Ian Gillan: DEEP PURPLE’s Powerful Vocal Alchemist

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Ian Gillan was one of the foremost vocalists of the heavy metal style of rock that emerged in the 70s earning his greatest celebrity as a member of Deep Purple despite the fact that he also led his own bands Ian began singing while still in his teens and was a member of several pub rock bands It was in one of these that he met bass player Roger Glover and the two were invited to join Deep Purple in 1969 They debuted with the band in London of the same year Ian Gillan s voice was the making of Deep Purple and he was featured on a series of hugely successful recordings including Fireball Machine Head Made in Japan and Who Do We Think We Are He also starred on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice 39 s concept album Jesus Christ Superstar where he sang the title role That album topped the U S charts in 1971 Ian Gillan recorded and toured the world relentlessly in those days until he was hospitalised for exhaustion in 1971 He decided to take leave of the band and just as he left quot Smoke on the Water quot from Machine Head began making its way up the U S charts where it would peak in the Top Five and go gold becoming Deep Purple 39 s biggest ever career hit Ian then bought a recording studio and signed a solo deal with a small record company He formed the Ian Gillan Band and in 1975 their debut album Child in Time entered the charts Switching record labels the group simplified its name to Gillan and recorded a series of albums many of which hit the charts worldwide At the end of 1982 Ian disbanded Gillan announcing that he had to rest his vocal cords on doctor 39 s orders The following year he surprised fans by joining Black Sabbath and recorded their album Born Again He also began touring with the band Ian says he was lucky to survive that ongoing party In 1984 the original 1969-1973 line up of Deep Purple got back together They cut the million-selling Perfect Strangers and the House of Blue Light In 1989 Ian Gillan again quit the band That December he participated in an all-star remake of quot Smoke on the Water quot issued as a charity single which made the British Top 40 Ian Gillan continued to release solo albums At the end of 1992 he again returned to Deep Purple and the band commenced a world tour Ian left yet again and in 1998 he released yet another solo album After 2009 39 s offering he continued to focus on Deep Purple and didn t make another solo album for almost a decade These days Ian Gillan remains at the helm of Deep Purple and the album quot Machine Head – Deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition quot has just been released The box set with LP three CDs Blu-Ray booklet and various memorabilia also includes a remastered version of the original mix a 1972 concert recording from London and a previously unreleased recording from 1971 made at the Casino Montreux which later burned down It was included despite its limited sound quality quot because of its historical relevance quot according to the notes on the back of the box Despite all the nostalgia and the loss of his wife a couple of years ago Ian Gillan is again looking forward He is currently living on the coast in Portugal and is at work on the band 39 s next studio album – number 23 – with his long-time band mates Roger Glover and Ian Paice The 78 year old is getting set for yet another Deep Purple tour that s about to kick off in Australia To learn more about Deep Purple and Ian Gillan head for https deeppurple com and https www ian-gillan com To request a future guest for A Breath of Fresh Air feel free to reach out to me or if you have comments and feedback https www abreathoffreshair com au Click here to visit this podcast episode