Rock and Roll

Prior to forming Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show, George Cummings, Ray Sawyer and Billy Francis were members of an earlier group called "The Chocolate Papers", along with Bobby Dimingus, Popeye Phillips and Jimmy "Wolf Cub" Allen. After touring clubs in Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina, the six settled in Biloxi to open up their own club called "Chez Joey". The group played as the house band for a while, then went to Chicago, where after a brief stint, Cummings left to form a new band in the New York area.

The year was 1968 when Cummings called his old friend Ray Sawyer to come to New Jersey and join him. This new group began performing using no name at all, until one night, a club owner asked George what name to use when advertising the band. Right on the spot, George came up with the name, "Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show", in reference to Ray's eye patch making him look like Captain Hook from 'Peter Pan' (Ray had lost his eye in an auto accident) and since drugs were all the rage at the time, he tacked on "The Medicine Show".

They had been performing together for about a month or two, when Dennis Locorriere came in one night and sat in on guitar. By the end of the evening, he was asked to join the group. As time passed, George brought two other former 'Chocolate Papers' members in, Popeye Phillips on drums and then Bill Francis to play keyboards. Popeye didn't stay long and moved back to Mobile. He was replaced by Jay David.

Their first big professional break came in 1970 when record producer Ron Haffkine heard a tape of the band's music and asked them to perform the Shel Silverstein song 'Last Morning' in the Dustin Hoffman film, 'Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?' Silverstein, a Playboy magazine cartoonist, had composed the film's musical score and he was subsequently to play an important role in Dr. Hook's story, writing many of their earliest successes. Ron Haffkine meanwhile went on to produce all of Dr. Hook's recordings.

The band signed their first record deal with CBS/Columbia and began the recording of their debut album in New York City, completing all but the track that was to become their first hit single.

After being invited to play at the CBS Records convention in Los Angeles, the band moved to California, settling in San Francisco. It was there that Shel Silverstein played the newly written 'Sylvia's Mother' for them and they decided to include it on their self titled album, released later that year. Initial reaction was encouraging and CBS issued the track, 'Sylvia's Mother' as a single.

The quirky, offbeat love song got off to a slow start when it was first released, managing only to make the lower end of the U.S. pop charts before leaving without a trace. Undeterred, Clive Davis, then boss of CBS Records, was determined to salvage 'Sylvia's Mother'.

Davis believed the record could be a hit and put CBS' full promotion efforts behind the single. It was re-released in July 1972, and this time, 'Sylvia's Mother' climbed all the way to number one, selling over a million copies. Shortly after, the record repeated its American success in Britain where it topped out at number two, spending 13 weeks in the British Top 50 - a considerable achievement for an act that had been unheard of only 12 months before.

Later that year, again with Haffkine producing and with two new members, bassist Jance Garfat and guitarist Rik Elswit, the band recorded their second album, irreverently titled 'Sloppy Seconds'. From this album, their second single, 'Carry Me, Carrie', was chosen. Although the single was a moderate success, reaching the higher end of the Billboard Top 100, the album just missed the Top 40. The band's chart fortunes were restored however, with the release of 'The Cover Of The Rolling Stone', another wry Shel Silverstein composition, again taken from 'Sloppy Seconds'. The single was a huge success in the U.S., climbing to number two and securing the band their very own cover of Rolling Stone magazine in March 1973.

'The Cover Of The Rolling Stone' gave Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show their second million-selling single. Ironically however, the record ran into problems in Great Britain when it was released. The BBC steadfastly refused to play it on either TV or radio because the song's title was deemed an advertisement for the famous American rock music magazine. CBS Records in London attempted to sidestep the airplay problem by setting up special phone lines whereby fans could call up and hear the record. There was even an 'alternative' version in which a group of BBC radio disc jockeys were heard to chant 'Radio Times' over the offending words. Despite these efforts, the single failed to make any impact on the British charts.

