Events in Music
- 1968-04-20 British rock band billed as "Roundabout" debuts in Kastrup, Denmark; after a brief tour of Scandinavia, they change their name to "Deep Purple"
Music Concert
1971-12-04 Montreux Casino, in Montreux, Switzerland, burns down to the ground after a fan fires a flare gun during concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention; incident inspires rock band Deep Purple's song "Smoke on the Water"
- 1973-08-28 "Smoke on the Water" single by British rock band Deep Purple goes gold
- 1974-04-06 200,000 attend rock concert "California Jam" at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California; line-up includes Earth, Wind & Fire; Black Sabbath; Deep Purple; and Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Music History
1975-06-21 British rock guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quits Deep Purple, forms Rainbow
- 1976-07-19 British rock group Deep Purple disbands
Live 8 Concert
2005-07-02 Live 8 concert at Park Place in Barrie, Ontario, Canada; performers include Neil Young, Bryan Adams; The Tragically Hip; Motley Crue; Gordon Lightfoot; Deep Purple, and Bruce Cockburn
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
2016-04-08 31st Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chicago, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Steve Miller, and N.W.A
Birthdays in Music
- 1917-04-30 Bea Wain, American singer and radio host ("Deep Purple"; "Heart and Soul"), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2017)
- 1929-04-29 April Stevens [Caroline LoTempio], American vocalist ("Deep Purple" - the song, not the band), born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 2023)
- 1935-01-06 Nino Tempo [Antonino LoTempio], American session saxophonist and pop vocalist ("Deep Purple"; "Sister James"), born in Niagara Falls, New York
- 1941-06-09 Jon Lord, British keyboardist and composer (Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"; Whitesnake), born in Leicester, England (d. 2012)
- 1941-08-26 Chris Curtis [Crummey], British rock drummer, songwriter and vocalist (The Searchers - "Needles And Pins"), born in Oldham, Lancashire (d. 2005)
Ritchie Blackmore (79 years old)
1945-04-14 English guitarist (Rainbow - "Stone Cold"; Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"), born in Weston-super-Mare, England
- 1945-08-19 Ian Gillan, English heavy metal and rock singer (Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"; Jesus Christ Superstar), born in London
- 1945-11-03 Nick Simper, English bass guitarist (Deep Purple; Warhorse), born in Norwood Green, England
- 1945-11-30 Roger Glover, British hard rock bassist (Episode Six; Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"; Rainbow), born near Brecon, Wales
- 1947-01-19 Roderic "Rod" Evans, English rocker (The Maze, Deep Purple), born in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England
- 1948-06-29 Ian Paice, British hard rock drummer (White Snake; Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"), born in Nottingham, England
- 1948-12-27 Martin Birch, British sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac; Deep Purple ) and record producer (Whitesnake; Iron Maiden), born in Woking, Surrey, England (d. 2020)
- 1951-08-01 Tommy Bolin, American session and touring rock guitarist and songwriter (Deep Purple, 1975-76; James Gang, 1973-74), born in Sioux City, Iowa (d. 1976)
- 1951-08-21 Glenn Hughes, British bassist and vocalist (Finders Keepers, 1965-69; Trapeze, 1969-73, 1991-94: Deep Purple, 1973-76), born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England
- 1951-09-22 David Coverdale, British-American rock singer (Whitesnake;, Deep Purple), born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England
- 1954-07-28 Steve Morse, American rock guitarist (Dixie Dregs; Deep Purple, 1994-present), born in Hamilton, Ohio
Deaths in Music
- 1976-12-04 Tommy Bolin, American rock guitarist and songwriter (Deep Purple), dies of heroin and other substances overdose at 25
- 2012-07-16 Jon Lord, English keyboardist and composer (Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"; Whitesnake), dies from a pulmonary embolism at 71
- 2017-08-19 Bea Wain, American pop singer ("Deep Purple" (the song, not the group); "Heart and Soul"), and radio host, dies at 100
- 2020-08-09 Martin Birch, British sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac; Deep Purple) and record producer (Whitesnake; Iron Maiden), dies at 71 [1]