 21In Conversation20:002All the Time in the World (alternative radio mix)3:473Perfect Strangers (live)6:424Rapture of the Deep (live)5:16, which was recorded and mixed in Nashville, Tennessee, and released on 26 April 2013. The album contains the track "Vincent Price", named after the horror actor who had worked with both Gillan and Glover earlier in their careers.

On 25 November 2016, Deep Purple announced Infinite as the title of their twentieth studio album, which was released on 7 April 2017. In support for the album, Deep Purple embarked on 13 May 2017 in Bucharest, Romania on The Long Goodbye Tour. At the time of the tour's announcement in December 2016, Paice told the Heavyworlds website it "may be the last big tour", adding that the band "don't know". He described the tour as being long in duration and said: "We haven't made any hard, fast plans, but it becomes obvious that you cannot tour the same way you did when you were 21. It becomes more and more difficult. People have other things in their lives, which take time. But never say never." On 3 February 2017, Deep Purple released a video version of "Time for Bedlam", the first track taken from the new album and the first new Deep Purple track for almost four years.
On 29 February 2020, a new track, "Throw My Bones" was released online, with a new album Whoosh!×Whoosh!12 June 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 29 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Throw My Bones3:402Drop the Weapon4:233We’re All the Same in the Dark3:444Nothing at All4:435No Need to Shout3:316Step by Step3:347What the What3:328The Long Way Around5:409The Power of the Moon4:0910Remission Possible1:3911Man Alive5:3512And the Address3:3513Dancing in My Sleep3:54Disc 21Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in Conversation (filmed at British Grove Studios, November 2019)2Time for Bedlam3Fireball4Bloodsucker5Strange Kind of Woman6Uncommon Man7The Surprising8Lazy9Birds of Prey10Hell to Pay11Don Airey’s Solo12Perfect Strangers13Space Truckin‘14Smoke on the Water15Peter Gunn / Hush16Black Night planned for release in June. The release of the full-length album would later be postponed to 7 August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A review in NME said the album sounded nothing like contemporary music of 2020, but suggested that "maybe that's a good thing". Gillan confirmed in an interview on 4 August 2020 that he and the other members of Deep Purple have no immediate plans to retire.
On 6 October 2021, the band had announced the title of their covers album, Turning to Crime×Turning to Crime26 November 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks17 and 7 Is2:292Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu3:153Oh Well4:314Jenny Take a Ride!4:375Watching the River Flow3:036Let the Good Times Roll4:227Dixie Chicken4:438Shapes of Things3:409The Battle of New Orleans2:5210Lucifer3:4511White Room4:5312Caught in the Act (Medley: Going Down / Green Onions / Hot ’Lanta / Dazed and Confused / Gimme Some Lovin’)7:49, which was released on 26 November 2021. Following the release of Whoosh! and Turning to Crime, Deep Purple continued touring in 2022, with dates across Europe and the US, as well as shows in Israel and Turkey.

Mark IX (2022–present)

In March 2022, Morse announced that he had to take a hiatus from the band after his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The band, who had recently returned to live performances, continued touring with Simon McBride, formerly of Sweet Savage, standing in for Morse who at that point officially remained in the band. On 23 July 2022, it was announced that Morse would be leaving permanently in order to focus on caring for his wife as she battled cancer. Later that September, McBride was made an official member of the band.

