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Deep Purple
Deep Purple in 2004.jpg
L-R: Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, Don Airey and Steve Morse in 2004.
Background information
Also known as Roundabout
Origin Hertford, England
Genres Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock
Years active 1968–1976, 1984–present
Labels Tetragrammaton, Warner Bros., Polydor, BMG, EMI, Edel
Associated acts The Maze, Episode Six, Rainbow, Paice, Ashton & Lord, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Gillan & Glover, Hughes Turner Project, Living Loud
Members Ian Paice
Roger Glover
Ian Gillan
Steve Morse
Don Airey

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. The band is considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical approach changed over the years. Originally formed as a progressive rock band, the band shifted to a heavier sound in 1970. 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 copies of their albums worldwide.

Deep Purple have had several line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus (1976–1984). The 1968–1976 line-ups are commonly labelled Mark I, II, III and IV. Their second and most commercially successful line-up consisted of Ian Gillan (vocals), Jon Lord (keyboards, backing vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Paice (drums), and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar). This line-up was active from 1969 to 1973, and was revived from 1984 to 1989, and again from 1992 to 1993. The band achieved more modest success in the intervening periods between 1968 and 1969 with the line-up including Rod Evans (lead vocals) and Nick Simper (bass, backing vocals), between 1974 and 1976 with the line-up including David Coverdale (lead vocals) and Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals) (and Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore in 1975), and between 1989 and 1992 with the line-up including Joe Lynn Turner (vocals). The band's line-up (currently including Ian Gillan, and guitarist Steve Morse from 1994) has been much more stable in recent years, although keyboardist Jon Lord's retirement from the band in 2002 (being succeeded by Don Airey) left Ian Paice as the only original Deep Purple member still in the band.

Their best known song is "Smoke on the Water" from the album "Machine Head". Their album "Deep Purple in Rock" was a great hit and was rated #1 in Germany.

Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme and a poll on British 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. Deep Purple (specifically Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Gillan, Glover, Coverdale, Evans and Hughes) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

Images for kids

  • Deep Purple (1968)

    Deep Purple in 1968. Standing, left to right: Nick Simper, Ian Paice and Rod Evans. Seated: Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord

  • Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore 1970

    Ritchie Blackmore in Hannover, Germany, 1970

  • Deep Purple (1971)

    The classic Deep Purple line-up, 1971. Left to right: Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice.

  • Territethoteldesalpes

    Grand Hôtel de Territet outside Montreux where Machine Head – excluding "Smoke on the Water" – was recorded in December 1971

  • Ian Gillan (1972)

    Gillan on stage in Clemson, South Carolina, 1972

  • Deep Purple (1975)

    Collage of the Mark III lineup, with bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes (left) and co-lead vocalist David Coverdale (top) joining Blackmore, Paice and Lord

  • Jam I ad

    Deep Purple co-headlined the California Jam in 1974. They played to over 250,000 people at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, Southern California.

  • Deep Purple (UK Tour 1976)

    Promotional photo of Deep Purple for their 1976 UK Tour. Fltr (top row): David Coverdale, Ian Paice; (bottom row): Glenn Hughes, Tommy Bolin and Jon Lord

  • Roger Glover Steve Morse 2005

    Roger Glover and Steve Morse playing the intro to "Highway Star" at the Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, 2005

  • Deep Purple - MN Gredos - 01

    Glover and Morse in 2013 in Spain

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

    Glover, Gillan and Simon McBride performing in 2022

  • Deep Purple - inFinite - The Long Goodbye Tour - Barclaycard Arena Hamburg 2017 29

    Ian Paice (pictured in 2017). Ranked number 21 in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Drummers list, his magazine entry states, "without Deep Purple’s only continuous member, there would be no heavy metal drumming."

  • Dmitry Medvedev with Deep Purple 23 March 2011-1

    Current members of Deep Purple with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2011

  • Deep Purple Brazil march 2009

    Deep Purple in Brazil, March 2009

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Deep Purple para niños

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