In 1967, former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis contacted London businessman Tony Edwards, in the hope he would manage a new group he was putting together, to be called Roundabout. 1.11 Mk VIII (2002–present): Bananas, Rapture of the Deep, Now What?!, Infinite, Whoosh! and Turning to Crime.
This line-up was active from 1969 to 1973 and was revived from 1984 to 1989 and again from 1992 to 1993. Their second and most commercially successful line-up consisted of Ian Gillan (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass), who joined founder members Jon Lord (keyboards), Ian Paice (drums) and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar). The 1968–1976 line-ups are commonly labelled Mark I, II, III and IV. ĭeep Purple have had several line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus (1976–1984). 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 and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid- seventies". Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, but their musical approach has changed over the years. He splits his time between London, England, and Seattle, Washington.Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. In 1998, Dave was ranked one of rock’s five foremost authors in the respected U.K. His biography of rock star Kurt Cobain, Never Fade Away, sold over 250,000 copies, and he has written recent encyclopedias of alternative rock, funk, reggae and calypso, glam rock, punk, and pop (his reggae volume won an arsc award in 2003). Drawing from candid interviews with band members, associates, and fans alike, it traces the group through some of the most turbulent times that any band has survived, placing the band’s own music in vivid context and illustrating just how profoundly this one group helped change the world.ĭave Thompson is a highly experienced author with close to 20 years of high quality work and over 80 books to his name. Smoke on the Water is the first book in more than 20 years to tell the story of this remarkable band, from their grandiose inception in 1968 to the release of their latest album in 2003. It is now 35 years since Deep Purple first came together and today - 14 musicians, 17 albums, and millions of record sales later - the group remains a monster.