Ian Gillan

At 79 years old, Ian Gillan has this physical status:

Career

Garth Rockett and the Moonshiners was Gillan's first attempt at a band, and it featured himself on vocals and drums, as well as guitarist Chris Aylmer, who went on to work with Bruce Dickinson. "Sheila" by Tommy Roe and "Apache" by The Shadows included songs from the band. He discovered that he could't sing and play drums at the same time, so he settled on the role of lead vocalist, appearing at St Dunstan's Hall, the local youth club. He soon joined another local band, Ronnie and the Hightones, who renamed themselves as the Javelins after he joined. Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard were among the first customers of then-local music store owner Jim Marshall's then-local music shop owner Jim Marshall's early customers. In March 1964, the Javelins disbanded, with guitarist Gordon Fairminer leaving to join what eventually became the group Sweet.

Gillan joined Wainwright's Gentlemen, a youth-independence band, who also included drummer Mick Tucker. The band released a number of songs, including a recreation of The Hollies' "Ain't That Just Like Me." Despite the fact that the band appeared in several local popular music venues, they did not succeed, so in April 1965, they joined Hatch End-based Episode Six.

Gillan had been contacted by Episode Six's boss, Gloria Bristow, who worked for Helmut Gordon, the Detours' original manager and later became Who. He replaced original lead singer Andy Ross, who left to get married, and joined keyboardist and singer Sheila Carter, guitarist Graham Carter, bassist Roger Glover, and drummer Harvey Shields. Gillan considers Episode Six to be his first truly professional band, and they were promoted and championed by Tony Blackburn, who occasionally joined Gillan on stage. Later, in addition to performing concerts in the United Kingdom, Episode Six also toured Germany and Beirut, and appeared on the BBC Light Programme on a regular basis. Gillan began writing songs with Glover during his time on Episode Six, building an ongoing friendship that has endured for many years. Shields left the band and was replaced by John Kerrison first, followed by Mick Underwood, after a difficult tour of Beirut. Underwood had been playing in The Outlaws with Ritchie Blackmore, and Ian knew about Deep Purple through him. After releasing nine singles, none of which charted in the United Kingdom, and finding their style of music too limiting for him, he decided to leave Episode Six.

Deep Purple had a top-five US hit with "Hush" in spring 1969, but the band, particularly Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice, decided that their future lay in hard rock, not the early band's psychedelic pop sound. Blackmore, Lord and Paice went to see Episode Six perform at a pub gig and then offered Gillan the job as the new lead singer, asking if he knew any good bassists. Glover was also recruited because he was a talented songwriter at this point. They were both accepted into the band on June 16, 1969, replacing singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper respectively. Deep Purple's old line up continued to perform many concerts until the end of the Book of Taliesyn Tour. After the last show of the tour, which was at the Top Rank Club in Cardiff on July 4, Carlos Evans and Simper were both fired by managers Tony Edwards and John Colletta.

On July 10, Gillan made his first onstage appearance with Deep Purple at the Speakeasy in London's West End. Because the band hadn't been playing for a few weeks, they relied on older instruments such as "Wring That Neck" and "Mandrake Root" to fill a set. Gillan discovered two congas onstage and decided to perform them in these instrumental sections.

At Hanwell Community Centre, Deep Purple Mk.IIIIIIIIII continued rehearsing. The vocal melody and lyrics to "Child in Time" were among Gillan's first performances to the band. The band composed what would be the majority of In Rock during 1969 at Hanwell, but the band was forced to perform Lord's Concerto for Group and Orchestra in September, a one-off performance at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Gillan, along with Blackmore, was initially furious at the prospect of being forced to sing the song, and they wrote the lyrics to the second movement, which was based on a napkin in an Italian restaurant.

