Despite being one of the forbearers of heavy metal, Deep Purple gets its name from a vintage pop song.
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In 1968, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Rod Evans, Nick Simper, and Ian Paice formed what would become one of the trailblazing bands of heavy metal and hard rock music coming out of London. The British band saw its most popular lineup, featuring Blackmore, Lord, Evans, Ian Gillian, and Roger Glover, the latter two replacing Simper and Paice after they left the band. Despite a series of lineup changes and hiatuses over the decades, Deep Purple has recorded 22 studio albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Meaning Behind the Name
The band originally operated under the name Roundabout until 1966 when they decided they needed a new moniker. The bandmates wrote down their suggestions and placed them on a communal board. Orpheus and Concrete God were among the choices, but there was a personal name suggested by Blackmore that stood out amongst the rest.
“We had a list [of band names] on the wall at Deeves Hall,” Lord says in an archived interview. “It was very nearly Orpheus. Concrete God we thought was a bit radical. Sugarlump was on there. One morning Deep Purple was on it. After intense interrogation, it turned out that Ritchie had put it up. The reason was that it was his grandmother’s favorite song.”
“Deep Purple” was composed by Peter DeRose and published in 1933. It’s been recorded several times over the years, with Bing Crosby, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Larry Clinton among the famous names who’ve lent their voices to the standard. One of the most popular versions was by brother and sister duo Nino Tempo & April Stevens, whose 1963 rendition hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Record.
Lord gives partial credit for the band’s success in the United States to the name Deep Purple, as there was a trend revolving around acid-tripping at the time that coincided with the release of their cover of Billy Joe Royal’s “Hush,” which landed in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100.
“‘Hush’ was huge in California,” Lord recalls. “We didn’t know that there was a very strong, intense type of acid going around California [called] Deep Purple. Pure coincidence. When we first got the States people [were] going ‘cool band, cool name.’ I’m sure it had a lot to do with that first success.”
Following “Hush,” Deep Purple also had hits with “Smoke on the Water,” “Knocking at Your Back Door,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Call of the Wild,” “Bad Attitude” and more.
Photo by John Minihan/Getty Images
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