Glenn Hughes has announced a European tour towards the end of the year. The tour starts in Stuttgart, Germany, on November 22, also visits Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, France, and Spain, and wraps up on December 14 in Madrid. Living Colour are billed as co-headliners for the whole tour. The blurb says that tickets go on sale April 15, although some dates are already being sold.

Full details in our calendar.

If all the hoopla surrounding Deep Purple’s induction into RnRHoF made you to believe it was something extraordinary, it was not. In fact, it was pretty much business as usual for the HoF, which, like any media entity, strives on a little controversy and a lot of melodrama.

The day befor the induction ceremony an article went down the AP newswire that enumerated some of the feuds that went with the inducted artists over the years.

• The Beatles were inducted in 1988, with George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono appearing at the ceremony. Paul McCartney skipped, calling it a “fake reunion”.
• McCartney was inducted again, this time as a solo artist, in 1999 — five years after John Lennon. This time he showed up, and his daughter made a point of letting her opinion be known loud and clear — she wore a t-shirt that said “About F—king Time”.
• At Creedence Clearwater Revival induction in 1993, John Fogerty refused to perform with founding members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook and instead played Creedence songs with an all star band.
• Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted in 2003. Costello and bass player Bruce Thomas famously didn’t get along, complete with mutual sarcastic portrayal of each other in books, lyrics and interviews. Thomas appeared at the ceremony, received his award and walked right out of the venue.
• Jerry Garcia didn’t show up for the Grateful Dead induction in 1994. He didn’t believe in the hall as a worthy institution. His bandmates didn’t share his opinion and brought along his cardboard cutout.
• The other famous no-shows include Axl Rose in 2012, Eddie and Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth in 2007, Diana Ross in 1988, and Roger Waters in 1996, among others.
• The most infamous telling off came, of course, from Sex Pistols, who faxed in a handwritten note written in the most colourful language.

In the grand scheme of things, our boys appeared pretty dignified both on- and back- stage. It was Steve Miller who took the honours of sorts (although appearing very composed still):

Thanks to Gary Poronovich for the heads up and to ArtisanNewsService for the video.

Glenn Hughes’ father William has passed away at the age of 90. Glenn announced yesterday on Twitter that he is flying with his wife to UK to be with his mother Sheila.

Our sincere condolences to Glenn and his family.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

A brief addendum to our coverage of the induction. Short press conference that Gillan, Paice, and Glover gave after receiving their awards. It may answer some questions, but I guess not from the people who are in write-only mode.

On his part, Blackmore posted this message on Facebook:

Obviously, as you know from the post here, I have my reason for not attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, although I appreciate the award- however, I do think that they should’ve given an award to Joe Lynn Turner for when he was in Deep Purple- for his singing and writing on Slaves and Masters-a great record, one of my favorites.

Thanks to deep-purple.ru for the info.

Hot on the heels of their induction, Rolling Stone has an interview with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, which they call an interview with Deep Purple. We’ll forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

On the conspicuously absent Ritchie Blackmore:

Glenn Hughes: Here’s the deal: I tried to coax him into it, but I had somebody that’s on the inside of our community that he was going to show up, and I said — on Twitter, goddammit — “I hear Ritchie’s going to show. Wouldn’t it be great for the fans?” And I got such a telling off by his camp, and I said, “I’m really sorry, I really heard that he was coming.” It was a little scary for me; I just wanted to be friends, you know? David and I can’t figure out why and the fans can’t figure out why.

DC: Ritchie’s an interesting character. He’s got his own story and I think he knows that. Glenn and I share each other’s story for over four decades. And we’ve stayed very much in touch. This is the first time I’ve seen Ian Paice for over 20-something years and he worked with me in Whitesnake with Jon Lord. So it was fascinating to reconnect, but the root of a happy family is total lack of communication, I understand.

