Deep Purple First European Tour 1968

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Deep Purple First European Tour 1968


image_caption = Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, Don Airey, Steve Morse
artist = Deep Purple
start_date = April 1968
end_date = May 1968
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 11
last_tour =
this_tour = Deep Purple First European Tour 1968
next_tour = Deep Purple First UK Tour 1968Deep Purple First European Tour 1968 is the debut tour by British hard rock band Deep Purple which took place in Europe, and in Scandinavian countries. [ [http://deeppurpleliveindex.com/ The Deep Purple Live Index ] ] In 1968, the band wasn't popular in Europe. They recorded a studio album just after this tour, in July. [ [http://www.deep-purple.net/tree/mk1.htm Deep Purple Mark 1 History ] ]

Pre-History

Deep Purple took a several lineup changes before it was formed to tour.In 1967, former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis contacted London businessman Tony Edwards in the hope that he would manage a new group he was putting together, to be called Roundabout: so-called because the members would get on and off the band, like a musical roundabout. Impressed with the plan, