The founding band of the hard rock style in the early 1970s, Deep Purple has
gone through many different incarnations and enjoyed great success, symbolized
by the title track "Smoke on the Water". Formed in Hertford, England, in 1968,
Deep Purple moved to London and recorded three blues- and psychedelic-influenced
albums with singer Rod Evans, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and organist Jon Lord,
before succumbing to the symphonic rock craze with new singer Ian Gillan on
Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969), produced with the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra. In 1970, the album Deep ...