Over the years, we’ve announced a multitude of side projects and guest appearances for the various members of the Purple family. Quite inevitably, we’ve missed a few. Here they are, at least some of them. The last number in parentheses refers to the number of tracks the corresponding musician appears on, whenever known.

Don Airey:

• Robin George: Asia 2: The Marquee London live ’86 (digital download) (2021)
• Kristy Frank: Freedom (2006)

Glenn Hughes:

• Eric Church: 61 days in church (recorded live on 5/April/2017) (21/4/18) (1 track)
• Eric Church: 61 days in church (idem) (2019 digital download) (1)
• Hawkestrel: SpaceXmas (2020) (1)

Joe Lynn Turner:

• The Way: Frequency of spirit (2005)
• VA: It’s so easy: A millennium tribute to Guns n` Roses (2005) (1)
• VA: Lick it up: A millennium tribute to Kiss (2008) (1)
• The Prog Collective: Worlds on hold (2021) (1)

Steve Morse:

• The Fusion Syndicate: Beautiful horizon (2023)

There are also some Satriani entries on the list, but since we’ve never opened that particular kettle of fish, it’s probably not the time to start now.

Thanks to Jose ‘no stone left unturned’ Galvan for the info.

Saxophone player Terry Marshall (of the Marshall amplifiers fame) has released his first album Living the Blues on October 11, 2024, via Marshall Records. Besides working alongside his father Jim, Terry became an accomplished session player, but up until now never got around to recording under his own name.

Nick Simper plays bass on the record, that’s how we heard about the project.

Other musicians include:

Krissy Matthews – Guitar, Vocals
Alice Armstrong – Vocals
Robert Hokum – Guitar
Paul Gordon White – Drums
Emma Wilson – Vocals
Peter Parks – Guitar
Paul Long – Organ
Kev Hickman – Drums
Zoe Schwarz – Vocals
Hugh Budden – Harmonica, Vocals
Robin Bibi – Vocals, Guitar
Laurence Jones – Guitar
Oliver Brightman – Guitar

Track listing:

1. Hoochie Coochie Man
2. Phone Booth
3. Voodoo Woman
4. Worried Dreams
5. I Got All You Need
6. Help Me
7. Dr Feelgood
8. Long Grey Mare
9. Me and my Gin
10. I’m Ready
11. Smokestack Lightning

Review: Rock and Blues Muse.

The album can be ordered and streamed via this link.

Thanks to Arch and Uwe Gerecke for the info.

A jewellery artist Katya Arts presents the Steve Morse collection of unique handmade pieces crafted from sterling silver and guitar strings.

I started making silver jewelry because I got inspired by a Deep Purple song, composed and played by guitarist Steve Morse. The first piece I made was a silver dreamcatcher with the inscription ”The Aviator”, the name of that song. It was followed by other pieces inspired by Native American style and it felt natural to add strings played in concert by a favorite rock star.

Should you wonder, the strings I get from Steve these days, he sends me personally (before I got them handed over to me backstage with Deep Purple).

Check out the collection at KatyaArts.com.

Thanks to SteveMorse.com for the info.

Mark O’Neill from Australia writes to us:

I do a national rock show on community radio and also 3 nights of programming on 94.7 The Pulse. I’m looking for someone to do a weekly Purple pre-recorded show.

The only prerequisite (besides the Purple knowledge) is fluent English. Interested parties are advised to contact Mark directly at raisedonrock@gmail.com.

Speaking of Thomas Blug, he recently spent a very Purple day, and here are the proceeds.

Join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience as Thomas Blug spends a day with rock legends Deep Purple and Jefferson Starship in Luxembourg! Invited to watch the show from both the front row and side stage, Thomas takes us up close with the action, capturing special moments and sharing a unique perspective from both off and on stage.

The highlight of this episode is an in-depth interview with Simon McBride, Deep Purple’s guitarist, who has stepped into the formidable shoes of Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Joe Satriani, and Steve Morse. In this candid conversation, Simon opens up about the thrill—and the challenge—of playing with such a legendary band, and how he approaches this role to meet fans’ expectations.