In June 2022, Gillan announced that the band had planned to work on their 23rd studio album after the conclusion of the Whoosh!×Whoosh!12 June 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 29 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Throw My Bones3:402Drop the Weapon4:233We’re All the Same in the Dark3:444Nothing at All4:435No Need to Shout3:316Step by Step3:347What the What3:328The Long Way Around5:409The Power of the Moon4:0910Remission Possible1:3911Man Alive5:3512And the Address3:3513Dancing in My Sleep3:54Disc 21Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in Conversation (filmed at British Grove Studios, November 2019)2Time for Bedlam3Fireball4Bloodsucker5Strange Kind of Woman6Uncommon Man7The Surprising8Lazy9Birds of Prey10Hell to Pay11Don Airey’s Solo12Perfect Strangers13Space Truckin‘14Smoke on the Water15Peter Gunn / Hush16Black Night tour: "Deep Purple has got a writing session booked in March 2023, which I believe is to get started on thinking about our next record."
Titled =1 More Time, a 2024 tour was announced on 19 March of that year. Jefferson Starship were special guests on the Europe dates, and Reef were special guests for the UK shows. On 24 April 2024, it was announced the forthcoming release of a new studio album – the first with McBride – whose title =1 and track listing were revealed, and the release date stated as 19 July of that year. It was the fifth Deep Purple album that Bob Ezrin had produced. The first single "Portable Door" was released on 30 April. A second single, "Pictures of You", was released on 5 June 2024. A third single, "Lazy Sod" was released on 5 July 2024.
In a May 2025 interview with Rolling Stone Brasil, Paice confirmed that Deep Purple had begun working on new material for their next album due for a possible 2026 release.
In a November 2025 interview with Uncut, Gillan confirmed that he had only 30% vision and that his eyesight "won't get better". He also opened up about potentially retiring from Deep Purple: "I think if I lose my energy I'm going to stop. I don't want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We're not far off that. It creeps up on you – you don't really notice." Gillan later retracted his statement about retiring, saying that they were often looking a long way ahead, and had no plans to retire at this stage.
Deep Purple's twenty-fourth studio album, SPLAT!×SPLAT!3 July 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Arrogant Boy3:192Diablo4:013The Rider3:574The Lunatic3:485The Only Horse in Town4:426Sacred Land3:337The Beating of Wings4:018Guilt Trippin’4:529Scriblin’ Gib’rish3:3510Jessica’s Bra3:4611Third Call4:1912My New Movie3:4513Splat!3:39, was released on 3 July 2026. The band will support the album by embarking on a North American tour with 24 dates through August and September 2026, with special guests Kansas and Jefferson Starship, followed by a tour Europe in the summer (which will include an appearance at the Hellfest music festival), and then UK tour dates in November with Mammoth and Jayler.
Prior to the release of SPLAT!, Deep Purple toured Japan in April 2026. During the tour, they were received by the country's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who is a drummer and a fan of the band since childhood. During the visit, Takaichi gifted Ian Paice a pair of Japanese made drumsticks, telling the drummer, "You are my god".
In June 2026, shortly before the release of SPLAT!, Paice confirmed that the band will likely begin working on a twenty-fifth studio album in 2027.
Original guitarist Ritchie Blackmore performed with Deep Purple for the first time in 33 years at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York on 12 August 2026, joining them for "Smoke on the Water×Smoke on the Water1994 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Black Night3:272Child in Time10:183Speed King4:254Strange Kind of Woman3:485Fireball3:246Smoke on the Water5:417Highway Star6:088Never Before (single edit)3:319Space Truckin’4:3210Woman From Tokyo5:4911Might Just Take Your Life3:3312Burn (single edit)4:3213Stormbringer4:0614Soldier of Fortune3:1415Hush4:2316Kentucky Woman (single edit)4:02" during the encore.

Artistry

Deep Purple are cited as one of the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The BBC states they "made up the 'unholy trinity' of British hard rock and heavy metal during the genre's 1970s golden age."
The band have spanned many subgenres of rock, including acid rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, blues rock and funk rock, prompting Canadian journalist Martin Popoff to call the band "a reference point of a genre in metal without categorisation." Jason Ankeny of AllMusic said the band "made hard rock a fine art, and unleashed some of the greatest guitar riffs known to the world."

Musical style

Deep Purple's members were experienced musicians with different musical backgrounds: Lord had trained in classical music and played in jazz and blues rock ensembles, Blackmore and Simper came from session work in pop rock and Paice and Evans came from beat bands. This is evident on the band's debut album, Shades of Deep Purple×Shades of Deep Purple17 July 1968 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1And the Address4:36A2Hush4:11A3One More Rainy Day3:15A4aPrelude: Happiness2:45A4bI’m So Glad4:53B1Mandrake Root5:55B2Help5:45B3Love Help Me3:34B4Hey Joe7:38, a contemporary mix of psychedelic rock, progressive rock and pop rock.
Traces of the heavier sound that Deep Purple popularized in their Mark II line-up can be heard in the remaining albums by Mark I, mostly evident in Blackmore's guitar parts. Evans was replaced by Ian Gillan, initially influenced by Elvis Presley and similarly had roots in psychedelia and pop rock, as vocalist for Episode Six with bassist Roger Glover, who replaced Simper. The first three Mark II studio albums have continued to attract critical praise as key early examples of the hard rock and heavy metal genres, while Who Do We Think We Are showed a move to a more blues-based sound, even featuring scat singing.
Certain songs from the Mark II line-up, such as "Speed King", "Hard Lovin' Man", "Fireball×FireballAugust 1971 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Fireball3:21A2No No No6:40A3Strange Kind of Woman4:04A4Anyone’s Daughter4:39B1The Mule5:16B2Fools8:15B3No One Came6:25" and "Highway Star", have been credited as early influences on speed metal and thrash metal. The latter song was called "early speed metal" by Robb Reiner of Canadian heavy metal band Anvil. "Hard Lovin' Man" has been referred to as the "first proto-thrash song ever", predating Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" and Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe" by a few years. Deep Purple have also experimented with funk and soul, mostly in the mid-1970s, but as recently as "One Night in Vegas" (2017), which has been described as funk metal.

Influences

According to Ritchie Blackmore, he was inspired by the Allman Brothers Band, Vanilla Fudge and Cream, but credits Jimi Hendrix as "the real deal for him and Deep Purple" and praising him as "at least 20 years ahead of his time." Hendrix's songs, "Stone Free" and "Fire", were the inspirations for "Speed King". Blackmore had the chance to meet Hendrix at Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, but they did not talk, he told SiriusXM's Guitar Greats in 2022.

Mountain was another major influence on Blackmore. After touring with them, Deep Purple was shocked by how heavy their sound was with just three members, making them want to pursue a heavier sound on Deep Purple In Rock. "I really loved Leslie West's playing, said Blackmore before reflecting on the first time hearing "Mississippi Queen"."I remember being in a place in Germany, and Ian [Paice] and I were out drinking together. In those days, you could go to a club and listen to the new records in their entirety that had just come out. Paice and I heard, 'Mississippi Queen', and we both went white! We were thinking, 'Who the hell is that?!' It had such a big sound! For three guys, it was incredibly heavy."Other members of Deep Purple have credited Jimmy Smith, Buddy Rich, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ella Fitzgerald, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly Jimmy McGriff, the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Free, the Who, Traffic, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and Jeff Buckley as influences.

Legacy and influence

Deep Purple have influenced a number of rock and metal acts including Accept, Aerosmith, Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Anvil, Blue Öyster Cult, Bon Jovi, Candlemass, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Cathedral, Celtic Frost, the Charlatans, Def Leppard, Dinosaur Jr., Dio, Dokken, Dream Theater, Europe, Exciter, Exodus, Fates Warning, Lita Ford, Heart, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, King's X, Kingdom Come, Kiss, London, Yngwie Malmsteen, Megadeth, the Melvins, Mercyful Fate, Metallica, Ministry, Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Night Ranger, Opeth, Overkill, Pantera, Prong, Queen, Queensrÿche, Rage Against the Machine, Rush, Saxon, Scorpions, Sepultura, Slayer, the Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Stryper, Stuck Mojo, Testament, Triumph, UFO, Van Halen, Venom, Winger, Wolfmother, and Y&T.
Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliot stated that "in 1971, there were only three bands that mattered: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple." Iron Maiden's bassist and primary songwriter, Steve Harris, states that his band's "heaviness" was inspired by "Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with a bit of Zeppelin thrown in." Van Halen founder Eddie Van Halen named "Burn" one of his favourite ever guitar riffs. Queen guitarist Brian May referred to Ritchie Blackmore as "a trail blazer and technically incredible — unpredictable in every possible way...you never knew what you were gonna see when you went to see Purple." Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich states, "When I was nine years old it was all about Deep Purple. My all time favourite [album] is still Made in Japan×Made in JapanDecember 1972 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Highway Star6:472Child in Time12:193Smoke on the Water7:274The Mule9:43Disc 21Strange Kind of Woman9:302Lazy10:393Space Truckin'19:50." The band's 1974 album Stormbringer×StormbringerNovember 1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Stormbringer4:022Love Don’t Mean a Thing4:213Holy Man4:254Hold On5:025Lady Double Dealer3:196You Can’t Do It Right (With the One You Love)3:227High Ball Shooter4:258The Gypsy4:029Soldier of Fortune3:12 was the first record owned by Till Lindemann, vocalist of German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.

In 2000, Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" programme. At the 2008 World Music Awards, the band received the Legend Award. In 2011, they received the Innovator Award at the 2011 Classic Rock Awards in London. A Rolling Stone readers' poll in 2012 ranked Made in Japan the sixth best live album of all time.
As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of Machine Head (1972), Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head was released in 2012. This tribute album included Iron Maiden, Metallica, Steve Vai, Carlos Santana, The Flaming Lips, Black Label Society, Papa Roach vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, Chickenfoot (former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers) and the supergroup Kings of Chaos (Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott, Steve Stevens, and former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum).
In 2007, Deep Purple were one of the featured artists in the fourth episode of the BBC/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock – an episode focusing on heavy metal. In May 2019 the group received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Before October 2012, Deep Purple had never been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (though they had been eligible since 1993), but were nominated for induction in 2012 and 2013. Despite ranking second in the public's vote on the Rock Hall fans' ballot, which had over half a million votes, they were not inducted by the Rock Hall committee. Kiss bassist Gene Simmons and Rush bassist Geddy Lee commented that Deep Purple should obviously be among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. There have been criticisms in the past over Deep Purple not having been inducted. Toto guitarist Steve Lukather commented, "they put Patti Smith in there but not Deep Purple? What's the first song every kid learns how to play? ["Smoke on the Water×Smoke on the Water1994 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Black Night3:272Child in Time10:183Speed King4:254Strange Kind of Woman3:485Fireball3:246Smoke on the Water5:417Highway Star6:088Never Before (single edit)3:319Space Truckin’4:3210Woman From Tokyo5:4911Might Just Take Your Life3:3312Burn (single edit)4:3213Stormbringer4:0614Soldier of Fortune3:1415Hush4:2316Kentucky Woman (single edit)4:02"] ... And they're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? ... the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has lost its cool because of the glaring omissions." Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash expressed his surprise and disagreement regarding the non-induction of Deep Purple: "The list of people who haven't even been nominated is mind-boggling ... [the] big one for me is Deep Purple. How could you not induct Deep Purple?". Metallica band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett had also lobbied for the band's induction.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in April 2014, Ulrich pleaded: "I'm not going to get into the politics or all that stuff, but I got two words to say: 'Deep Purple'. That's all I have to say: Deep Purple. Seriously, people, Deep Purple. Two simple words in the English language ... 'Deep Purple'! Did I say that already?" In 2015, Chris Jericho, professional wrestler and vocalist of rock band Fozzy, stated: "that Deep Purple are not in it [Hall of Fame]. It's bullshit. Obviously there's some politics against them from getting in there."

In response to these, a Hall of Fame chief executive said, "The definition of 'rock and roll' means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music." Roger Glover got an inside word in there and they were talking of us as not "fashionable" enough. "One of the jurors said, 'You know, Deep Purple, they're just one-hit wonders.' How can you deal with that kind of Philistinism, you know?".
Ian Gillan also commented, "I've fought all my life against being institutionalised and I think you have to actively search these things out, in other words mingle with the right people, and we don't get invited to those kind of things." On 16 October 2013 Deep Purple were again announced as nominees for inclusion to the Hall, and once again they were not inducted.
In April 2015, Deep Purple topped the list in a Rolling Stone readers poll of acts that should be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2015, the band were nominated for induction for the third time. In December 2015, the band were announced as 2016 inductees into the Hall of Fame, with the Hall stating: "Deep Purple's non-inclusion in the Hall is a gaping hole which must now be filled", adding that along with fellow inductees Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, the band make up "the Holy Trinity of hard rock and metal bands."
The band were officially inducted on 8 April 2016. The Hall of Fame announced that the following members were included as inductees: Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Rod Evans, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. Excluded from induction were Nick Simper, Tommy Bolin, Joe Lynn Turner, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse and Don Airey.
It was reported that Ian Gillan announced that he was barring Hughes, Coverdale, Evans and Blackmore from playing with them onstage, as these members are not in the current "living, breathing" version of the band. When interviewed by Loudwire he stated however that this was not the case. An email was sent from his management to Blackmore's management but Blackmore claimed he never received said email. Of the seven living inducted members, five showed up. Blackmore did not attend; a posting on his Facebook page claimed he was honoured by the induction and had considered attending, until he received correspondence from Bruce Payne, manager from the current touring version of Deep Purple saying, "No!" Evans, who had disappeared from the music scene more than three decades prior, also did not appear. Since Lord had died in 2012, his widow Vickie accepted his award on his behalf. The current members of the band played "Highway Star" for the opening performance. After a brief interlude playing the Booker T. & the M.G.'s song "Green Onions" while photos of the late Jon Lord flashed on the screen behind them, the current Deep Purple members played two more songs: "Hush" and their signature tune "Smoke on the Water". Although barred from playing with Deep Purple, both David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes (as well as Roger Glover) joined fellow inductees Cheap Trick and an all-star cast to perform a cover of the Fats Domino song "Ain't That a Shame".

Band members

Current members

Ian Paice – drums (1968–1976, 1984–present)
Roger Glover – bass, keyboards (1969–1973, 1984–present)
Ian Gillan – lead vocals, harmonica, percussion (1969–1973, 1984–1989, 1992–present)
Don Airey – keyboards (2002–present)
Simon McBride – guitars, backing vocals (2022–present)