Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as a

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album '' Deep Purple in Rock''. Deep Purple, together with

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were listed in the 1975 ''Guinness Book of World Records'' as " the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's

Rainbow Theatre The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as a cinema. It later became a music venue. Today, the building is used by the Universa ...

and have sold over 100 million records worldwide. Deep Purple have had several line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus (1976–1984). The first four line-ups, which constituted the band's original 1968–1976 run, are officially indicated as Mark I (1968–1969), Mark II (1969–1973), Mark III (1973–1975) and Mark IV (1975–1976). Mark II was the most commercially successful line-up, with Ian Gillan (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass) joining Jon Lord (keyboards), Ian Paice (drums) and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), the latter three having been members of Mark I with

Rod Evans Roderic Evans (born 19 January 1947) is a British former singer. In the late 1960s, he began his professional career in The Maze, formerly MI5, after which he was a member of the original Deep Purple line-up, who produced three studio albums ...

(vocals) and Nick Simper (bass). Mark III saw

David Coverdale David Coverdale (born 22 September 1951) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of Whitesnake, a hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after wh ...

(vocals) and

Glenn Hughes Glenn Hughes or Glen Hughes may refer to: *Glenn Hughes (musician), born 1951 *Glenn Hughes (American singer) (1950–2001) *Glenn Hughes (cricketer), born 1959 *Glen Hughes Glen Hughes is an Australian former professional rugby league footbal ...

(bass and vocals) replace Gillan and Glover, while Mark IV featured

Tommy Bolin Thomas Richard Bolin (August 1, 1951 – December 4, 1976) was an American guitarist and songwriter who played with Zephyr (from 1969 to 1971), The James Gang (from 1973 to 1974), and Deep Purple (from 1975 to 1976), in addition to maintaining a ...

(guitar) replacing Blackmore. Mark II was revived from 1984–1989 and again from 1992–1993, with Joe Lynn Turner (vocals) replacing Gillan in the intervening 1989–1992 period. Mark II definitively ended in 1993, when Blackmore left Deep Purple for the second and final time. He was replaced temporarily by Joe Satriani (guitar) and then permanently by Steve Morse (guitar). In 2002

Don Airey Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English musician who has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, after the retirement of Jon Lord. He has had a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore ...

(keyboards) replaced Lord, which saw Deep Purple settle into it's longest running line-up, unchanged for the next twenty years, until Morse announced his departure from the band in 2022. His place was taken by

Simon McBride Simon McBride (born 9 April 1979) is a Northern Irish singer and guitarist, who has played with other artists, including Deep Purple and Snakecharmer, as well as recording and touring his own band, and teaching at BIMM in Dublin. He was annou ...

(guitar). Ian Paice, Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Don Airey and Simon McBride comprise the current line-up of Deep Purple. Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

's ''Greatest Artists of Hard Rock'' programme, and a poll on radio station Planet Rock ranked them 5th among the "most influential bands ever". The band received the Legend Award at the 2008

World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world's ...

. Deep Purple (specifically Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Gillan, Glover, Coverdale, Evans, and Hughes) were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

in 2016.

History

Beginnings (1967–1968)

In 1967, former Searchers drummer

Chris Curtis Chris Curtis (born Christopher Crummey; 26 August 1941 – 28 February 2005) was an English drummer and singer who was best known for being with the 1960s Beat music, beat band The Searchers (band), The Searchers. He originated the concept be ...

contacted London businessman Tony Edwards, in the hope he would manage a new group he was putting together, to be called Roundabout. Curtis' vision was a "supergroup" where the band members would get on and off, like a musical roundabout. Impressed with the plan, Edwards agreed to finance the venture with his two business partners

John Coletta John Coletta (1932 – 9 July 2006) was an English music manager and music producer. He managed Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Praying Mantis and others. He started his career by taking the Teacher's Diploma in Art at Brighton College of ...

and Ron Hire, who comprised Hire-Edwards-Coletta Enterprises (HEC). The first recruit to the band was classically trained

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

player Jon Lord, Curtis's flatmate, who had most notably played with

the Artwoods The Artwoods (also sometimes known by Decca Records as the Art Woods) were an English rock band who formed in 1963 and were professionally active between 1964 and 1967. They were a popular live attraction, rivalling groups such as the Animals, a ...

(led by Art Wood, brother of future Faces and

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

guitarist Ronnie Wood, and including Keef Hartley). Lord was then performing in a backing band for the vocal group The Flower Pot Men (formerly known as the Ivy League), 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 the two that he had been recruited for the Roundabout project, after which Simper and Little 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 in 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 Screaming Lord Sutch (10 November 1940 – 16 June 1999), who had his name legally changed from David Edward Sutch, was an English musician and perennial parliamentary candidate. He was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party an ...