GH: I did the Jon Lord tribute at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago. I did get to see everybody and say goodbye to Jon, which was a really magnificent evening. But the whole thing is, Jon not being here because he’s deceased, and Ritchie not being here, is a little strange. But we’ll continue. The band is important… I dedicate this to the fans.

Read more in Rolling Stone.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held yesterday, April 8, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Gillan, Glover, Paice, Vicky Lord, Coverdale, and Hughes were on hand to accept the induction. No miracles happened. Blackmore didn’t show up (just like he’s been promising for a while), and Rod Evans didn’t come out of the woodwork.

The band was introduced by Lars Ulrich of Metallica:

Rolling Stone magazine has transcriptions of acceptance speeches. Mind you, reports are they are not exactly 100% word-for-word accurate. For example, Gillan did mention Rod Evans when naming everybody who was in the band, and (as far as we know) Roger Glover is not in love with ‘Marie’.

Ian Gillan:

Thank you. That was amazing. Speechless. Great honor. It’s very humbling to be amongst this exalted company. I’d just like to mention briefly the names of all the people in Deep Purple, whether we’ve been inducted or not. Starting at the beginning, Nick Simper, who played bass in the original band with Ian Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, and our beloved Jon Lord. And Roger Glover came along and after that was David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. And then Tommy Bolin and Joe Lynn Turner and a great, very important year with Joe Satriani. Twenty-two years ago, Steve Morse joined us. And then there was new kid on the block, Don Airey. He’s been with us for nearly 14 years. And that’s about all. Every one of them has played their part in this remarkable band. You know, this is not really for us. I think this award is very much for families and business connections, our crew and our friends who have been absolutely amazing, watching for over 50 years. Thank you.

Roger Glover:

Finally, we’re here. Thank you Ulrich, for reading out what I wrote, and thank for all your support and everyone else who has supported us over the years. It takes a small army of people for each one of us to actually be here. And the word “thank-you” isn’t quite enough. Our families ad friends that put up with us not being there. There is an enormous amount of people we should thank, and I’m not going to go through their names. I can’t remember them. My friends in Deep Purple – Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore – changed my life forever. And I’m deeply indebted to them, as I am to all you people for making this possible. The fans rule. You do. And my family, my daughters, Jillian, Lucinda and Melody. My love, Marie. And all those people who have supported us. But not least of all, Bruce Payne, our manager, who has been with us as agent and manager since the early Seventies. He’s been with us through all the peaks and valleys of our career. Thank you very much, and thank you all for being here.

Ian Paice:

This delightful lady is Jon Lord’s wife, Vicky. We thought it was really important and necessary that she would be here to represent our good pal, who left us four years ago. Vicky is going to hold on to this. I’m the guy who has been there from the beginning. I’ve seen it all. And when I say I’ve seen it all, I mean it. The good, the bad, the crazy, the stuff where we go, “How the hell did we get into that situation?” The bands are a weird conglomeration of people. You can work together, and you can create wonderful things, and then you find that you can’t deal with each other. You can see a way out, you just can’t get there. You look back, and you wonder how you can be so stupid. But you come again, so. There’s nothing better. So thank you very much for this honor. And for all the fans that have been with us through all the years, we thank you, too. It’s like watching your own football team. If they win, you’re part of it. And for the fans, when their heroes get a pat on the back, they feel part of it. So for them, thank you very much. Have a great night.

David Coverdale:

Good evening. How are you? Nice to see you. First, I’d like to thank and express my appreciation and gratitude to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for the honor of being inducted in such a regarded institution with so many of my heroes: Hendricks, Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, incredible company. I would also like to offer my sincere congratulations to all past and present members of Deep Purple, my incredible musical mentor, Richie Blackmore. And particularly, the very much missed Tommy Bolin and, of course, the immortal Jon Lord. I’d like to particularly thank all the fans of Deep Purple around the world. You not only keep the music alive of the band, but you continue to support all the offshoot bands, as well. My thanks also extend to the wonderful musicians in my band, Whitesnake: Reb Beach, Joel Hoekstra, Michael Devin, Tommy Aldridge. My amazing business team of David White and associates, John Payne, my friend and lawyer, Glenn Davis… I’m so honored to be here tonight, my friend and co-producer for almost 30 years, Michael McEntire, my dear friend and lovely assistant, the lovely Christie Lee and, last but not least, my amazing incredible family. My beautiful children, Jasper and Jessica. And the most inspiring person in my life, my beautiful and beloved wife Cindy. I love you. I love you all. Music was been there for me when no one else was. So, thank you. Be safe, happy and don’t let anybody make you afraid.