The follow ups to 'Rolling Stone' failed to match the group's earlier success. 'Ballad Of Lucy Jordan', (later successfully revived by Marianne Faithful), 'Roland The Roadie And Gertrude The Groupie', and 'Life Ain't Easy', failed to make any significant impact. The singles struggled to make the Billboard Hot 100 while the sales of 'Belly Up', their third album, were equally disappointing (the album peaked at number 141 in the Billboard chart).

It was at this point that the band's long-time co-manager, Bobby Heller, entered the picture. Heller, had been a life-long friend and confidant of Haffkine's and had followed the band's career with interest. He received a phone call from Haffkine asking him to help sort out major band and label problems, together with other complicated business and legal issues. This resulted in Heller flying out to San Francisco. The group had become disillusioned with CBS Records following the sudden departure of Clive Davis, the man who had been their main champion there and they were anxious to obtain a contract release.

After Davis left, three executives attempted to run CBS by committee. They shuffled Heller from one office to another and ignored his plea to support the band financially or to let them out of their contract. The band's foreign sales success was one of the main reasons for CBS' reluctance to grant them a release. Eventually, Heller, with the right legal support, got the band out of the deal by commencing a successful bankruptcy proceeding. The group was now free to deal with another label.

It was decided to shorten their name to just 'Dr. Hook', and a change of fortune arrived when Capitol Records showed interest in the band. Dr. Hook were subsequently offered a one-year deal with the company and thus began the most successful and musically creative period of their career.

Their recording comeback was slow in taking off however. Their first album for Capitol Records, appropriately title 'Bankrupt', reached only number 141 in the Billboard chart, while 'The Millionaire', their debut single for the label, peaked at number 55. Undaunted, and with a new drummer, John Wolters, the band finished 1975 with a U.K. tour which helped to lay the foundations for their future British success.

In early 1976, Capitol Records released a second single from the album, a revival of the Sam Cooke classic 'Only Sixteen'. There had been some resistance within the record company over the release of a cover version as a new single, but Bobby Heller, together with Bruce Wendell, the head of promotion at Capitol at the time, were the persuasive factors. Eventually, the song was released and entered the American charts in early February, just as their contract was about to run out.

Capitol increased its promotional efforts on 'Only Sixteen' and the single eventually enjoyed a 14 week chart run in the American Top 40 and reached number 6, giving the group their third million selling single. Capitol's investment in the band was further rewarded when Dr. Hook secured another major hit with the title song from the 'A Little Bit More' album, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, which was now the group's new home base. George Cummings however, decided to leave the Hook line-up mid-way through the recording of the album.

'A Little Bit More' reached number 11 in the U.S., and spent 14 weeks in the Top 40, and also stayed for four weeks at number 2 in the U.K. charts, only being prevented from reaching number one by the Elton John and Kiki Dee duet, 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'. Meanwhile their album was also a huge hit this side of the Atlantic, climbing to number 5 and spending a total of 42 weeks in the charts (in the U.S. the album reached number 62 in the Billboard chart).

Underlining their country music influences, the band appeared at a benefit performance at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and followed it with more recording sessions in the country music capital. 1976 ended on a triumphant note when another single 'If Not You', penned by Dennis Locorriere and also taken from the album 'A Little Bit More', reached number 5 in the U.K. (spending ten weeks in the Top 50), but stalled at number 55 in the Billboard Hot 100.

The first half of 1977 saw Dr. Hook back in the studios, recording their next album 'Makin' Love And Music', (while Ray Sawyer simultaneously made his own solo album of country songs in the next-door studio). In late summer, they released a new single from the album, a revamp of 'Walk Right In', originally a number one for The Rooftop Singers in 1963, which failed miserably. The album however, went top 40, and a follow up single scored a U.K. Top 20 single in April 1978 with Shel Silverstein's 'More Like The Movies'. In October 1978 their latest U.S. single 'Sharing The Night Together', taken from their forthcoming Capitol album 'Pleasure And Pain', started climbing the Billboard Hot 100.