, and

Neil Christian Neil Christian (born Christopher Tidmarsh, 14 February 1943 – 4 January 2010) Related session musicians *Paul Brett *Jimmy Page *Ritchie Blackmore *Nicky Hopkins *Albert Lee *Mick Abrahams *Carlo Little See also *One-hit wonders in the UK ...

, the latter artist prompting Blackmore's move to Germany. Curtis's 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, forcing HEC to dismiss him from Roundabout. However, HEC was now intrigued with the possibilities Lord and Blackmore brought and persuaded Ritchie to return from Hamburg a second time. Lord and Blackmore began the recruitment of additional members, retaining Tony Edwards as their manager. Thompson, Dave
Chris Curtis Biography
Allmusic. Retrieved 12 December 2011 Lord convinced Nick Simper to join on bass, but Blackmore insisted they leave Carlo Little behind in favour of drummer

Bobby Woodman Bobbie Clarke (born Robert William Woodman, 13 June 1940 – 29 August 2014) was an English rock drummer. He was regarded by critics as an important figure in the configuration of early British rock and roll, although he is often chiefly reme ...

. 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 would live, write and rehearse at the house; it was fully kitted out with the latest

Marshall amplification Marshall is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, brands personal headphones and earphones, drums and bongos. The company also owns a record label called Marshall Records. It was founded in London ...

and, at Lord's request, a

Hammond C3 The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...

organ. According to Simper, "dozens" of singers were auditioned (including

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

and Woodman's friend Dave Curtiss) until the group heard

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.Welch, Chris. "The Story of Deep Purple." In ''Deep Purple: HM Photo Book'', copyright 1983, Omnibus Press. 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 Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

", named after his grandmother's favourite song. 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.

Mark I (1968–1969): ''Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn'' and ''Deep Purple''

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 Purple'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, released in July 1968 on Tetragrammaton in the United States and in September 1968 on Parlophone in the United Kingdom. The band, initially called Roundab ...

'', which was released in July by American label Tetragrammaton, and in September by UK label EMI.Thompson, Dave (2004). "Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story" pp.41–42. ECW Press. Retrieved 19 February 2012 Deep Purple's early sound was a blend of psychedelic and hard rock, with Lord often bringing a classical influence to the song structures. Vanilla Fudge was a notable influence on the band, Lord and Blackmore even claiming that, when the group started, they wanted to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone". The group had success in North America with Joe South's " Hush", and by September 1968, the song had reached number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US and number 2 in the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' chart, pushing the ''Shades'' LP up to No. 24 on ''Billboard''s pop albums chart.Miles, Barry (2009
The British Invasion: The Music, the Times, the Era
p.264. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2009 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 Taliesyn'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, recorded only three months after ''Shades of Deep Purple'' and released by Tetragrammaton Records in October 1968, just before their first US tour. The n ...

'', was quickly recorded, then released in North America in October 1968 to coincide with the tour. The album included

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

's " Kentucky Woman", which cracked the Top 40 in both the US (No. 38 on the ''Billboard'' chart) and Canada (No. 21 on the ''

'' chart), though sales for the album were not as strong (No. 54 in US, No. 48 in Canada). ''The Book of Taliesyn'' would not be released in the band's home country until the following year and, like its predecessor, it failed to have much impact in the UK Albums Chart. Early in 1969, the band released the non-album single "Emmaretta", named after Emmaretta Marks, then a cast member of the musical ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'', whom Evans was trying to seduce. By March of that year, the band had completed recording for their third album, ''

''. The album included the track "April", which featured strings and woodwind, showcasing Lord's classical antecedents such as Bach and Rimsky-Korsakov. This would be the last recording by Deep Purple Mark I. 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 finally 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 would release Deep Purple's records in the US throughout the 1970s). During the 1969 American tour, Lord and Blackmore met with Paice to discuss their desire to progress the heavy rock side of the band further. Having decided that Evans and Simper would not fit well with the style they envisioned, 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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and had eyes on being an actor, while Blackmore explained, "Rod just wanted to go to America and live in America." Steve Rosen Interview with Ritchie Blackmore, 1974
Retrieved from YouTube "Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar God, Part 1/5" on 14 January 2014. Evans would go on to co-form the hard rock/progressive rock band

Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at

in 1971.

