Deep Purple & Special Guests

Roger Glover:

Roger David Glover was born on November 30th, 1945, at Brecon in South Wales. When he was nine his parents decided to become publicans near Earls Court, where Roger listened to visiting groups. He had taken piano lessons but skiffle, blues and rock became his prime musical interest.

Roger took up the bass because it seemed an easier instrument to play than a regular six string guitar. The family moved to Pinner, and Roger attended Harrow County Grammar School where in 1961 he formed The Madisons with friends. They became proficient enough to be occasionally booked at London venues like the Last Chance Club. In 1963 Roger went on to Hornsey College of Art but kept in touch with his friends, who decided to merge with members of another school band The Lightnings, and they became Episode Six in early 1964. Episode Six began cutting demos to try and get a deal, and an agent found them work all over the south of England and in Europe. When their singer Andy Ross quit in early 1965 they recruited Ian Gillan and got a deal with Pye Records.

In 1969 Gillan was offered an audition with Deep Purple. Taking Glover along on a session basis for a recording, the band liked his playing and writing skills and offered him a job as well. Glover stayed until 1973. During that time he became interested in production work, helping on some of the Deep Purple albums, as well as other artists on their new label Purple Records. Glover left in June 1973 when he heard Blackmore wanted to fire him.

He went straight into full time production work with Rory Gallagher, Nazareth and many others. He also developed The Butterfly Ball album in 1974, and a solo album Elements. He was recruited by Ritchie Blackmore to produce and then join Rainbow in 1979, staying with them until the Deep Purple reunion in 1984.

He cut a second solo album The Mask, recorded Accidentally On Purpose with Ian Gillan for Virgin Records, and recently cut a third solo album Snapshot. He also produced all the Deep Purple reunion albums until 2003.

Don Airey:

Born in Sunderland, in 1948, Don Airey turned professional upon graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music in 1972. After touring the club and cruise ship circuit he moved to London, where he joined Cozy Powell's band Hammer in 1974. In 1975 he joined jazz/rock act Colosseum II, recording three albums with them between 1975-78, and also working with Andrew Lloyd-Webber on the theme music for the 'South Bank Show' TV arts programme.

In December 1978 Don joined up with Cozy Powell for a second time, this time in Rainbow. His tenure included the band's most commercially successful years from 1979-1981, playing on the hit singles 'Since You Been Gone', 'All Night Long' and 'I Surrender'.

He joined Ozzy Osbourne's band until 1985, having already played on the 'Blizzard Of Ozz' album in 1980 (and also Black Sabbath's 'Never Say Die' in 1978). He was next drafted in to play keyboards on Whitesnake's enormously successful '1987' album, and later its follow up 'Slip Of The Tongue'. Don also contributed (both live and in the studio) to such acts as Alaska, Jethro Tull, and Gary Moore, as well as recording a solo album, K2, in 1988.

The 90's saw him composing music for corporate ID's (everything from British Airways to Glenfiddich Whiskey) , as well as playing on sessions, and group projects such as Quatermass II with Nick Simper, and Silver with ex-Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme. In 1997 he arranged the Eurovision Song Contest winner 'Love Shine A Light' for Katrina & The Waves. He also toured with Uli Jon Roth, ELO II, Brian May, Colin Blunstone, The Bonnet / Airey Band, and from 1998-2001 Company of Snakes (reliving former glories with Whitesnake!).

In August 2001, Deep Purple invited Don to temporarily replace Jon Lord for a European tour. That invitation was extended to a permanent residency in 2002. Just like Purple bandmate Steve Morse, Airey often has different group and solo projects on the go, so it was no great surprise when he teamed up with Steve, plus his old Ozzy Osbourne bandmates Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake for the (still ongoing) Living Loud project in 2003.