Gillan was called by Tim Rice in 1970 to play the part of Jesus on the original 1970 album recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, after being wowed by his appearance on "Child in Time." He rehearsing a few times with Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and he recorded his entire vocal performances in three hours. He was subsequently given the lead role in the 1973 film version. Gillan refused to be paid £250,000 for his role in the film, but he also requested that the entire band be paid, without his permission or his manager's permission, because filming would interfere with a set tour. The producers dropped Ted Neeley in the Jesus role, rather casting Ted Neeley in the Jesus role, and Gillan carried on the band.

Gillan began to dissatisfaction with the band's workload, and the band had not had any holiday since its first rehearsals at Hanwell in 1971, particularly after the release of Fireball. He started to drink, and the band's friendships with the rest of the band, particularly Blackmore, became strained. He died of hepatitis while waiting to board a plane in Chicago on November 6, 1971, ending the remainder of a US tour.

Gillan's workload had caused him to exhaustion by December 1972, having recorded Machine Head, Made in Japan, and the one that has yet to be announced. Unlike some band members, he was dissatisfied with Made in Japan and disliked live albums in general. After the rest of the band had recorded and finished, including Who Do We Think We Are, he tended to go into the studio to lay down his vocals separately. He had been at loggerheads with Blackmore for years, and Gillan's writing of "Smooth Dancer" about him culminated in him. While on tour in Dayton, Ohio, he sat down and wrote a resignation letter to the band's leaders, advising that he wanted to leave the band as soon as 1973.

Gillan resigned from performing to pursue various failed company ventures after being fired from Deep Purple. They included a £300,000 investment in a hotel near Oxford. A second was the Mantis Motor Cycles initiative, which resulted in Gillan's being forced to file for liquidation. However, a more fruitful venture came with his investment in Kingsway Studios in 1974. On October 16, 1975, Ronnie James Dio was on display at the Butterfly Ball, replacing Ronnie James Dio at the last minute.

Gillan formed the Ian Gillan Band in 1975 with guitarist Ray Fenwick, keyboardist Mike Moran, and Colin Towns on keyboards, Mark Nauseef on drums, and John Gustafson on bass. Child in Time was released in 1976 in July 1976, followed by Clear Air Turbulence in April 1977 and Scarabus in October. The band's sound, although enjoyable to Gillan, was commercially ineffective, particularly because punk rock was a hit at the time.

Gillan then formed a new band called Gillan, with Towns (who would co-write most of the songs) remaining, and adding guitarist Steve Byrd, bassist John McCoy, and drummer Pete Barnacle. After Gillan saw Torme playing with his punk trio, Bernie Tormé and Barnacle were quickly replaced by Bernie Tormé and former Episode Six bandmate Mick Underwood. This band had a more dynamic hard rock sound, and Mr. Universe's debut in October 1979 brought Ian Gillan back to the UK charts, but the independent record label that the album was released – Acrobat Records – fell soon after the album was released, sparking the band's signing of Richard Branson's Virgin Records.

Gillan was visited by Blackmore in 1979, who offered him the role of lead vocalist in Rainbow. Gillan lost due to the band's smaller workload compared to his own. However, the two guys jammed together for three nights at Marquee Club, the first time the two guys had performed together since 1973.

Gillan began releasing Glory Road in 1980, which culminated in the band's first appearance on Top of the Pops. He considered the album to be his best work since Machine Head a decade ago. Torme was fired after missing an appearance on Top of the Pops and being replaced by Janick Gers, following the subsequent album Future Shock. Gers appeared on the band's new two albums, Double Trouble and Magic.

Ian Gillan's band would disband in 1982, as he had to repair his injured vocal cords. The majority of the band, including McCoy and Towns, were dissatisfied with the group's sudden disbandment, and sued Gillan for royalties right away after its triumph of Magic.

Gillan was invited by manager Don Arden to join Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, the founding members of Black Sabbath, in a supergroup in 1983. Despite reservations, Gillan had officially announced Ronnie James Dio in Sabbath on April 6, 1983. Born Again at the Manor Studios in Oxfordshire, the group performed Born Again. Ward recalled that he "didn't particularly like some of Ian's lyrics and putting into the songs." Not because Ian doesn't write good lyrics or something like that; I think Ian is a good performer, a great singer, and sometimes his lyrics can be grating. But, I have a personal difference in what I like to hear in the way of lyrics, and thus I felt dissatisfied."