Mark II (1969–1973): ''Concerto for Group and Orchestra, In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head,'' ''Made in Japan'' and ''Who Do We Think We Are''

In search of a replacement 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 Michael Peter Hayes (20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003), known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate ...

and more interested in his solo career. Blackmore had no other choice but to look elsewhere. The band sought out singer Ian Gillan from

Episode Six Episode Six were an English rock band formed in Harrow, London in 1965. The band did not have commercial success in the UK, releasing nine singles that all failed to chart, but they did find minor success in Beirut at the time. Group members Ia ...

, 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. This created Deep Purple Mark II, whose first release was a Roger Greenaway- Roger Cook tune titled "

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

". 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.Bloom, Jerry (2008). "Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore" p.128. Omnibus Press, 2008 Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore 1970

The band gained some much-needed publicity in September 1969 with the ''

Concerto for Group and Orchestra ''Concerto for Group and Orchestra'' is a live album by Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in September 1969. It consists of a concerto composed by Jon Lord, ...

'', a three-movement epic composed by Lord as a solo project and performed by the band at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, conducted by Malcolm Arnold. Alongside '' Days of Future Passed'' by the Moody Blues and ''

Five Bridges The "Five Bridges Suite" is a modern piece of music, written in the 1960s, combining classical music and jazz. Written about the UK city of Newcastle upon Tyne, it was released as an album by the Nice as ''Five Bridges'', which achieved the nu ...

'' 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 wouldn't be released until 1993. In 1975, Blackmore stated that he thought the ''Concerto for Group and Orchestra'' wasn't bad but the ''Gemini Suite'' was horrible and very disjointed. Roger Glover later claimed Jon Lord had appeared to be the leader of the band in the early years. Rockband Deep Purple in der Ostseehalle zum Auftakt ihrer Deutschlandtournee (Kiel 22

Rockband Deep Purple in der Ostseehalle zum Auftakt ihrer Deutschlandtournee (Kiel 22

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 name supported by the album's Mount Rushmore-inspired cover), which contained the then-concert staples " Speed King", "Into The Fire" and "

Child in Time "Child in Time" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, taken from their fourth studio album, ''Deep Purple in Rock'', released in 1970. The track is loosely inspired by the Cold War and runs over ten minutes. History and characteristic ...

". The non-album single " Black Night", released around the same time, finally put Deep Purple into the UK Top Ten.Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited 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.Charlton, Katherine (2003). ''Rock Music Styles: A History''. p. 241. McGraw Hill. Along with Zeppelin's '' Led Zeppelin II'' and Sabbath's '' Paranoid'', ''In Rock'' codified the budding heavy metal genre. Deep Purple (1971)

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 Fireball may refer to: Science * Fireball (meteor), a brighter-than-usual meteor * Ball lightning, an atmospheric electrical phenomenon * ''Bassia scoparia'', a plant species Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Fireball'', a 1950 film starring ...

'', was issued in the summer of 1971, reaching number 1 on the UK Albums Chart."Deep Purple: UK Charts"
Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 February 2015 The title track "

" was released as a single, as was "

Strange Kind of Woman "Strange Kind of Woman" is a song by British rock band Deep Purple that was originally released as a follow-up single after "Black Night" in early 1971. The song also became a hit, peaking at No. 8 on the UK chart and Germany, and No. 1 in De ...

", 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. Territethoteldesalpes

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 canceled 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 Montreux Casino (Casino Barrière de Montreux) is a casino located in Montreux, Switzerland, on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. It has served as the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire memorialized in the D ...

using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, but a fire during a

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

and the Mothers of Invention concert, caused by a man firing a flare gun into the ceiling, burned down the Casino. This incident famously inspired the song " Smoke on the Water". 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 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

: “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'' 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' "Space Truckin'" is a song by British hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the seventh and final track on the ''Machine Head'' album and its lyrics talk of space travel. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore claims in '' Classic Albums: Deep Purple – The ...

", " 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. Ian Gillan (1972)

In January 1972 the band returned to tour the US once again, 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 Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

, 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 Japan may refer to: *Products made in Japan; see Manufacturing in Japan Music * Made in Japan (band), an Australian indie rock band, 2009–2014 Albums * ''Made in Japan'' (Deep Purple album), 1972 * ''Made in Japan'' (Flower Trav ...

''. 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'' 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. But 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 was 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): ''Burn'' and ''Stormbringer''

The band hired Midlands bassist/vocalist

, 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 Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

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

, an unknown singer from

Saltburn Saltburn-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Saltburn, is a seaside town in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England, around south-east of Hartlepool and southeast of Redcar. It lies within the historic boundaries of the North Rid ...

in north-east England, primarily because Blackmore liked his masculine, blues-tinged voice. Deep Purple (1975)

Deep Purple Mark III's first album, '' Burn'', released in February 1974, was highly successful, 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 Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer,

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

and Gentle Giant. Jam I ad

Mark III embarked on a spring tour that included shows at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, New York, on 13 March, and

Nassau Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, east of New York City. The Long Island venue is approximately east of the eastern limits of the New York City Borough of ...

four days later. The band co-headlined (with Emerson, Lake & Palmer) the California Jam festival at

Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: USAC (and now In ...

in Ontario, southern California, on 6 April 1974. Attracting over 250,000 fans, the festival also included 1970s rock giants

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

and Earth, Wind & Fire. Portions of the show were telecast on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Television in the US, exposing the band to a wider audience. During the show Blackmore, accidently, blew up the stage, when his intention to set fire to his amplifiers, for visual effect, didn't go according to plan, although he was still pleased with the result. A month later, the band's 22 May performance at the

Gaumont State Cinema Gaumont State Cinema is a Grade II* listed Art Deco theatre located in Kilburn, a district in northwest London. Building Designed by George Coles and commissioned and built by Phillip and Sid Hyams, the cinema opened in 1937. The ''Gaumont St ...

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 that received much 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, particularly it's funk and soul elements, derisively calling it "shoeshine music". A new live album, '' Made in Europe'', culled from three shows on the ''Stormbringer'' tour, was assembled during the summer of 1975, but wouldn't see release until late 1976. Blackmore left the band on 21 June 1975 to form his own band with

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...

of Elf, called Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, shortened to Rainbow after the first album.

Mark IV (1975–1976): ''Come Taste the Band''

Following Blackmore's departure, the group considered disbanding but decided to continue and find another guitarist. Clem Clempson ( Colosseum,

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black Cof ...

), Zal Cleminson ( The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), Mick Ronson (

The Spiders From Mars The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s, and initially consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums. The group had its origins in Bowie's earlier ba ...

) and Rory Gallagher were considered, and the final choice was American

. 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 ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' 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 In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fiction Fiction media * ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turkish ...

, 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 Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

album '' Spectrum'', and as lead guitarist on two post- Joe Walsh

James Gang James Gang is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass), and ...

albums: ''

Bang Bang or bangs may refer to: Products * M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang * Bang, a model car brand * Bang (beverage), an energy drink Geography * Bang, Lorestan, a village in Iran * Bangs, Ohio, Uni ...

'' (1973) and '' Miami'' (1974). He had also played with

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

, Albert King, the Good Rats, Moxy and Alphonse Mouzon, and was busy working on his first solo album, ''

Teaser Teaser may refer to: * One who teases * Teaser (animal), a male livestock animal (typically a bull) whose penis has been amputated, "''gomer''" Film exhibition, broadcasting, advertising * Teaser (trailer), a short film used to advertise an ...

'', when he accepted the invitation to join Deep Purple. Tommy Bolin with a Yamaha SX

The resulting album from Deep Purple Mark IV, ''

Come Taste the Band ''Come Taste the Band'' is the tenth studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, originally released in November 1975. It was co-produced and engineered by the band and longtime associate Martin Birch. It was the final Deep Purple studi ...

'', was released in October 1975, one month before Bolin's ''Teaser'' album. Despite mixed reviews and middling sales (#19 in the UK and #43 in the US), the collection revitalised the band once again, bringing a new, extreme funk edge to their

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. The break-up was finally 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". Bolin went on to record his second solo album, '' Private Eyes''. On 4 December 1976, after a show in Miami supporting

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

, 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.Nick Talevski (2006)
Knocking on Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries
p.42-43. Omnibus Press, 2006

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–present, David Coverdale, Jon Lord until 1984 and Ian Paice from 1980–1982) and Gillan (1978–1982, Ian Gillan). Ian Gillan also joined

from the end of 1982 to the beginning of 1984 (Glenn Hughes would also join Sabbath for a short time later in the 1980s). The now-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 fueled 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 with Rod Evans (who had left

Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at

at the end of 1973) as the only member who had ever been in Deep Purple, eventually ending in successful legal action from the legitimate Deep Purple camp over unauthorised use of the name. Evans was ordered to pay damages of US$672,000 for using the band name without permission.

Mark II reunion (1984–1989): ''Perfect Strangers'' and ''The House of Blue Light''

file:Deep Purple (1985).jpg, Mark II at the Cow Palace, San Francisco, 1985. Pictured left to right: Glover, Gillan, Paice, Blackmore (not pictured: Lord). 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 PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

, with Mercury Records releasing their albums in the US, and Polydor Records in the UK and other countries. The album '' Perfect Strangers'' was recorded in Vermont and released in October 1984. The album was commercially successful, reaching number 5 in the UK Albums Chart and number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US. The album included the singles and concert staples "Knockin' At Your Back Door" and " Perfect Strangers". ''Perfect Strangers'' became the second Deep Purple album to go platinum in the US, following ''Machine Head'' (''Made in Japan'' would also finally hit platinum status in the US in 1986, the same year ''Machine Head'' increased to double platinum). Deep Purple Open-Air Mannheim Maimarktgelände 29

Deep Purple Open-Air Mannheim Maimarktgelände 29

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 Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

. The UK homecoming saw the band perform a concert at Knebworth on 22 June 1985 (with main support from the Scorpions; also on the bill were

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

and Meat Loaf), where the weather was bad (torrential rain and 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 ''The House of Blue Light'' is the 12th studio album by British rock band Deep Purple, released in 1987. It was the second recording by the reformed Mark II line-up, and the sixth studio album overall by this formation of the band. Recording ...

'' 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 ''NoBody's Perfect'' is a 2008 feature documentary produced and directed by Niko von Glasow. The film won the German Film Award for Best Documentary Film at the Deutscher Filmpreis in 2009, and has gone on to receive worldwide acclaim, resulting ...

'', 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 twentieth anniversary of Deep Purple.

Mark V (1989–1992): ''Slaves and Masters''

file:Deep Purple (1991).jpg, Deep Purple in 1991. Back: Jon Lord; front left to right: Joe Lynn Turner, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Roger Glover. 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 (band), 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 White spirit (AU, UK & Ireland)Primarily in the United Kingdom and Australia. In New Zealand "white spirit" can also refer to Coleman fuel (white gas). or mineral spirits (US, Canada), also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitu ...

, Ted Nugent, Bad Company), Doug Pinnick ( King's X), Australians Jimmy Barnes ( Cold Chisel) and

John Farnham John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...

( Little River Band), Terry Brock (Strangeways, Giant) and Norman "Kal" Swan ( Tytan,

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, 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 Masters'' is the thirteenth studio album by the British rock band Deep Purple, and was released on 23 October 1990. This is the only Deep Purple album to feature former Rainbow lead vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, who had joined the pre ...

'' (1990), and undertook a world tour for most of 1991. The album achieved modest success, reaching number 45 in the UK and number 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): ''The Battle Rages On...''

With the tour complete, the band set to work on another album, the early sessions of which saw Turner being forced out. 1993 would be Deep Purple's twenty-fifth 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 prefered Turner to remain in the group, he eventually, grudgingly, relented, after requesting and eventually receiving 250,000 dollars in his bank account and Mark II completed the aptly-titled '' The Battle Rages On...'' in 1993. Despite going ahead with another reunion, Blackmore still publicly disagreed with the decision, which led to a new level of, very public, tension between himself and the rest of the band, particularly Gillan. Of particular contention was that Gillan reworked much of the existing material which had been written with Turner for the new album. Blackmore felt Gillan's rewrites 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'', released in 1994. A live home video of the same name was also released, covering a show in Birmingham, England, with an album of the complete show being released in 2006 as ''Live at the NEC'', but this latter release was quicky withdrawn after Gillan publicly complained, feeling it represented a bad time in the groups history: "It was one of the lowest points of my life – all of our lives, actually".Deep Purple live album withdrawn
BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2012 Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple for the second and final time, after a show in Helsinki, Finland on 17 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 commitments to his contract with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

prevented this. The band unanimously chose Dixie Dregs/ Kansas guitarist Steve Morse to become Satriani's successor on August 23, 1994.

Mark VII (1994–2002): ''Purpendicular'' and ''Abandon''

Morse's arrival revitalised the band creatively, and in 1996 a new album titled ''

Purpendicular ''Purpendicular'' is the fifteenth studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, released in 1996. It is their first album with guitarist Steve Morse from Dixie Dregs, who replaced Ritchie Blackmore. Recording The album was recorded at G ...

'' was released, showing a wide variety of musical styles. Though in the post-grunge mid '90s it was no surprise that it never made chart success on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.. This Mark VII line-up then released a new live album ''

Live at The Olympia '96 ''Live at the Olympia '96'' is a live double album by British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded at the Olympia in Paris on 17 June 1996 during the '' Purpendicular'' tour and released in 1997. Initial copies of the release have a ...

'' 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 Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to: Common uses * Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded * Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property ** Chi ...

