Deep Purple is one of the most influential hard rock bands of all time, known for songs like “Smoke on the Water” and “Highway Star.” The band was at the height of their powers in 1970, releasing what many consider to be their magnum opus that year with the album Deep Purple In Rock. This lineup of Deep Purple featured guitar virtuoso Ritchie Blackmore, keyboard wizard Jon Lord, powerhouse drummer Ian Paice, talented vocalist Ian Gillan, and the great bassist Roger Glover.
Deep Purple Members in 1970
Here is the Deep Purple lineup in 1970 when they recorded and toured for the monumental Deep Purple In Rock album:
| Member | Instrument |
|---|---|
| Ritchie Blackmore | Guitar |
| Jon Lord | Keyboards |
| Ian Paice | Drums |
| Ian Gillan | Vocals |
| Roger Glover | Bass |
As you can see, this was a lineup of superbly talented musicians, each a virtuoso on their respective instruments. Their technical skills combined with a penchant for heavy, driving rock would make Deep Purple one of the pioneers of heavy metal. Now let’s take a deeper look at each member of this seminal Deep Purple lineup from 1970.
Ritchie Blackmore
One of the key ingredients in Deep Purple’s unique and revolutionary sound was guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Known for his lightning fast playing and neo-classical influenced solos, Blackmore raised the bar for lead guitar skills in rock and metal.
Born in 1945 in Weston-Super-Mare, England, Blackmore picked up the guitar as a teenager and was heavily inspired by rockabilly and rock pioneers like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Eddie Cochran. In the mid-1960s, Blackmore did session work and played in bands like The Outlaws. His big break came in 1967 when he founded Deep Purple with keyboardist Jon Lord.
In Deep Purple, Blackmore had room to flourish and establish his reputation as one of the greatest rock guitarists of the era. His work on albums like Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball, and Machine Head contained blistering solos and riffs that influenced countless future metal guitar players.
Onstage, Blackmore would captivate audiences with his long improvised solos, intense energy, and use of guitar effects like feedback and distortion. Offstage, he had a reputation for being temperamental and difficult to work with at times, clashing with other band members over creative differences.
Nonetheless, Ritchie Blackmore’s revolutionary guitar playing was an essential part of Deep Purple’s unique sound and success, making him a true rock icon. He brought technical excellence and imagination to the band’s heavy, blues-inspired sound.
Jon Lord
Providing the perfect complement to Blackmore’s guitar was keyboard maestro Jon Lord. Lord’s mastery of the Hammond organ gave Deep Purple an additional sonic element that enhanced their proto-metal songs.
Jon Lord was born in Leicester, England in 1941 and studied classical piano from a young age. He played jazz and blues in several bands in the early 1960s. When Deep Purple formed in 1967, Lord shifted from piano to Hammond organ, inspired by rock, soul, and blues organ players like Jimmy Smith.
On Deep Purple classics like “Child in Time” and “Highway Star”, Lord’s swirling Hammond playing gave the music a distinctive flavor and fullness. His quasi-classical influenced organ solos sounded both elegant and heavy, blending rock bombast with melodic sophistication.
In addition to his acclaimed keyboard skills, Jon Lord helped give shape and direction to Deep Purple’s song arrangements. He contributed much of the compositional detail that made songs like “Strange Kind of Woman” and “Black Night” so memorable.
Both onstage and in the studio, Jon Lord’s work on the Hammond organ helped establish Deep Purple’s grand, heavy, and melodic signature sound. His playing made the organ a prominent and important instrument in the rock and metal genres.
Ian Paice
Providing the powerful rhythmic foundation to Deep Purple’s music was drummer Ian Paice. He gave the band’s sound drive, energy, and swagger through his forceful playing style.
Ian Paice was born in Nottingham, England in 1948. He took up drumming as a teenager and cut his teeth playing in several local rock and R&B groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968 he joined Deep Purple and completed the band’s definitive Mark II lineup.
From the pummeling drums on “Speed King” to the frenetic rhythms of “Fireball”, Ian Paice’s playing was integral to Deep Purple’s potency and strength as a hard rock band. He had a direct, heavy hitting style influenced by drummers like Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, and John Bonham.
Onstage, Paice would hammer out beat after thunderous beat, fueling Deep Purple’s high energy performances. The power and stamina he provided from behind the drum kit became a signature part of the Deep Purple live experience.
In the studio, Paice added creative flourishes and rock solid timekeeping to classic Deep Purple tracks. His natural chemistry with bassist Roger Glover and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore formed a core musical rapport within the band.
Ian Paice remained Deep Purple’s anchor and engine through countless lineup changes over the decades. He was an important factor in their ascendance as hard rock pioneers and heavy metal forerunners.
Ian Gillan
The final piece of the Deep Purple puzzle was lead vocalist Ian Gillan. With his stunning upper register vocals, Gillan gave Deep Purple a signature voice to complement their heavy sound.
Ian Gillan was born in 1945 in London. He sang in local rock groups before joining Episode Six in 1965. Gillan’s big break came in 1969 when Deep Purple’s manager asked him to audition after original singer Rod Evans left the band.