Ward decided not to accompany the others on the subsequent tour due to health issues, and Bev Bevan was recalled.

Gillan was required to learn Sabbath's old repertoire, but had trouble remembering the terms. His idea was to write the lyrics on a perspex folder and then tape it to the stage floor, flipping the pages with his feet. Unfortunately, dry ice on stage made it impossible to read the words, resulting in the audience being rewarded with glimpses of him peering across the microphone to sing a few lines and then fades beneath the dry ice to read the next set. The band appeared on Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" as an encore, as well as Born Again and older Sabbath numbers. After a second North American tour, Gillan decided that he did not have a long-running career as Sabbath's singer and left early. "I loved every minute of it on tour of the United States and the world tour," he said. "It was the longest party I'd ever attended."

Gillan joined Deep Purple in April 1984, announcing their return to Tommy Vance's radio show after the disappointment of Black Sabbath. The reformed band rehearsed in Stowe, Vermont, and released the album Perfect Strangers, which was followed by a huge world tour. This is the second studio album to feature this technology. The House of Blue Lights followed in 1987, but Gillan was worried with the final results, saying, "There's something missing in the overall album." I can't get the band's spirit."

In 1988, Nobody's Perfect was released, which was followed by the live album Nobody's Perfect. To commemorate Deep Purple's 20th anniversary, the live album featured a studio re-recording of the 1968 hit "Hush" with Gillan on vocals. (Rod Evans had sung the original 1968 version.) The album was later remarked upon as "the representation of all the things wrong with Purple."

Gillan, who appeared with Deep Purple in the 1970s, was angry that the band was no longer playing well enough. He formed a side project with Glover, writing and recording songs that didn't fit Purple's already popular hard rock style, which resulted in the album Accidentally on Purpose. Tensions between Gillan and Blackmore had resurfaced by 1989, owing to the former's enthusiasm for touring and differences over the music; the album "Mitzi Dupree" on The House of Blue Light was the first demonstration, though Blackmore refused to re-record it. Blackmore called a rehearsal session without Gillan, which culminated in Blackmore's cancellation of a rehearsal session. Glover told Gillan, "Ian you've gone too far this time," and he was fired after a tense discussion.

Gillan, meanwhile, created a new Garth Rockett and the Moonshiners with keyboardist Mark Buckle, bassist Keith Mulholland, drummer Louis Rosenthal, and guitarists Harry Shaw and Steve Morris. The band appeared on stage through 1989, and their album Naked Thunder was released. Gillan expressed disappointment with the album later on, describing it as "rather hum-de-dum." During this time, Gillan appeared on a re-recorded of "Smoke on the Water" with Rock Aid Armenia, a charity record for relief in Armenia following the then-recent earthquake. Despite several line-up changes throughout Europe, the United States, and Russia, he continued to tour with his solo band.

Gillan returned to Deep Purple in 1992 to record the album "The Battle Rages On" at the urging of Glover, Lord and Paice, who wanted him in the fold for the band's 25th anniversary tour. Gillan was dissatisfied with his work on the album, and he was only expected to write replacement lyrics and vocal melodies, which, unsurprisingly, attracted mockery from Blackmore. In 1993, Blackmore left Deep Purple after the album was released in Europe. Gillan and Blackmore reconnected with each other after they reconnected.

Following Blackmore's departure, Gillan was incredibly upbeat about going forward, and Deep Purple recruited Dixie Dregs/Kansas guitarist Steve Morse after a brief time with Joe Satriani. He wanted to make changes to the live set right away, and he performed "Maybe I'm a Leo" (named after Gillan's birth sign) and "When a Blind Man Cries" – the latter's mainstay in the band's setlist ever since. Morse, Purpose's debut album, "was a such memorable record for Deep Purple that without [other tracks] wouldn't have been possible." He has been Purple's lead singer for years, though the band has had more success touring than producing albums.