'' in 1998, and touring with renewed enthusiasm. Deep Purple in 1995. Left to right: Steve Morse, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice. In 1999, Lord, with the help of a Dutch fan, who was also a musicologist and composer,

Marco de Goeij Marco de Goeij (born 1967 in Gouda) is a Dutch composer, known for having reconstructed the lost musical score for Jon Lord's ''Concerto for Group and Orchestra'' in 1999. De Goeij studied classical guitar at the Utrecht School of the Arts, gr ...

, painstakingly recreated the ''

'', the original score having been lost. It was once again performed at the

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 commemorated on the 2000 album ''

In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra ''In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra'' (also cited as ''In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Paul Mann'') is a live album and DVD by the British hard rock band Deep Purple, recorded on 25–26 September 1999 at ...

''.Buckley, Peter (2003). The rough guide to rock. p.280. Rough Guides. Retrieved 23 October 2011 2001 saw the release of the

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

The Soundboard Series ''The Soundboard Series'' is a live box set recorded and released by the band Deep Purple in 2001. The set contains six double CDs featuring recordings from six different concerts. Two of the concerts feature the band's seldom performed Concert ...

'', 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 (who, along with Paice, was the only member to be in all incarnations of the band) announced his amicable retirement from the band to pursue personal projects (especially orchestral work). Lord left his Hammond organ to his replacement, rock keyboard veteran

, who had helped Deep Purple out when Lord's knee was injured in 2001. Airey had previously worked with Glover as a member of Rainbow from 1979-1982.

Mark VIII (2002–2022): ''Bananas'', ''Rapture of the Deep'', ''Now What?!'', ''Infinite'', ''Whoosh!'' and ''Turning to Crime''

In 2003, the new Mark VIII line-up released '' Bananas'', their first studio album in five years, and began touring in support.

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

refused a contract extension with Deep Purple, possibly because of lower than expected sales. Actually ''In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra'' sold more than ''Bananas''. Roger Glover Steve Morse 2005

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 Deep'' is the 18th studio album by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in October 2005. It is the fourth studio album from Deep Purple since Steve Morse joined the band in 1994 and the second to feature veteran keyboar ...

'', which was followed by the Rapture of the Deep tour. Both ''Bananas'' and ''Rapture of the Deep'' were produced by

Michael Bradford Michael Bradford (born 1961) is an American musician. A native of Detroit, Michigan he is known mainly as a bass guitarist but also plays guitar and keyboards, and has done extensive work in music production and engineering. Among others, Brad ...

. 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

they would like to reunite Mark III for the right opportunity, such as a benefit concert. The current band's chief sound engineer on 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. Deep Purple - MN Gredos - 01

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?!'' is the 19th studio album by English rock band Deep Purple. It was released on 26 April 2013 and produced by Bob Ezrin. A dedicated official web site was also created by the band to post updates about the album. It was the band's ...

'', which was recorded and mixed in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, 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. The band's performance at Waken Open Air later 2013, and in Tokyo in 2014, were released in 2015 as the live albums and DVDs ''From the Setting Sun...'' and ''...to the Rising Sun''. Deep Purple at Wacken Open Air 2013 26

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 The Long Goodbye Tour was a concert tour by British hard rock band Deep Purple in support for their 20th studio album, ''Infinite''. Background Drummer Ian Paice suffered a minor stroke in June 2016, which affected his right hand, knuckles, t ...

. 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!'' 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 October 6, 2021, the band had announced the title of their covers album, '' Turning to Crime'' which was released on 26 November 2021.

Mark IX (2022–present)

2022 Lieder am See - Deep Purple - by 2eight - 7DS2746

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

, formerly of

Sweet Savage Sweet Savage are a heavy metal band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 1979. Future Dio and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell was an early member. Since forming in 1979, Sweet Savage have released three studio albums, three single ...

, 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 battles cancer. Later that September, McBride was made an official member of the band. 2022 Lieder am See - Deep Purple - by 2eight - 9SC7190

2022 Lieder am See - Deep Purple - by 2eight - 9SC7190

In June 2022, Gillan announced that the band plans to work on their twenty-third studio album after the conclusion of the ''Whoosh!'' 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."

Legacy

Deep Purple are cited as one of the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal, along with

and

. The BBC states they “made up the ‘unholy trinity’ of British hard rock and heavy metal during the genre's 1970s golden age.” The group have influenced a number of rock and metal bands including

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

, Queen,

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

, Van Halen, Alice in Chains,

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

, Europe,

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

, Motörhead, and many new wave of British heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, and Def Leppard. Iron Maiden's bassist and primary songwriter,

Steve Harris Steve Harris may refer to: * Steve Harris (musician) (born 1956), founder member and bassist of the band Iron Maiden * Steve Harris (actor) (born 1965), American film and TV actor * Steve Harris (basketball) (1963–2016), American basketball playe ...

