Chapter 24 starts 1969 in England recording the Deep Purple album, then it’s back to America on a slightly lower budget after a meeting with the band’s accountant. Nevertheless the band are all “dollar millionaires!” .. according to John Coletta. Read the full story here.
Chapter 23 sees Nick and Deep Purple in America for the first time in 1968, experiencing Californian 20,000+ seater halls and luxury hotels. TV shows and a coast-to-coast tour follow, initially supporting Cream – for three shows. By January ’69 they are on the front cover of Cashbox. Read the full story here.
On arriving back in England, things began to move at an incredible pace. The deal with Tetragrammaton in the US was finalised and we were signed to EMI for other territories. We also signed a management deal with HEC Enterprises who had already invested heavily in the group.
It took us just eighteen hours over two days to record Shades; maybe enough time to record one back-track in today’s world. I asked if we could have more time, but Coletta replied that the studio was not available. Obviously, the truth was that the budget would not allow it! From the control room, the whole operation was overseen by our producer Derek Lawrence, who proved to be a great catalyst between us and Barry Ainsworth. Our constant rehearsing meant that we could deliver the goods on time with few extra ‘takes’. Jon and I provided backing vocals for Rod, when it was discovered that I was the only one able to sing falsetto, which we used a lot – probably too much, in hindsight. Derek carried out the mixing process on his own (to save time and money) which didn’t please us too much, but, whatever its faults, I think we produced a pretty good first LP which is still popular over half a century later!
excitement within the group. This soon abated however when we discovered that no shops carried our disc, and worse, they hadn’t even heard of it! EMI Records proved to be absolutely useless at promotion and rumour had it that this was because their whole operation was concentrated on the new single from The Beatles! It was well known that many records were “hyped” into the record charts, often by the simple but costly method of buying lots of copies from the so-called secret list of record shops that were used to compile the chart, so we suggested to Coletta and Edwards that maybe this was the way forward.The latest chapter of Nick’s story sees the new band, still
called “Roundabout” according to their management, set off to
Denmark for their first gigs, starting in Tastrup, Denmark on
April 20, 1968 ….
Read the full story here.
As many Deep Purple fans will know, this month of March 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the band! Quite where all those years went, I do not know, for it seems like only yesterday that we began one of the most exciting periods of our lives.
No-one could imagine back then that anyone would remember our band half a century on, or belive that our recordings would still be pressed and bought by fans all over the world.
I would like to thank all of the people who have supported Deep Purple, those that believed in us from the start, those that championed all the following various line-ups over the years, right up to the present day.
It makes me very proud to have witnessed our little group blossom and grow into such a giant force in the music business, becoming a whole industry in itself, spawning various off-shoots and creating employment across the years.
Naturally, I am particularly proud of the original Mark I line-up, for against all the odds, we managed to create a whole new style of music, inspiring other musicians along the way, just as we were inspired by those that went before us. The original Deep Purple has always attracted criticism with many inaccuracies being written by ill-informed people; however no-one can take away the fact that over short timespan, under incredible pressure, we reached almost impossible goals!
As I (very slowly) write the story of the band’s beginning, I will try to right past wrongs and tell the facts as they happened. It has been a great pleasure to meet so many people from around the world who appreciate Mark I for the pioneering outfit that it undoubtedly was, and I know that for these people we were just as valid as the line-ups that came after, for there is no doubt that without us, our hard work, and our success, nothing would have followed. Once again I would like to express my gratitude to you all!!
Many Thanks
The new group starts to take shape at Dee
ves Hall as auditions for a singer bring a steady stream of wannabes are taxied (by Nick!) to and from the hall. Ashley Holt is one of those auditioned, but his choice of Wilson Pickett songs doesn’t impress them. Then one Rod Evans appears, bringing his version of the Beatles song, ‘Help’, and the right man for the job is found, although not before he has to endure Ritchie’s practical jokes! At the same time, Bobby Woodman’s opinions start to differ from the rest of the band, and Rod’s drummer from this previous band, The Maze, comes on board in the shape of Ian Paice. Now all they need is a name for the band!
Click here to read the full story.
(9 June 1941 – 16 July 2012)
During the last few years, the music business has lost some of its most seminal players, people who inspired me and many others. We said goodbye to my three favourite guitarists, the three “Micks” as I called them, namely Mick Keane, Mick Green, and Mickey King. We also lost Tony Dangerfield, Neil Christian, Jet Harris and the man who played a big part in our lives, Jim Marshall.
This week another name has been added to the list, as we learned of the death of Jon Lord.
I first met Jon, very briefly, late one night at the famous Shepherds Bush pie stall, one of the few places where food (of a kind) could be obtained during the early hours. It was the summer of 1966, and we were both, in those days, at the top of our game. I was playing with one of rock’s biggest names, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, whilst Jon was with the Artwoods, one of the country’s top R & B groups. Neither of us spoke, just exchanging nods, as Kidd spoke animatedly with the Artwood’s drummer, an old friend. Little did we know that in less than two years we would be best friends, climbing the U.S. charts together, and creating a supergroup that would still be working nearly half a century later!
Fate was to throw us together in late ’67, working with the chart-topping group the Flowerpot Men, and it was Jon who talked me into leaving this money-spinning outfit to create a new band. Together with Ritchie Blackmore, and briefly, Bobby Woodman, we sowed the seeds that became Deep Purple. Jon and I hit it off from the first day that we worked together, and for the next two years we lived together, firstly at my parents’ home, then at Deeves Hall, and finally sharing a room at the Deep Purple house in Acton, West London. On tour we always roomed together, and life was one big round of fun! He called me his best friend, and I thought of him as the brother that I never had.
Sadly, as is well documented, none of this was to last! During the next forty years we both moved in different directions, but strangely, in the last couple of years, whilst our paths did not cross, they came very close to doing so. During my recent trips to Europe with Nasty Habits, we played where Jon had been very recently, or was due to perform very soon. Several times I came across his contemporaries who would pass on “greetings from Jon”. It seemed only a matter of time before we met up again on the same bill, or in the same town. Finally it looked on the cards as we were both appearing on the same weekend at a festival at St. Veit in Austria. Sadly, Jon cancelled his appearance, and it was then that I learned of the seriousness of his illness. During our show I asked the audience to join us in sending good vibes to Jon for a speedy recovery, and the resulting roar from the crowd said it all!
Since that gig, last September, we all constantly enquired after Jon’s health, hoping for a happy outcome, but sadly it was not to be. However, his music will live on, a fitting memorial to a great musician, and the memories of those exciting, pioneering days will remain with me forever. Rest in peace Jon.
Nick Simper 18th July 2012
Courtesy of Gerhard Koritnik:
“I obtained the record from Mr. David Naughton, who lives in Seattle, WA. His sister, Mary, who sadly passed away at the end of the 90´s, obtained the autographs in person near Anaheim, California (as David told me later). He wrote to me about the record: “I got it from my sister’s friend in 1992. Her name was Mary and she grew up in southern California, so it could have been from any of the early southern California appearances. She didn’t understand the significance of it being the original five members, she was not a major fan but just liked that record “Hush”, took it to the concert and had it signed, then forgot about it for twenty years.”
