Once again I have to pay tribute to another departed friend and colleague. Last week saw the sad passing of one of the most talented musicians that I have ever known. The fact that he was a member of the very band I played with for over forty years, The Good Old Boys, brings the blow even closer to home. Simon Bishop joined the group thirty years ago to replace guitarist Alex Chanter who was leaving to form his own band. To say that he was an asset to the group would be an understatement! Although a quiet and unassuming man it didn’t take long for us to realise that his astonishing talent on guitar was something rather special. Simon had the unique ability to embrace all styles of music and his amazing originality made him able to make a song his own.

Although his style differed from Pete Parks the two of them were able to blend together and compliment each other and after thirty years they developed an almost psychic ability to read each other and create the unique sound of the band. Simon also worked as a music teacher and was always inundated with pupils, all hoping to learn to play like he did! A big part of my enjoyment as bassist for The Good Old Boys was knowing that the other members had the ability to suddenly display a little bit of magic which would make everyone sit up and smile. Simon Bishop was no slouch in that department and audiences would often break into spontaneous applause at some outlandish or outrageously clever demonstration of just what he really could do! Sadly, The Good Old Boys have called it a day after more than forty years, but the fun we had will remain with us forever. Simon, like all the members of the band was an integral part of it, and his passing leaves a huge void in the music business, and in our hearts. I consider it a great privilege to have known him and played alongside him for so many years, a truly talented man who deserves recognition as one of the best!

Rest in peace Simon.

It was with great sadness that I heard the news of the passing of Mick Underwood.

I had first witnessed his great style of drumming at the Park Hotel in Hanwell in 1963 where Jim Marshall would host gigs for his pupils and customers. Mick was playing for the Outlaws, a top outfit at that time and he certainly gave an impressive performance. During the following years I bumped in to him several times and when I formed my band Warhorse in late 69 he was the obvious choice, but he was already forming his own outfit, the great Quatermass. Several years later Mick telephoned to offer me the bass job with his new band called Sammy, but by then Warhorse we’re enjoying their best period of touring and recording. As luck would have it Sammy and Warhorse toured together on the same bill for several months which provided an opportunity for me to get to know Mick very well. After the break up of Sammy, Mick continued to work with various outfits including Episode Six, Strapps, and Gillan, always in demand and by now well established as one of the greatest drummers in the business.

It was 1994 when I found myself having a beer with Mick at a record company Christmas party to which we were both invited. As we reminisced we were joined by record producer Derek Lawrence who later suggested that we should form a band together, and to call it Quatermass II. We both thought it a good idea, and, after several false starts we had the right line up which resulted in our album Long Road being completed in 1996. Mick and I were both extremely proud of the album, and I consider it a great privilege to have spent several years working alongside a man who I always considered to be one of the very best. Mick spent the rest of the time working with his own group Raw Glory, but sadly never achieved the level of success that he should have done. I will remember him as a lovely friend and colleague, always fun to be with, the loudest drummer that I ever worked with, and definitely one of the very best!!!! Rest in peace.

The American tour continues, with Ritchie jamming with a roadhouse band in Florida and Tetragrammaton rush-releasing a butchered version of River Deep Mountain High as a single, without the band’s consent. Back home, things start to get weird until on July 1st, Nick gets the bombshell news – but not from the band. Read the full story here .

Release date 26th April 2024, a newly remastered 2CD edition of the recordings by Warhorse, released originally on the Vertigo label between 1970-1972. Includes the self-titled album, Red Sea and 11 bonus tracks.  cherryred.co/Warhorse

Well, here we are now in the 52nd year of Deep Purple. Time, as they say, really does fly!

I would like to again thank all the people that have continually supported the band and showed such interest in the various musicians involved. It has been nice to continue receiving messages from you, and although I cannot do personal responses, I thought it time to address several subjects.

Thank you for sending information about past gigs, dates, and personnel, which I always find interesting. Also I am very grateful for all the support for my other projects aside from Deep Purple, which, although they didn’t set the world on fire, seem all the more worthwhile now.

Another recent question asked about a project called Rocket. Well, I will be covering this and other subjects in the future when I have completed my part in the Deep Purple story. I still get asked about the Hall of Fame debacle, which I know outraged many people, but it really was not worth worrying about. Thank you anyway!

People have often inquired about my guitars. As previously mentioned, for many years I have used my 1961 Fender Precision bass, which I now use only occasionally. During 1968-69 I also used a black CBS Fender Precision, and also bought one of the first 1951 Precision reissues, which was called the Telecaster bass. After a while I built a hybrid, putting the Telecaster neck onto a black Precision body, which looked amazing! The trouble was that so many people wanted to buy it that I eventually sold it for a handsome profit, which I regret to this day!

With Deep Purple I occasionally played a blonde Gibson EB2 which was a very rare guitar, but sadly useless on stage due to chronic feedback! About 20 years ago I was provided with a new candy-red Precision by my old pal Rich Bennett from Atlanta USA. This great axe has been resprayed black, and I play it a lot. When I celebrated my 60th birthday I was given a surprise gift from Jeff Bennett, Rich’s son. it was a beautiful ‘51 Precision reissue which looks just amazing. I also play this one a lot too! Over the years I have toyed with many others including Rickenbacker and Danelectro, but for me, nothing does the business like a good Precision!

Several people have asked about the Blaggards and Cowboys project. I am playing on the first two albums, but not on subsequent ones. I have played more recently on the first and second albums by Aeon Sophia, called “21 Hundred” and “Headphonauts”. Working on these albums, produced by Donagh Moloney and assisted by my son Richard, has been a lot of fun. They are available through CD Baby and various streaming services such as iTunes. Donagh and Rich were kind enough to send the following message:

Just a message to thank Nick, Pete Parks and also Richard Hudson for their help, advice and encouragement during the making of our first two albums (“21 Hundred” and “Headphonauts”). It’s a sound that is far away from their usual type of music, but their signature styles remain recognisable throughout. Our music would be equally at home on movie soundtracks as it would at low volume in your local coffee shop, combining electronica with live instruments, whilst switching from guitar tracks to sitar to dub reggae and then back to electronic. We look forward to the next one!