Read Deep Purple’s Lively Rock Hall Induction Speeches
Deep Purple‘s road to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been rocky ever since they were first eligible for induction in the early Nineties. On Friday night, the hard-rock trailblazers – whose hits include “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star,” “Hush” and many others – were finally inducted, after a speech by mega-fan, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. When drummer Ian Paice heard the news last year, he told Rolling Stone he knew it would come one day. “I do appreciate how difficult it probably was for them to do it with so many lineups, so many different members,” he said. “It’s a minefield, really. I suppose it’s rather nice.”
Although the band members expressed ruffled feathers over some of the Rock Hall’s choices for induction – singer Ian Gillan called the exclusions of current members “very silly,” and founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore refused to attend after his former bandmates said they would not play onstage with him (an act Gillan once called “unconscionable”) – they were appreciative of the honor at the ceremony held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Here’s what they had to say.
Ian Gillan: Thank you. That was amazing. Speechless. Great honor. It’s very humbling to be amongst this exalted company. I’d just like to mention briefly the names of all the people in Deep Purple, whether we’ve been inducted or not. Starting at the beginning, Nick Simper, who played bass in the original band with Ian Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, and our beloved Jon Lord. And Roger Glover came along and after that was David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. And then Tommy Bolin and Joe Lynn Turner and a great, very important year with Joe Satriani. Twenty-two years ago, Steve Morse joined us. And then there was new kid on the block, Don Airey. He’s been with us for nearly 14 years. And that’s about all. Every one of them has played their part in this remarkable band. You know, this is not really for us. I think this award is very much for families and business connections, our crew and our friends who have been absolutely amazing, watching for over 50 years. Thank you.
Roger Glover: Finally, we’re here. Thank you Ulrich, for reading out what I wrote, and thank for all your support and everyone else who has supported us over the years. It takes a small army of people for each one of us to actually be here. And the word “thank-you” isn’t quite enough. Our families ad friends that put up with us not being there. There is an enormous amount of people we should thank, and I’m not going to go through their names. I can’t remember them. My friends in Deep Purple – Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore – changed my life forever. And I’m deeply indebted to them, as I am to all you people for making this possible. The fans rule. You do. And my family, my daughters, Jillian, Lucinda and Melody. My love, Marie. And all those people who have supported us. But not least of all, Bruce Payne, our manager, who has been with us as agent and manager since the early Seventies. He’s been with us through all the peaks and valleys of our career. Thank you very much, and thank you all for being here.