'Sharing The Night Together' climbed to number 6 on the American chart, spent a total of four months in the Top 40, and sold over a million copies. The release of the 'Pleasure And Pain' album in early 1979 also became a milestone for the band as it became their first gold album, selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S. alone. Tragically, guitarist Rik Elswit became seriously ill with cancer and had to leave the line-up for a year. Rik's place in the band was taken over by Bob 'Willard' Henke, who remained within the ranks for some time after Elswit's return.

Dr Hook's next U.S. single, 'All The Time In The World', also from the 'Pleasure And Pain' album, could only reach number 54 in February 1979 but was followed by what was to ultimately become Dr. Hook's biggest-selling single, 'When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman', composed by Even Stevens. The single received little response in England, but following its international success, was re-issued by Capitol/EMI and Dennis Locorriere and Ray Sawyer flew to London to help promote it. Locorriere and Sawyer's efforts paid dividends. 'When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman' broke into the British Top 50 in September 1979 and within two months had sailed gracefully to the top chart position, where it remained firmly planted for three weeks. It racked up a 17 week chart residency in the Top 50 and back in the U.S., the song was also a huge hit for the band, climbing to number 6 on the Billboard chart and spending 16 weeks in the Top 40.

The new decade began with yet another transatlantic smash hit for Dr. Hook. 'Better Love Next Time' reached number 12 in the U.S. (with 14 weeks in the Top 40), and made number 8 in the U.K. Three months later, in March 1980, the band released the infectious 'Sexy Eyes' and it notched up yet another Top 10 hit for them, reaching number 5 in the U.S. charts (with a total of 15 weeks in the Billboard Top 40) and providing Dr. Hook with their sixth million selling single. In the U.K. 'Sexy Eyes' fared equally as well, soaring to number 4 and spending nine weeks in the Top 50. The single was featured on their latest album, 'Sometimes You Win', which reached number 14 in the U.K., and spent 44 weeks in the Top 50, earning the band another gold disc.

Ironically, 'Sexy Eyes' proved to be the last major hit single for Dr. Hook. There were two more minor hit singles during 1980 - 'Years From Now', which peaked at number 47 in the charts (and made number 51 in the Billboard Hot 100), followed by 'Sharing The Night Together' which stalled at number 43 in Britain, two years after its original American chart success. By now the band's contract with Capitol Records was about to expire and they decided to part company with the label.

Now with new guitarist Rod Smarr replacing Henke, Dr. Hook signed a new recording deal which saw their music released on Casablanca in the U.S., and on the Mercury label in the U.K. Their first album under the new arrangement, 'Rising', barely made the Billboard albums chart and did only marginally better in the U.K. where it reached number 44. Their single however, 'Girls Can Get It', made the Top 40 on both sides of the Atlantic.

There were several other minor American hits including 'Loveline' and 'Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk' (which reached number 25 in the U.S.) taken from their final studio album, 'Players In The Dark', but increased tensions and musical differences were taking their toll. Ray Sawyer left the band in 1982 to pursue a solo career and Dennis Locorriere carried on with the band, doing two more sell out tours of the U.K and Australia - including " Dr. Hook's One and Only Farewell Tour" before disbanding the group in 1985.

Since then, Sawyer has returned to live performance with a new band, however, Locorriere's company owns all the rights to the Dr. Hook name and licenses it to Sawyer.

Dennis Locorriere has toured the U.K. several times in recent years, performing his own successful solo gigs, as well as helping to promote the best-selling anthology album, 'Completely Hooked'. During 1996, he completed work on his solo album, 'Running With Scissors', which he produced with former Dr. Hook member Rod Smarr, and released in Autumn '96.

In 1995, Sawyer released an album containing re-recordings of many of the classic Dr. Hook hits under the name 'Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer', a group which consists of no original members other than Sawyer himself.

With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the '80s. Vaughan drew equally from bluesmen like Albert King, Otis Rush, and Muddy Waters and rock & roll players like Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack, as well as the stray jazz guitarist like Kenny Burrell, developing a uniquely eclectic and fiery style that sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre. Vaughan bridged the gap between blues and rock like no other artist had since the late '60s. For the next seven years, Stevie Ray was the leading light in American blues, consistently selling out concerts while his albums regularly went gold. His tragic death in 1990 only emphasized his influence in blues and American rock & roll.