Gillan is particularly keen on the lyrics of Deep Purple, considering it to be his primary composition position within the band. "Words must sound good," he said of the importance of lyrics. They have to look like an instrument, and they must have the right perceptive value." Bananas' words were described as "politics mostly."

Though Gillan has been touring with Deep Purple since 1994, he has found the time to dedicate to other causes.

Gillan appeared at the Tommy Vance tribute concert in London on March 31. Roger Glover, Steven Morris, Dean Howard, Michael Lee Jackson, Michael Lee Jackson, Harry James, Sim Jones, and Richard Cottle were all with him.

Gillan's Inn, a CD/multimedia project, was released in April 2006 to honor his 44-year career. On this 2006 CD and DVD, Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, Joe Satriani, Dean Howard, as well as current and former Deep Purple players, including Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey, and Steve Morse are included. The compilation, produced by Nick Blagona, features a re-recorded collection of his Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and solo tracks. Gillan's Inn announced that his solo albums with the Ian Gillan Band and Gillan from the 1970s and 1980s would be re-issued in 2006 and early 2007 via Demon Records, at the same time as Gillan's Inn.

In the album Eternity from Nobuo Uematsu's 2006 video game Blue Dragon, Gillan performed the vocals.

Ian Gillan performed on two songs from Jon Lord & Hoochie Men's album Danger, including Danger. In late 2007, White Men Dancing was released. A journey in Rock, released on 2nd April 2007, Gillan produced a DVD Highway Star. Documentaries and music clips are included in the DVD, along with 6 hours of footage. This was followed in February 2008 by Edel Records' double live album, Live in Anaheim, which features Gillan and Deep Purple classics as well as other rarities. In May 2008, a companion DVD was released.

Ian Gillan appeared at the Jeff Healey memorial concert in Toronto, Canada, on May 3rd, 2008. In February 2005, he had appeared live with Healey in Toronto. In March 2009, he released One Eye in Morocco, his first studio album.

Gillan appeared on stages in Europe in the 2010s, including rearrangements of Deep Purple songs.

Gillan has expressed a particular fondness for Armenia and has maintained his fame there since 1989, leading to his formation of WhoCares as a side-project to Deep Purple. The Prime Minister of Armenia gave the project organiser Jon Dee and the 20th anniversary of Rock Aid Armenia's 20th anniversary of Independence.

In Yerevan, Gillan performed with the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia on Sunday, March 26 and 27. At a press conference in Yerevan on Wednesday, Gillan said he considers Armenia his spiritual motherland.

Ian Gillan's alumni, Nicko McBrain, and Jon Lord, Mikko Lindström from HIM and Jason Newsted joined him at a London studio in 2010 to finish recording "Out of my Mind," which was released the following year. This is for the benefit of the music school in Gyumri, Armenia – a venture Ian Gillan has been working on with others since his 1990 solo concerts in Yerevan.

After each receiving the Armenian Presidential medal of Honour, Gillan, and Iommi, we decided to create WhoCares, a website dedicated to raising funds for specific causes. Ian Gillan attended the inauguration of the Octet Music School in Gyumri on September 20th. Ian Gillan was named as the Armenian "Friend of the Armenians" by the Eastern Diocese of America in 2014, and he was presented with the award at the 112th Diocesan Assembly in New York City.

In 2010, Ian Gillan hosted a documentary about Polish composer and pianist Fryderyk Chopin, produced in Poland by Jerzy Szkamruk. Chopin's Tale is about the composer's rise and the Polish years. The film has received many international accolades, including the Best Documentary award at the Tour Film International Festival in Florianopolis, Brazil. On the 21st of June 2011, it was broadcast on the Polish channel Discovery Historia. It was later released on DVD.

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