Thomas also gives us a detailed rig rundown of Simon’s gear, exploring his pedalboard, Engl amps, and other tools that help shape his sound with Deep Purple. From insights into Simon’s gear to exclusive concert footage, this episode brings fans closer than ever to the heart of Deep Purple’s live setup.

For the impatient of us, who prefer to get straight to the point: interview with Simon starts at around the 14 minute mark.

Thanks to BluGuitar for the video and to Nigel Young for bringing it to your attention.

Ritchie Blackmore tells the story of how Deep Purple Mark 1 coalesced together, eventually morphing into Mark 2. That’s a lot of history in 3 minutes. Continue Reading »

Back in 2006 Don Airey and Ian Paice performed at the ProLight+Sound trade show in Frankfurt, Germany. Turns out that a recording was up on Youtube all this time, without us being aware. Here it is for your viewing pleasure. Continue Reading »

Another one for the guitar gearheads. UK retailer Play Music Today met with Simon McBride on the recently concluded European tour, and he gave the rundown of his stage setup. Letting us know, in the process, that the Engl Artist Edition amp he plays these days is a lot more closely related to the Ritchie Blackmore Signature model than to Steve Morse’s one. Surprise! Surprise!

Thanks to Gary Lidiard and Mad Hatter for the heads-up.

Guitar World has an interview with Steve Morse, and it gets pretty gear-heavy pretty quickly. Here it is, with more details on basic single coils vs stacked coil pickups than most of us ever wanted to know.

If forced to make a choice, would you rather buy a really good electric guitar and a cheap amp, or a cheap guitar and a top-notch high-end guitar amp?

Man, that’s a tough one, but the guitar wins. I need to have various tones coming straight from the instrument. The amp is a big part of things, but the guitar is the biggest. That is partly because some cheap amps sound like 80 per cent as good as a great amp. But most guitars that are cheap can’t do anything like the range of sounds on my guitar.

Read more in Guitar World.

Several press reviews from the recently concluded =1 More Time UK tour.

Blues Rock Review presents some impressions from the November 9 gig in Manchester:

Much of their new set at the AO Arena, Manchester comes from their latest album =1, and it’s a winning formula, still bringing vivid shades of vintage Deep Purple, while presenting Ian Gillan’s distinct voice and the band’s joyful and revitalised organ and guitar-driven sound. Obviously, Gillan doesn’t sound like he did at his peak, but you’ve still got to give the 79-year-old a huge pat on the back for refusing to shy away from the pure adrenaline of “Highway Star”, which gets the gig out of first gear from the off.

Read more in Blues Rock Review.

My Global Mind reviews the November 6th show in London:

One of my favourite bands of all time, it is both regrettable and unbelievable that until Wednesday past I had failed to ever see Deep Purple. With the new album ‘=1’ released in July and the current tour, aptly named ‘1 More Time’, I figured its now or never, right? Well, actually I suspect I could be wrong… As the 23rd studio album ‘=1’ is packed full of heavyweight tunes that resonate with a strange familiarity and transfer onto stage so smoothly that the audience feel like they have known them for years, I have to reason to hope that this band are not quite finished yet.

Read more in My Global Mind.

Yorkshire Times reviews the November 7th gig in Leeds

Highway Star, a track from the 1972 album Machine Head, felt like a statement of intent as the band proved that they were still a dominant force. Following in the footsteps of legendary guitarist Richie Blackmore is no easy task; however, McBride soon made his presence known with an accomplished guitar solo. With the energy and dexterity of a drummer thirty years younger, 76-year-old Ian Paice provided a solid backbeat to one of the richest catalogues in rock music history.

Read more in Yorkshire Times.

Another review of the Manchester gig, this time by Louder Than War:

For your reviewer, tonight ended a long wait. He’s seen them once before; in February 1972 at Preston Guildhall. Of course, Deep Purple in 2024 are are very different beast to that famous incarnation. Some of the raw power and energy may have gone but their musicality and enthusiasm are very much intact. So has the wait been worth it? Absolutely.

Read more in Louder Than War.

Photo is from the O₂ Arena, London, November 6, 2024; credit: Robert Sutton.