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MrEd45 Profile
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The Founding Members...


Inspired by a debate that's going on on another hread about the founding members of bands.
It's always kinda fascinated me who people think of as Purple's "founding members"(management aside for the purposes of this discussion). I think we all pretty much know that in most accounts, "founding member" status has always been granted to both Blackmore + Lord, without much question. Most of the history from that era (late '67, early '68) is fairly sketchy (as far as written records), and both Blackmore + Lord are probably both bored to near tears talking about it (and somewhat rightly so, I might add).Like I was saying on another thread, sometimes even the people who were directly involved have gaps in their memories, or fall prey to that very human condition of remembering things either the way they wished they had been or in a way that puts themselves in the best light.
So how do other folks on the forum view the "founding members" issue? For myself, I always viewed Jon Lord as the "real" founder of the group(management aside, for the purposes of this discussion)along with the often overlooked Nick Simper. It seems, according to most accounts, they held the idea together after Chris Curtis' disapearance and Blackmore's return to Hamburg in the winter of '67/'68. Most accounts have Lord being re-contacted by Edwards and seeing as he was still in a kind of working relationship with Simper, those two came as a sort of "package", if you will. When Blackmore was re-invited back to England to have another go at forming a band with Lord + Simper, didn't he also bring along or reccomend Bobby Woodman (Clarke) for the drummer's seat? And wasn't the only position REALLY being auditioned for - at first, anyway - the vocalist's job? And Paice was auditioned as almost an afterthought( reports have Blackmore, Lord + Simper not being all too impressed with Woodman - both for his style or overall playing + his personality), seeing as he came along to his friend's audition - Rod Evans?
So, anyway, I always thought of the "founding members" as more Lord + Simper, primarily.
Any other thoughts from the peanut gallery? emoticon

---
" Those who can - do. Those who can't do - teach. Those who can't do or teach - administrate."
- Anon.

" One that will not reason is a bigot. One that cannot reason is an ignoramus. One that dares not reason is a slave." - Anon
15/2/2004, 1:42 Link to this post Send Email to MrEd45   Send PM to MrEd45 Blog
 
Celtic Legacy Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


Lord, Simper & Blackmore in that order.

Evans came next and finally little Ian. But I think Nick can rightly count himself as a founder member of DP...little Ian isn't as they already had a drummer before him and the band had already started before he arrived. But because he was a member of the first confirmed line-up of Deep Purple he's always regarded as a founder member.
Just my 0.2c emoticon

---
"If you can't laugh at yourself...somebody else will!"
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Gillans micstand Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


Rock Family Trees tells the story as good as any written source.
Jon Lord talks pretty down on Chris Curtis
so I don't think he and Blackmore for that matter really consider him the founder,just the guy with the original idea of Roundabout.Get on,get off and so on...
but you and I jon,we'll be the core.
I highly encourage this program to the fans as an excellent sort of documentary.
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Doug Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


Okay... from my understanding of events... Chris Curtis, flush with some success, though still managing to doss down in Kon's flat persuades Edwards to manage his new project.

He wants Jon and Blackmore. Blackmore is brought over for a rehearsal, but then the whole thing fades away.

Several months later, Jon is re-approached by Edwards saying that they are still willing finance him in a band if he'll put one together.

In my view, Jon was "the" founder member - he was asked to commit first, he was asked to form the group, and he was the one giving the majority of the Mk I era interviews.

I can't remember if it was Jon, Tony Edwards or both that insisted on bringing Blackmore back, but I'd say he was next on the list - Simper was really just a jobiing bass-player who knew them both adn was in the right place at the right time. Carlo Little, who was with them both in The Flowerpot Men was hoping he'd get the drumming gig.

I even go as far as saying Mk I Purple was more Jon's band than Ritchie's - that only came about for Mk II/III.

Doug
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MrEd45 Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


Yes, I can agree with the sentiment that Nick Simper may have been the beneficiary of being in the right place at the right time, Doug. Though I seem to recall some quotes from Lord to the effect that he had invited Simper to join him in a new project("Roundabout", in it's very genesis)while both were still "jobbing" and seeming to be playing a lot of gigs and sessions together.
Like I say, it seems a lot of details like this are still pretty sketchy, but still kinda interesting to discuss...
So it looks like we share the view that has Jon Lord as "The" founding member and I can't really find a flaw in your thinking of MkI as more Lord's band than Blackmore's - I agree with that for the most part, too.

---
" Those who can - do. Those who can't do - teach. Those who can't do or teach - administrate."
- Anon.

" One that will not reason is a bigot. One that cannot reason is an ignoramus. One that dares not reason is a slave." - Anon
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Doug Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


I think I recall the bit you're on about RE: Simper - it comes from an interview with Nick from the Family Trees doc - it's therefore his spin on things.

Even then, judging from what he was saying, Jon must have already had the management in place, and that only happened post Curtis.