With the addition of Gillan, Deep Purple’s sound and style instantly came into focus. On the 1970 LP In Rock, Gillan displayed stunning vocal range and power on songs like “Child in Time” and “Speed King”. His soaring high notes became a signature of the Deep Purple sound.
In concert, Gillan would captivate audiences with his energy and charismatic stage presence. Constant touring sharpened his vocal skills even more in the early 1970s as Deep Purple’s fame grew.
In addition to his golden voice, Gillan also contributed lyrics to many of Deep Purple’s hit songs. Tracks like “Smoke on the Water” and “Highway Star” featured Gillan’s storytelling songwriting talents.
Ian Gillan cemented his place as one of the all-time great rock vocalists during his first tenure with Deep Purple. Later singers like David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner had huge shoes to fill after Gillan’s departure from the band in 1973.
Roger Glover
Holding down the rhythm section with drummer Ian Paice was bassist Roger Glover. He provided rock solid bass lines that formed the foundation of Deep Purple’s songs and live performances.
Roger Glover was born in 1945 in Wales and played with Ian Gillan in Episode Six during the mid-1960s. When Deep Purple’s original bassist Nick Simper was dismissed from the band, Glover stepped in and completed the classic Mark II lineup.
While not as flashy as Blackmore or Lord, Roger Glover’s steady, precise bass playing was an irreplaceable bedrock in tracks like “Strange Kind of Woman” and “Into the Fire”. His chemistry with Paice propelled the band’s rhythms forward through complex time signatures and tempo changes.
Onstage, Glover had an understated presence and let the other members shine instrumentally. But without his anchoring bass, Deep Purple’s live impact would have been lessened. Songs like “Smoke on the Water” derived maximum heaviness from Glover’s thick bass lines.
In addition to performing, Glover took on more of a producer’s role in the studio for Deep Purple. He helped shape the overall sonic direction and musical arrangements of the band’s early 1970s albums.
Roger Glover’s modest persona disguised his huge contributions to Deep Purple’s commercial success and artistic excellence. His bass playing was a subtle but highly important ingredient in the band’s rise as hard rock standard bearers.
Deep Purple’s 1970 Successes
This legendary lineup of Deep Purple hit an unparalleled creative peak in 1970. That year they released Deep Purple In Rock, which is considered by many to be one of the first true heavy metal albums.
Deep Purple In Rock contained classics like “Speed King”, “Child in Time”, and “Hard Lovin’ Man”. The intensity and thick sound of the record became massively influential on future metal bands. Deep Purple toured extensively that year, cementing their reputation as an incredible live act with their high energy stage show.
“Black Night” was also released as a single in 1970, becoming Deep Purple’s first top 10 UK hit. The song’s distinctive guitar riff spotlighted Ritchie Blackmore’s talents and Jon Lord’s organ playing gave it swagger and attitude. With Gillan’s soaring vocals, it exemplified the Deep Purple sound.
Thanks to releases like In Rock and hits like “Black Night”, Deep Purple enjoyed growing mainstream popularity by the end of 1970. But it was their status as hard rock innovators that truly made this version of Deep Purple so special. Their talented individual members coalesced into something greater than the sum of its parts.
Legacy and Influence
The Mark II era lineup of Deep Purple in 1970 went down as one of the most important and influential in rock history. Their pioneering blend of heavy guitar riffs, classical-tinged keyboards, and high pitched vocals created a new template for hard rock and early metal.
In particular, Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar work established the prototype for lead guitar virtuosos in metal. Both his technical skill and wild personality became a metal archetype.
Ian Gillan’s operatic vocal range showed the possibilities for melodic expression within metal’s heaviness. And songs like “Child in Time” demonstrated how classical and rock influences could be fused together in exciting new ways.
Of course, Deep Purple’s legend would grow even more on their 1971 album Machine Head. But it was their foundational work in 1970 that set the stage for later masterpieces and ensured their enduring influence.
Thanks to their innovative compositions, instrumental virtuosity, and work ethic in 1970, Deep Purple helped shape the sounds and styles of countless metal and hard rock artists to come. Their place in music history as pioneers of heavy metal from this era is undeniable.
Conclusion
Deep Purple’s legendary Mark II lineup – including Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, and Roger Glover – was perfectly suited to take rock music into heavier, more bombastic and technical directions. Their cohesion and individual brilliance led to a true golden age for Deep Purple in 1970.
Albums like Deep Purple In Rock and hits like “Black Night” put Deep Purple at the forefront of the burgeoning world of hard rock and heavy metal. Deep Purple helped pioneer the metal genre through the innovations of their talented 1970 lineup. They showed how heavy, melodic, and complex this new brand of amplified rock could be.
The band’s legendary concerts, guitar heroics, and operatic vocals made them hugely influential. While their fame continued through the 1970s, the foundations for Deep Purple’s success were laid in 1970 by this group of five master musicians. Their output that year proved to be immortal musical magic.
Deep Purple remained an ever-evolving band, but there is no denying their impact came from this particular lineup during their peak early years. The 1970 version of Deep Purple truly achieved a synergistic chemistry that transformed hard rock and resonates to this day. They stand tall as true rock icons.