Born and raised in Dallas, Vaughan began playing guitar as a child, inspired by older brother Jimmie. When he was in junior high school, he began playing in a number of garage bands, which occasionally landed gigs in local nightclubs. By the time he was 17, he had dropped out of high school to concentrate on playing music. Vaughan's first real band was the Cobras, who played clubs and bars in Austin during the mid-'70s. Following that group's demise, he formed Triple Threat in 1975. Triple Threat also featured bassist Jackie Newhouse, drummer Chris Layton, and vocalist Lou Ann Barton. After a few years of playing Texas bars and clubs, Barton left the band in 1978. The group decided to continue performing under the name Double Trouble, which was inspired by the Otis Rush song of the same name; Vaughan became the band's lead singer.

For the next few years, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played the Austin area, becoming one of the most popular bands in Texas. In 1982, the band played the Montreux Festival and their performance caught the attention of David Bowie and Jackson Browne. After Double Trouble's performance, Bowie asked Vaughan to play on his forthcoming album, while Browne offered the group free recording time at his Los Angeles studio, Downtown; both offers were accepted. Stevie Ray laid down the lead guitar tracks for what became Bowie's Let's Dance album in late 1982. Shortly afterward, John Hammond, Sr. landed Vaughan and Double Trouble a record contract with Epic, and the band recorded its debut album in less than a week at Downtown.

Vaughan's debut album, Texas Flood, was released in the summer of 1983, a few months after Bowie's Let's Dance appeared. On its own, Let's Dance earned Vaughan quite a bit of attention, but Texas Flood was a blockbuster blues success; receiving positive reviews in both blues and rock publications, reaching number 38 on the charts, and crossing over to album rock radio stations. Bowie offered Vaughan the lead guitarist role for his 1983 stadium tour, but he turned him down, preferring to play with Double Trouble. Vaughan and Double Trouble set off on a successful tour and quickly recorded their second album, Couldn't Stand the Weather, which was released in May of 1984. The album was more successful than its predecessor, reaching number 31 on the charts; by the end of 1985, the album went gold. Double Trouble added keyboardist Reese Wynans in 1985, before they recorded their third album, Soul to Soul. The record was released in August 1985 and was also quite successful, reaching number 34 on the charts.

Although his professional career was soaring, Vaughan was sinking deep into alcoholism and drug addiction. Despite his declining health, Vaughan continued to push himself, releasing the double live album Live Alive in October of 1986 and launching an extensive American tour in early 1987. Following the tour, Vaughan checked into a rehabilitation clinic. The guitarist's time in rehab was kept fairly quiet, and for the next year Stevie Ray and Double Trouble were fairly inactive. Vaughan performed a number of concerts in 1988, including a headlining gig at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and wrote his fourth album. The resulting record, In Step, appeared in June of 1989 and became his most successful album, peaking at number 33 on the charts, earning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Recording, and going gold just over six months after its release.

In the spring of 1990, Stevie Ray recorded an album with his brother Jimmie, which was scheduled for release in the fall of the year. In the late summer of 1990, Vaughan and Double Trouble set out on an American headlining tour. On August 26, 1990, their East Troy, WI, gig concluded with an encore jam featuring guitarists Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Robert Cray. After the concert, Stevie Ray boarded a helicopter bound for Chicago. Minutes after its 12:30 a.m. takeoff, the helicopter crashed, killing Vaughan and the other four passengers. He was only 35 years old.

Family Style, Stevie Ray's duet album with Jimmie, appeared in October and entered the charts at number seven. Family Style began a series of posthumous releases that were as popular as the albums Vaughan released during his lifetime. The Sky Is Crying, a collection of studio outtakes compiled by Jimmie, was released in October of 1991; it entered the charts at number ten and went platinum three months after its release. In the Beginning, a recording of a Double Trouble concert in 1980, was released in the fall of 1992 and the compilation Greatest Hits was released in 1995. In 1999, Vaughan's original albums were remastered and reissued, with The Real Deal: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 also appearing that year. 2000 saw the release of the four-disc box SRV, which concentrated heavily on outtakes, live performances, and rarities.