Ian Gillan:

Ian Gillan was born on August 19th 1945 in Hounslow and was brought up in this Middlesex suburb in an atmosphere where musical endeavour was highly regarded. He was introduced to rock and roll by Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel' and at 16 decided to form a group, The Moonshiners. A few weeks later he was poached by The Javelins. It was October 1962, and Ian jacked school in mid-term.

Ian took the stage name Jess Gillan or Jess Thunder, and The Javelins worked hard for two years semi-pro until December 1964 when Gillan was again head-hunted, by Wainwrights Gentlemen, a soul big-band. He only stayed a few months and was invited to join Episode Six in early summer 1965. Episode Six's career was long and busy. They gigged continuously for four years and issued singles for Pye and others. In the band Gillan met founder member Roger Glover, while Mick Underwood later joined on drums. The group were highly thought of but never had any serious chart success in the UK and by early 1969 were hard up. Drummer Mick Underwood mentioned Ian to his old mate Ritchie Blackmore, looking for a singer to front Deep Purple, and Gillan got the job.

He devoted himself to Deep Purple for four years, with only a session on Jesus Christ Superstar, some production work for Jerusalem and others, and a few solo ideas breaking his concentration.

When he left in Deep Purple 1973, it was to start a number of business ventures - a recording studio (Kingsway), a deluxe Hotel (The Springs), and a motorbike engine company. It wasn't until 1974 that he began developing ideas which eventually became The Ian Gillan Band in 1975, which after two years doing jazz-rock changed line-up and became simply Gillan, employing a more direct rock direction. They enjoyed European success, with hit singles and albums, before running out of steam in 1982.

With the possibility of a Deep Purple reunion under discussion, Ian Gillan accepted an invitation to join Black Sabbath for a year, recording one album with them, and leaving just before the reunion became fact in 1984. Ian left Deep Purple again in 1989, after two studio albums and a joint solo-album with Roger Glover. He then recorded a solo album, put together a new version of Gillan for one album, and toured extensively before rejoining Deep Purple in 1992.

Steve Morse:

Born in Hamilton, Ohio on July 28, 1954. Steve started off playing in a school bands, including the Dixie Grits, formed around 1970 while he was at Richmond Military Academy. After they broke up he became bandleader, songwriter and guitarist for instrumental band Dixie Dregs, which included former Grits bassist Andy West. Formed while Steve was studying music at the University of Miami, the quintet later released six albums between 1977 and 1982, the last three simply as The Dregs. Straight after their dissolution in 1983 Steve formed a trio initially called Morse Code, which soon changed to the Steve Morse Band.

The new group had only just started when Steve embarked on a world tour playing an acoustic solo set, as opener for Al DiMeola, John Mc Laughlin and Paco DeLucia. Another (non-recording) side-project was Biff Baby's Allstars, put together to help promote Music man guitars. All of this helped Steve Morse to recognition among guitar players, a cult figure who earned great success in readers' polls in musicians' magazines.

In 1986 he joined US pomp rockers Kansas before becoming disillusioned with the music industry, and retiring to become an airline pilot. Despite that, he continued to perform sessions, joined Lynyrd Skynyrd for a show on their 1987 reunion tour which was subsequently released on CD, reunited the Dixie Dregs in 1988, and recorded and toured with Kansas (in addition performing as their support act in 1989 and 1991).

Steve formed a new incarnation of the Steve Morse Band in 1989, with Dave La Rue on bass and Van Romaine on drums, which has remained intact to this day, recording and touring purely instrumental sets; including an appearance at Deep Purple's Concerto concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1999. Steve has also found time to record and tour with the Dixie Dregs, as well as producing a string of solo albums.

In 1994 he joined Deep Purple as permanent replacement for Ritchie Blackmore, and has remained with them now for over ten years, contributing heavily to three studio sets and countless live albums. In 2004 he also recorded and played live as part of Living Loud, a band also comprising ex Ozzy Osbourne band members Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, Australian singer Jimmy Barnes, and current Deep Purple bandmate Don Airey.