, 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 Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...

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 Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...

states, "When I was nine years old it was all about Deep Purple. My all time favourite lbumis still ''

''". The band's 1974 album ''Stormbringer'' was the first record owned by Till Lindemann, vocalist of German

Neue Deutsche Härte Neue Deutsche Härte (; "new German hardness"), sometimes abbreviated as NDH, is a subgenre of rock music that developed in Germany and Austria during the early-to-mid 1990s and during the early 2000s. Alluding to the style of Neue Deutsche Well ...

band Rammstein. Deep Purple - inFinite - The Long Goodbye Tour - Barclaycard Arena Hamburg 2017 29

While firmly placed in the hard rock and heavy metal categories, Deep Purple's music frequently incorporated elements of

and

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

, prompting Canadian journalist Martin Popoff to once call the band "a reference point of a genre in metal without categorisation." In 2000, Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on

's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" programme. At the 2008

, the band received the Legend Award. In 2011, they received the Innovator Award at the 2011 '' Classic Rock'' Awards in London."CR Awards: The Winners"
Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2012 A '' Rolling Stone'' readers' poll in 2012 ranked ''

'' the sixth best live album of all time."Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Live Albums of All Time"
. '' Rolling Stone''. Retrieved 22 November 2012 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 Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

, The Flaming Lips, Black Label Society,

Papa Roach Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther. After ...

vocalist Jacoby Shaddix,

Chickenfoot Chickenfoot is an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2008. The group consists of vocalist Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen and - Montrose), bassist Michael Anthony (also ex-Van Halen), guitarist Joe Satriani, and drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili ...

(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 Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott (born 1 August 1959) is an English–Irish rock singer, best known as the lead singer and one of the founding members of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of the David Bowie tribute ba ...

, Steve Stevens, and former

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

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 ''Seven Ages of Rock'' (also known as ''7 Ages of Rock'') is a BBC Two series, co-produced by BBC Worldwide and VH1 Classic in 2007 about the history of rock music. It comprised six 60-minute episodes (reduced to 48 minutes for VH1 Classic) ...

'' – 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

(though they have been eligible since 1993), but were nominated for induction in 2012 and 2013."Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy Nominated for Rock Hall of Fame"
Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2012 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 Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

and

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 Toto may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Pets * Toto (Oz), Toto (''Oz''), a dog in the novel and film ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' * Toto, in Japanese ''The Cat Returns#Plot, The Cat Returns'' Characters of agency * a ...

guitarist

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

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"nbsp;... 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."

and Velvet Revolver guitarist

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

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 ... hebig one for me is Deep Purple. How could you not induct Deep Purple?". Metallica band members

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...

and Kirk Hammett have 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

all of Fame All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * All (All album), ...

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 remained ambivalent about induction and got an inside word from the Hall, "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."Nirvana, Kiss, Hall and Oates Nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame".
''Rolling Stone''. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013. 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 was 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. Prior to the induction ceremony, 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. Of the seven living inducted members, five showed up. Blackmore didn't 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!" In interviews at the Rock Hall, however, Gillan insisted he personally invited Blackmore to attend. In an interview later on, Gillan mentioned he invited Blackmore to play "Smoke on the Water" at the ceremony, but Blackmore believes he did not receive that invitation. Evans, who had disappeared from the music scene more than three decades prior, also didn't appear. Since Lord had died in 2012, his wife 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"."Deep Purple Rocks Hall of Fame With Hits-Filled Set"
. ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved 19 October 2016

Band members

Current members

* Ian Paice – drums * Roger Glover – bass * Ian Gillan – vocals, harmonica, percussion *

– keyboards *

– guitar

Former members

* Jon Lord – keyboards, string arrangements, backing vocals * Ritchie Blackmore – guitars * Nick Simper – bass, backing vocals *

– lead vocals (1968–1969) *

– bass, backing and lead vocals (1973–1976) *

– lead and backing vocals *

– guitars, backing vocals * Joe Lynn Turner – lead vocals * Joe Satriani – guitars * Steve Morse – guitars

Touring musicians

Christopher Cross Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. He won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's T ...

– guitar * Randy California – guitar * Candice Night – backing vocals *

Nick Fyffe Nick Fyffe (born 14 October 1972) is an English bassist, known for being an ex-bassist of English funk group Jamiroquai. He replaced Stuart Zender in 1999 with the release of the album ''Synkronized''. He was in the process of applying to a Ja ...

