Born on August 19: Ian Gillan, Deep Purple's most iconic voice

He was born in 1945 in the Hounslow district of London and quickly found his voice within the local groups.

From the very beginning, he stood out for his exceptional vocal performances, first with The Javelins and then Episode Six, where he met Roger Glover, the bassist with whom he would join Deep Purple, which had formed a few months earlier. Incidentally, Glover achieved worldwide success with the very Beatles-like "Love Is Al" on his album "The Butterly Ball & The Grasshopper's Feast" (1974), a far cry from "Made In Rock." He also featured Ronnie James Dio, once the lead singer of Black Sabbath, and Glenn Hughes, one of the many to succeed him at the mic of the legendary English band.

When Ian Gillan joined Deep Purple, he added his name to the band's second iteration (and there would be many more to come). This album, nicknamed Mark II by commentators, would produce the band's most iconic albums, such as "In Rock" (1970), "Fireball" (1971), "Machine Head" (1972), and of course, "Made in Japan" (1972).

Like Glover, Gillan left the band in 1973, at the height of his fame, due to tensions with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, whose temperament drove many away. Gillan was replaced by David Coverdale before a return to the fold that continues to this day.

Between 1975 and 1978, he founded the jazz-fusion-influenced Ian Gillan Band before responding to his fans' expectations by abandoning his first name and, more importantly, returning to a more classic hard rock style, simply under the name Gillan.

In 1984, he participated in the reformation to record "Perfect Strangers," only to quickly experience the same relationship problems with Blackmore. The same causes producing the same effects, he distanced himself again before permanently rejoining his band when the irascible Blackmore also slammed the door. Are you following?

In an interview with the English daily The Times in July 2024, Gillan reflected emotionally on Deep Purple's difficult early days: "When Roger and I joined the band in 1969, we literally shared the same clothes. More than once, I stole biscuits from every dog to make it through the day. It was very tough, but at the same time, a truly extraordinary time. We were selling thousands of albums, but it was a real struggle. Fortunately, things have improved since then!"

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Ian Gillan with Deep Purple on stage at Forest-ational in Brussels, Belgium, in June 1985