![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/glover3.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/glover.jpg)
A drink or four
Music Radar has an article about Coverdale joining Deep Purple, with input from the man himself.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but also a daunting challenge – not least because of the fearsome reputation of Purple’s moody guitar hero Ritchie Blackmore.
“I think I was the only singer they auditioned,” Coverdale recalled in an interview with Outlaw magazine.
“First, they asked me to go into the Purple office at 25 Newman Street in London to be grilled by the managers, who of course wanted to know if I had a criminal record, a drug bust or anything that could have caused any potential issues.”
Blackmore was famously difficult to read. Keyboard player Jon Lord, by contrast, was known for his charm, and welcomed Coverdale with open arms.
“Ritchie was standoffish,” Coverdale said. “But Jon was just great. During my audition, Jon calmed me down – and Bell’s whisky also helped.
Read more in Music Radar.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
“also a daunting challenge – not least because of the fearsome reputation of Purple’s moody guitar hero Ritchie Blackmore.”
+
“Ritchie was standoffish,” Coverdale said. “But Jon was just great. During my audition, Jon calmed me down – and Bell’s whisky also helped.”
– well, I would have loved to hear what RB thought about the brand new vocalist!
“Asked if he found Blackmore intimidating, Coverdale laughingly replied: “Who didn’t?””
September 22nd, 2025 at 05:58– 😄😄
Have a wonderful musical journey Mr. DC…and happy birthday
September 22nd, 2025 at 12:11Well… already in late 1974 the man in black was tired of Coverdale and Hughes..and for good reasons.
September 22nd, 2025 at 13:03How I wish Gillan would have calmed his emotions down a little in 1972 and instead demanded that all members took half a year to a year off to be reunited again after that year. but you cant always get what you want as somebody once sang…
@3 As a self-professed Mk III and IV fan, I disagree. Personally, I found the period between Burn & CTTB much more exciting, and the vocal duo DC/GH was incredibly versatile. The different voices harmonized very well, and it wasn’t as one-dimensional as before. I also found the reunion with PS rather staid (only 2-3 good songs/PS/KAYBD & Wasted Sunsets). THOBL was a low point for me, simply uninspired.
September 22nd, 2025 at 14:31Everyone’s tastes differ.
Interestingly, I have never heard of an audition with another singer either. That just shows how impressed they must have been with the voice of an overweight northerner suffering from strabismus (cross-sightedness).
The management was concerned about DC’s looks above anything else – following someone perceived as handsome as Ian Gillan. That is why they put DC on a slimming pill diet and had his eyes operated before the first promo shots were taking at Clearwell Castle (where DC was still wearing corrective glasses to correct his strabismus post-surgery in case you ever wondered).
I always wonder: Did Jon receive the thanks of DC for being comforting to him in 1973 at the audition almost 10 years later by being the only member from classic Marsden era WS to survive DC’s purges that cost at one point or another six (!) WS members their jobs in the course of two years or so? By mid 1984, Jon was the last man standing from the original line-up, Bernie, Neil, Ian, Micky, Colin and Mel had all been given the boot (Neil to return). John Kalodner who had masterminded a lot of the later personnel changes had the view that “Jon Lord wasn’t vital for WS’s future, but not detrimental either, being British rock royalty as he was”.
So had the DP reunion not come and Jon not left WS at his own volition, they might have even kept him on stage. 😑
September 22nd, 2025 at 15:34