Glenn Hughes:

Hello, my name is Glenn Hughes, and I am so grateful to have been given the gift of music. I was born in the United Kingdom. But my soul was born in Detroit. And I found my way to California at 19 years old, brought to America by my friends. When I got off the plane in San Francisco, I said, “Well this isn’t the West Midlands and the Black Country anymore. Do you want to live here? Do you want to live in this country?” The answer is very, very clear. I want to thank Roger Glover, for getting me in the Hall of Fame. I replaced him, and I joined the band as a lead singer/bass player. We auditioned one man, only one man. That man has been one of my closest friends for 43 years: David Coverdale. To be fortunate enough to play with Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and one more time everybody, give it up for Jon Lord. Yeah… So I want to thank my manager, Paul Geery and Ernie Buck from PGM Management. I want to thank the greatest girl I’ve ever known in my entire lifetimes, my wife, soul and loving partner, Gabrielle. You take my breath away. I am so so happy for us. A long time ago, I friend of mine said, “You’ve got to keep forever changing. Keep forever changing. Because music is the healer. Ladies and gentleman, my award is dedicated to the fans. God bless you all and have a lovely lovely evening.

The current lineup then performed a short set of Highway Star, Green Onions jam, Hush, and Smoke on the Water.

The grand finale jam was a cover of Fats Domino’s Ain’t That a Shame rendered in the arrangement from Cheap Trick’s live album At Budokan. Roger Glover, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes took part:

Hughes and Coverdale at the press conference:

Lars Ulrich at the press conference:

Thanks to Blabbermouth, BraveWords, Rolling Stone, and Billboard for the info and to MarchofTheRashbaum, Oscar Arias, and Artisan News Service for the videos. Photo credits: Theo Wargo and Timothy Clay.

Cleveland.com reports that a Deep Purple exhibit has opened at the brink-and-mortar Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (which now has officially dropped ‘and museum’ moniker). The exhibit is displayed alongside the other 2016 inductees, and includes a centerpiece of Blackmore’s Gibson ES-335 from the early years (it was last used in the studio to record Child in Time).

Cleveland.com also has a decent writeup of the band and the soap opera accompanying the induction process. Special kudos for “Twenty-two YEARS long overdue” conclusion.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Glenn Hughes recently spoke to GuitCast podcast (even though he’s not exactly known for his guitar playing skills).

On his knee surgery:

I was privately in a wheelchair for a couple weeks at the end of my Asian tour last December, knowing full well when I got home that that I was going to have the surgery done.

Regarding a new album:

I’m gonna go to Copenhagen the last week of June, I’m gonna start making the Glenn Hughes solo album. Normally it takes me a couple of weeks to get that, then I’m mixing so by the end of July I’ll have an album ready to roll.

On the HoF induction ceremony and who will perform there:

We won’t know anything until we get into rehearsals next Thursday, April 7th.

Glenn’s interview starts at around 31:35 into the podcast:

Thanks to Shawn for the info.

Steve Morse spoke to Madcap Music Review back in January at the NAMM. He mostly talked about the finer, but not so obvious features of his signature MusicMan, such as the significance of small headstock for having the guitar with him at all times.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich will be presenting Deep Purple at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame this weekend. He recently spoke with radio.com about his love for the band and what, in his opinion, makes them a driving force in music.

There is also a decent writeup on radio.com for the uninitiated regarding the whole induction soap opera.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.