– bass * Jordan Rudess – keyboards

Concert tours

Dmitry Medvedev with Deep Purple 23 March 2011-1

Deep Purple are considered to be one of the hardest touring bands in the world. They have toured the world since 1968 (with the exception of their 1976–1984 split). In 2007, the band received a special award for selling more than 150,000 tickets in France, with 40 dates in the country in 2007 alone. Also in 2007, Deep Purple's Rapture of the Deep tour was voted number 6 concert tour of the year (in all music genres) by Planet Rock listeners. The Rolling Stones'

A Bigger Bang tour A Bigger Bang was a worldwide concert tour by the Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album '' A Bigger Bang''. At the time, it was the highest grossing tour of all time, earning $558,255,52 ...

was voted number 5 and beat Purple's tour by only 1%. Deep Purple released a new live compilation DVD box, Around the World Live, in May 2008. In February 2008, the band made their first-ever appearance at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia at the personal request of

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

who at the time was a chairman of the state owned

Gazprom PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐzˈprom) is a Russian majority state-owned multinational energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. As of 2019, with sales over $120 billion, it was ranked as the larges ...

company, which sponsored the concert, and who was considered a shoo-in for the seat of the Presidency of Russia. Prior to that, Deep Purple has toured Russia several times starting as early as 1996 but has not been considered to have played such a significant venue previously. The band was part of the entertainment for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in

Liberec Liberec (; german: Reichenberg ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants and it is the fifth-largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preser ...

, the Czech Republic. *Deep Purple Debut Tour, 1968 in Scandinavian countries *Shades of Deep Purple Tour, 1968 *The Book of Taliesyn Tour, 1968–1969 * Deep Purple European Tour, (pre-tour for In Rock) 1969–1970 *In Rock World Tour, 1970–1971 *Fireball World Tour, 1971–1972 *Machine Head World Tour, 1972–1973 *Deep Purple European Tour, (pre-tour for Burn) 1973–1974 *Burn World Tour, 1974 *Stormbringer World Tour, 1974–1975 *Come Taste The Band World Tour, 1975–1976 *Perfect Strangers Tour, World Tour, aka Reunion Tour 1984–1985 *The House of Blue Light World Tour, 1987–1988 *Slaves and Masters World Tour, 1991 *Deep Purple 25 Years Anniversary World Tour, aka The Battle Rages on Tour, 1993 *Deep Purple and Joe Satriani Tour, 1993–1994 *Deep Purple Secret Mexican Tour (short warm-up tour with Steve Morse), 1994 *Deep Purple Secret USA Tour, 1994–1995 *Deep Purple Asian & African Tour, 1995 *Purpendicular World Tour, 1996–1997 *A Band on World Tour, 1998–1999 *Concerto World Tour, 2000–2001 *Deep Purple World Tour, 2001–2003 *Bananas World Tour, 2003–2005 * Rapture of the Deep tour, 2006–2011 * The Songs That Built Rock Tour, 2011–2012 *Now What? World Tour, 2013–2015 *World Tour 2016, 2016 *

, 2017–2019 *Whoosh! Tour, 2022

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (1968) *''

'' (1969) *'' Deep Purple in Rock'' (1970) *''

'' (1971) *'' Machine Head'' (1972) *'' Who Do We Think We Are'' (1973) *'' Burn'' (1974) *'' Stormbringer'' (1974) *''

'' (1975) *'' Perfect Strangers'' (1984) *''

'' (1987) *''

'' (1990) *'' The Battle Rages On...'' (1993) *''

'' (1996) *''

'' (1998) *'' Bananas'' (2003) *''

'' (2005) *''

'' (2013) *'' Infinite'' (2017) *'' Whoosh!'' (2020) *'' Turning to Crime'' (2021)

Notes

References

*''Deep Purple: The Illustrated Biography'', Chris Charlesworth, Omnibus Press, 1983, *''Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story'', Dave Thompson, ECW Press, 2004, *''The Complete Deep Purple'', Michael Heatley, Reynolds & Hearn, 2005, *''Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story'', Greg Prato, Createspace, 2008, .

External links

*
The Highway Star - The original Deep Purple Fan site
* {{Authority control 1968 establishments in England EMI Records artists English blues rock musical groups English hard rock musical groups English heavy metal musical groups English progressive rock groups English psychedelic rock music groups Harvest Records artists Ian Gillan Kerrang! Awards winners Musical groups established in 1968 Musical groups disestablished in 1976 Musical groups reestablished in 1984 Musical quintets Musical groups from London Musicians from Hertfordshire Parlophone artists Polydor Records artists Warner Records artists