Rock's longest, strangest trip, the Grateful Dead were the psychedelic era's most beloved musical ambassadors as well as its most enduring survivors, spreading their


message of peace, love, and mind-expansion across the globe throughout the better part of three decades. The object of adoration for popular music's most fervent and celebrated fan following -- the Deadheads, their numbers and devotion legendary in their own right -- they were the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own; for the better part of their career orbiting well outside of the mainstream, the Dead became superstars solely on their own terms, tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries.


The roots of the Grateful Dead lie with singer/songwriter Jerry Garcia, a longtime bluegrass enthusiast who began playing the guitar at age 15. Upon relocating to Palo Alto, CA, in 1960, he soon befriended Robert Hunter, whose lyrics later graced many of Garcia's most famous melodies; in time, he also came into contact with aspiring electronic music composer Phil Lesh. By 1962, Garcia was playing banjo in a variety of local folk and bluegrass outfits, two years later forming Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions with guitarist Bob Weir and keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan; in 1965, the group was renamed the Warlocks, their lineup now additionally including Lesh on bass as well as Bill Kreutzmann on drums.


The Warlocks made their electric debut that July; Ken Kesey soon tapped them to become the house band at his notorious Acid Tests, a series of now-legendary public LSD parties and multimedia "happenings" mounted prior to the drug's criminalization. As 1965 drew to its close, the Warlocks rechristened themselves the Grateful Dead, the name taken from a folk tale discovered in a dictionary by Garcia; bankrolled by chemist/LSD manufacturer Owsley Stanley, the band members soon moved into a communal house situated at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, becoming a fixture on the local music scene and building a large fan base on the strength of their many free concerts. Signing to MGM, in 1966 the Dead also recorded their first demos; the sessions proved disastrous, and the label dropped the group a short time later.


As 1967 mutated into the Summer of Love, the Dead emerged as one of the top draws on the Bay Area music scene, honing an eclectic repertoire influenced by folk, country, and the blues while regularly appearing at top local venues including the Fillmore Auditorium, the Avalon Ballroom, and the Carousel. In March of 1967 the Dead issued their self-titled Warner Bros. debut LP, a disappointing effort which failed to recapture the cosmic sprawl of their live appearances; after performing at the Monterey Pop Festival, the group expanded to a six-piece with the addition of second drummer Mickey Hart. Their follow-up, 1968's Anthem of the Sun, fared better in documenting the free-form jam aesthetic of their concerts, but after completing 1969's Aoxomoxoa, their penchant for time-consuming studio experimentation left them over 100,000 dollars in debt to the label.


The Dead's response to the situation was to bow to the demands of fans and record their first live album, 1969's Live/Dead; highlighted by a rendition of Garcia's "Dark Star" clocking in at over 23 minutes, the LP succeeded where its studio predecessors failed in capturing the true essence of the group in all of their improvisational, psychedelicized glory. It was followed by a pair of classic 1970 studio efforts, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty; recorded in homage to the group's country and folk roots, the two albums remained the cornerstone of the Dead's live repertoire for years to follow, with its most popular songs -- "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," "Sugar Magnolia," and "Truckin'" among them -- becoming major favorites on FM radio.


Despite increasing radio airplay and respectable album sales, the Dead remained first and foremost a live act, and as their popularity grew across the world they expanded their touring schedule, taking to the road for much of each year. As more and more of their psychedelic-era contemporaries ceased to exist, the group continued attracting greater numbers of fans to their shows, many of them following the Dead across the country; dubbed "Deadheads," these fans became notorious for their adherence to tie-dyed fashions and excessive drug use, their traveling circus ultimately becoming as much the focal point of concert dates as the music itself. Shows were also extensively bootlegged, and not surprisingly the Dead closed out their Warners contract with back-to-back concert LPs -- a 1971 eponymous effort and 1972's Europe '72.