Doug
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Re: The Founding Members...


Doug wrote:

quote:

I think I recall the bit you're on about RE: Simper - it comes from an interview with Nick from the Family Trees doc - it's therefore his spin on things.



Spin indeed! I ran Nick's chronology of events past Jon. He said Nick massively overplayed his supposed central importance in the formation. [I have this in writing from a certain keyboard player.]

What isn't generally known is that Dave Curtiss wasn't just considered as the first possible lead vocalist (after drummer/vocalist Chris Curtis was off the scene). Dave is/was a bass player and was lined up as lead vocals/bassist.

It was only after this idea was dropped, shortly before they moved into Deeves Hall, that Nick got offered the bassist's job.

Coming from abroad, Ritchie and Bobby were the first to move into Deeves Hall, then Jon and, a few days later, Nick.

Nick claimed in an interview with Simon over 20 years ago that he'd suggested Blackmore to Jon but Jon said that he was absolutely certain that Ritchie had been suggested by Chris Curtis.

Nigel
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MrEd45 Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


 See? This is why I brought it up. What fun -and a great way to find out some other things...
 Now that you mention it, Doug, I do remember that "Family Trees" interview with Simper, and you may be right - perhaps that's what I'm thinking of. Though I'd swear I've seen Lord saying in print the chronology that I cited.I'll try to find it so it can be viewed, if anyone else is interested. This doesn't make it gospel, of course - just one more "spin" on things, of course while trying to allow for most possibilities - the writer made it up, Lord was misquoted, the editor screwed it up, my memory has as many holes as a piece of Swiss cheese, etc.,etc. emoticon Of course, how ever or what ever sequence Lord wants to put the events in is one of the ways that I usually choose to put the most stock in, anyway...whether they're contradictary to himself or not! emoticon
 Wow, Nigel - that's great! Will - or did - any correspondence like that receive permission from it's author(s) to allow it to appear in "Day by Day"? And might I add - it's a near perfect way to refute "hearsay" charges! emoticonThe written word certainly carries much more weight than the spoken in cases like this!
 No, I, for one, wasn't aware of the Dave Curtiss was contemplated as being the bassist/vocalist. Any word on why the idea was dropped? Was it Curtiss' abilities as a bass player? This is interesting, as it somewhat ties in with a discussion that was on the forum a while ago concerning MkIII's decision(s), and the possibility of Deep Purple as a quartet with the bassist assuming the lead vocal slot simultaneously.
I think I remember reading that interview with Simon Robinson where Simper claimed credit for bringing Blackmore into the fold, and I've always thought it was pure "bollocks" as you Brit buddies of mine would say. emoticon I've pretty much always accepted the "Chris Curtis mentions Blackmore to Lord (who may or may not have heard of or actually met Blackmore previously) and they contact Blackmore, etc.,etc." That's one I definitely remember Lord talking about and reading him discuss.
 So, Deep Purple in one of it's "rawest" forms:

Ritchie Blackmore: Guitar
Dave Curtiss: Bass Guitar + Lead Vocals
Jon Lord: Keyboards
Bobby Woodman: Drums

Geez, that looks SO weird when it's actually laid out like that! emoticon

---
" Those who can - do. Those who can't do - teach. Those who can't do or teach - administrate."
- Anon.

" One that will not reason is a bigot. One that cannot reason is an ignoramus. One that dares not reason is a slave." - Anon
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Doug Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


quote:

Nigel Young wrote:

Nick claimed in an interview with Simon over 20 years ago that he'd suggested Blackmore to Jon but Jon said that he was absolutely certain that Ritchie had been suggested by Chris Curtis.

Nigel




Everyone and his dog sems to claim they suggested Blackmore/Hush/Deep Purple. Wasn't Evans' defence in 1980 that he and Blackmore had met in Germany and discussed forming a band called Deep Purple in 1966 or 67? If this was the case, why did he have to answer a newspaper ad to audition for the job!

 emoticon

Doug
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Nigel Young Profile
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Re: The Founding Members...


MrEd45 wrote:
quote:

Any word on why the idea was dropped? Was it Curtiss' abilities as a bass player?



Can't recall offhand, probably his style or personality.... or 'musical differences'.

quote:

So, Deep Purple in one of it's "rawest" forms:



But they were still Roundabout and never played together as such. There were no full rehearsals before they moved into Deeves Hall - other than Blackmore and Lord writing together - just a few meetings at flats and in pubs. For whatever reason, Curtiss didn't make it to Deeves Hall, just the other three (and later, Nick), whereupon the management placed the advert for a lead vocalist.

Bobby Woodman (or Clarke as he was also known) and Dave Curtiss later ended up together (with Steve Howe) in Canto (financed by HEC), later renamed Bodast. Ritchie once tried to jam with them at London's Speakeasy - but Bobby was having none of it, downed his sticks and walked off stage and Curtiss followed! emoticon

Nigel
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