Appendix A – The Deep Purple Syndrome (A Heavy Metal Family Tree)
The original line up of Deep Purple consisted of Richie Blackmore (Guitar), Ian Paice (Drums), Rod Evans (Vocals), Nick Simper(Bass) and Jon Lord (Keyboards). They proved to be a force of Jazz influenced Blues musicians with a head for the rock n’ roll lifestyle. But the group began to have creative differences from nearly the outset. Once the legendary group began to have internal personnel issues (mostly because of Richie Blackmore’s reportedly odd behavior), the line up began to change quickly and often.
Original singer Rod Evans and Bass player Nick Simper were sacked after the band’s record label went belly up. The rumors said it had to do with the lighter music Evans was pursuing, most notably a ditty penned for a woman in the musical
Hair he was trying to seduce; the band, looking for a heavier sound, took that moment to drop them both. Ian Gillan and Roger Glover were recruited from the band Episode Six and would later take the group to new musical heights. This is the legendary line-up that recorded the hits “Smoke on the Water”, “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’”.
When Gillan and Glover walked after Blackmore (their tour roommate) started to ‘act strangely’, an unknown singer by the name of David Coverdale took Gillan’s place and Glenn Hughes replaced Glover. (Gillan and Glover contacted former Episode Six drummer Mick Underwood and created the band Gillan) Though the album (
Stormbringer) was a success and the group had several additional singles that charted and were receiving heavy rotation, Blackmore finally left the group and formed Rainbow with singer Ronnie James Dio and drummer Cozy Powell. Coverdale, crushed went penned and turned in his resignation to the manager only to be told he was quitting a band that no longer existed.
The remaining members decided that they should try to make a go of it. Hughes suggested that Coverdale check out this hot young guitarist that he had done some session work with named Tommy Bolin. Coverdale liked what he heard and convinced the other members it was meant to be and replaced ‘the irreplaceable’ Blackmore with Bolin. Hughes helped Bolin to find his musical confidence and soon Bolin started filling the void of Blackmore’s instrumental genius by writing the bulk of the songs on the group’s
Come Taste the Band album. The band finally called it quits in 1976.
After Purple Coverdale formed his own band Whitesnake, meanwhile Ronnie Dio left Rainbow to join Black Sabbath so singer Graham Bonnet took over; he later left to join the Michael Schenker Group (MSG) and to form Alcatrazz with Yngwie Malmsteen (guitar). Bonnet and Powell (who then joined Black Sabbath) were replaced by Joe Lynn Turner (vocals) and Bobbi Rondinelli (drums). Turner later left with Rondinelli to replace Dio and Powell in Black Sabbath.
Coverdale’s Whitesnake included former Purple alumni Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Cozy Powell & Dio’s Band Dio also had former Black Sabbath/Purple alumni. The original band eventually reformed in 1984 and after a year Gillan was once again gone, this time replaced by Joe Lynn Turner. Turner quit, to join former Alcatrazz guitarist Malmsteen in Rising Force.
As you can see this gets convoluted, so let me simplify:
Deep Purple had: Richie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner
Rainbow: Richie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet, Bobbi Rondinelli, Jimmy Bain, Cozy Powell
Black Sabbath: Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Ian Gillan, Cozy Powell, Bobbi Rondinelli, Glenn Hughes
Whitesnake: David Coverdale, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Cozy Powell, Vivian Campbell, Rudy Sarzo, Doug Aldrich
Dio: Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Vivian Campbell, Jimmy Bain, Rudy Sarzo, Doug Aldrich
Associated Bands: Quiet Riot(2), Dixie Dregs(2), Winger(2), Ozzy Osbourne(4), Alcatrazz(3), Gillan(2), Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force(8), Thin Lizzy(3), Paice Ashton & Lord (4)
Other Prominent Purple Alumni: Joe Satriani (Solo artist, taught Steve Vai (David Lee Roth, Solo, Alcatrazz and Whitesnake) and Kirk Hammet (Metallica), Steve Morse (Kansas, Dixie Dregs)
If you wanted to really get into this, you could add links to all sorts of Heavy Metal acts but as you can tell, this family tree forks, bends back and branches all over heavy rock. Deep Purple can be pointed to as probably one of the most influential bands in Heavy Metal history strictly on the strength of personnel alone. And you thought Kevin Bacon was connected.