The latter release was the final Dead album to feature Pigpen McKernan, a heavy drinker who died of liver failure on March 8, 1973; his replacement was keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who brought with him wife Donna Jean to sing backing vocals. 1973's Wake of the Flood was the first release on the new Grateful Dead Records imprint; around the time of its follow-up, 1974's Grateful Dead From the Mars Hotel, the group took a hiatus from the road to allow its members the opportunity to pursue solo projects. After returning to the live arena with a 1976 tour, the Dead signed to Arista to release Terrapin Station, the first in a series of misguided studio efforts that culminated in 1980's Go to Heaven, widely considered the weakest record in the group's catalog -- so weak, in fact, that they did not re-enter the studio for another seven years.


The early '80s was a time of considerable upheaval for the Dead -- the Godchauxs had been dismissed from the lineup in 1979, with Keith dying in a car crash on July 23, 1980. (His replacement was keyboardist Brent Mydland.) After a pair of 1981 live LPs, Reckoning and Dead Set, the group released no new recordings until 1987, focusing instead on their touring schedule -- despite the dearth of new releases, the Dead continued selling out live dates, now playing to audiences which spanned generations. As much a cottage industry as a band, they traveled not only with an enormous road crew but also dozens of friends and family members, many of them Dead staffers complete with health insurance and other benefits.


Still, the Dead were widely regarded as little more than an enduring cult phenomenon prior to the release of 1987's In the Dark; their first studio LP since Go to Heaven, it became the year's most unlikely hit when the single "Touch of Grey" became the first-ever Dead track to reach the Top Ten on the pop charts. Suddenly their videos were in regular rotation on MTV, and virtually overnight the ranks of the Deadheads grew exponentially, with countless new fans flocking to the group's shows. Not only did concert tickets become increasingly tough to come by for longtime followers, but there were also more serious repercussions -- the influx of new fans shifted the crowd dynamic considerably, and once-mellow audiences became infamous not only for their excessive drug habits but also for their violent encounters with police.


Other troubles plagued the Dead as well: in July 1986, Garcia -- a year removed from a drug treatment program -- lapsed into near-fatal diabetic coma brought on by his continued substance abuse problems, regaining consciousness five days later. His health remained an issue in the years which followed, but the Dead spent more time on tour than ever, with a series of dates with Bob Dylan yielding the live album Dylan & the Dead. Their final studio effort, Built to Last, followed in 1989. Tragedy struck in October of that year when a fan died after breaking his neck outside of a show at the New Jersey Meadowlands; two months later, a 19-year-old fan on LSD also died while in police custody at the Los Angeles Forum.


As ever, the Dead themselves were also not immune to tragedy -- on July 26, 1990, Mydland suffered a fatal drug overdose, the third keyboardist in group history to perish; he was replaced not only by ex-Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick but also by satellite member Bruce Hornsby, a longtime fan who frequently toured with the group. In the autumn of 1992 Garcia was again hospitalized with diabetes and an enlarged heart, forcing the Dead to postpone their upcoming tour until the year's end; he eventually returned to action looking more fit than he had in years. Still, few were surprised when it was announced on August 9, 1995, that Garcia had been found dead in his room at a substance abuse treatment facility in Forest Knolls, CA; the 53 year old's death was attributed to a heart attack.

While Garcia's death spelled the end of the Dead as a continuing creative entity, the story was far from over. As the surviving members disbanded to plot their next move, the band's merchandising arm went into overdrive -- in addition to Dick's Picks, a series of archival releases of classic live material, licensed products ranging from Dead T-shirts to sporting goods to toys flooded the market. Plans were also announced to build Terrapin Station, an interactive museum site. In 1996, Weir and Hart mounted the first Furthur Festival, a summer tour headlined by their respective bands RatDog and Mystery Box; in 1998, they also reunited with Lesh and Hornsby to tour as the Other Ones. In spirit if not in name, the Grateful Dead's trip continued on.

The Montreux Jazz Festival, Royal Albert Hall, Melbourne Entertainment Centre, a Blizzard somewhere in the Alps, Tokyo, Rio, Moscow’s Olympic Hall, Cape Town, Bangalore, La Paz, Toronto and Kansas City.

What do they have in common? They are just a few of the places where you could have seen a Deep Purple show over the last couple of years. Simply reading the itineraries gives you an idea of how this band operates on a truly international level.

Deep Purple is not a conformist group. There never was, nor ever will be, any fawning to trends. What you do get from them are cutting edge performances based on a sound philosophy: ‘the music comes first’. That music comes from within the core spirit of the band, nowhere else. They won’t be bagged. Why?

In the sixties and early seventies they were described (by others) as ‘Progressive’ or ‘Underground’, when they made a conscious decision to depart from the ‘Hush’ era in order to record the seminal album ‘Deep Purple in Rock’. ‘Fireball’, ‘Machine Head’, ‘Made in Japan’ and ‘Who Do We Think We Are’ quickly followed, and they were then tagged (along with Zeppelin and Sabbath) as leaders of the ‘Hard Rock’ explosion. At this point began the gradual disintegration of the famous MK 2 line-up, (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice) and some long overdue individual R & R.

The eighties re-union as ‘Perfect Strangers’ shook the world (again) with a fresh look at the music but with a bold detachment that stated ‘this is Deep Purple’. The era was to end in disharmony, however (again), with first Gillan leaving, then Blackmore and then Gillan returning; confusing? Not really.

After the divorce, and seeing this as a genuine opportunity to get back to the music, the guys invited Joe Satriani to join as locum, and he spent the best part of a year on the road with the newly revitalized band before returning to his own commitments. The scene was set for the most important line-up change since ’69.

Steve Morse was the only name on the list, and the question he asked, (after a couple of out of town gigs had confirmed the chemistry) ‘Is there a dress code?’ paved the way for a return to the humorous disdain the band have for what they used to call ‘poseurs’.

They never set out to be ‘Rock Stars’. Call them ‘Classic’ and they will laugh and patiently explain that nostalgia is not a creative word. Sure they’ve been through the mill a few times. However each time they’ve emerged stronger, and now you see a band that is hard and professional; displaying texture, dynamics and a humanity that can only come from those rare artists who are masters of their craft.

Deep Purple’s music has evolved organically into an expressive maturity, and the sell-out shows at the cities mentioned above are testament enough to the massive fan commitment. There’s a lot of affection out there for what many say is the greatest of them all.

Stats: 130m albums.

The following is what they say about themselves:

Ian Gillan: singer and writer. Various bands ’62-’69, Deep Purple, JC Superstar (as JC on the original recording), various Gillan Bands and solo stuff, Black Sabbath then DP again.

Roger Glover: bassist , writer and producer. Various bands ’61-’69. Deep Purple, Rainbow, then DP again.

Production credits include: Nazareht, Elf, David Coverdale, Judas Priest, Status Quo, Rory Gallagher, Rainbow, Pretty Maids.

Solo albums: The Butterfly Ball (1974), Elements (1978), Mask (1984), Accidentally On Purpose (with Ian Gillan – 1987), Night And Day (2001).

Steve Morse: guitarist and writer. Founded and wrote music for 6 time Grammy nominated Dixie Dregs, was a member of Kansas in the late 80’s. Steve was named Best Overall Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine 5 times. He continues to record solo albums and some touring with the Steve Morse Band.

Ian Paice: drummer and writer. Early stuff, Deep Purple founder member, Whitesnake, Gary Moore then DP again. Paul MacCartney album and tour.

Don Airey: keyboards. Stints with Cozy Powell, Colosseum II, Sabbath, Rainbow, Ozzy, Tull, Whitesnake, Gary Moore, ELO, & DP. Credits as player, arranger or producer on c.200 albums including one solo venture, “K2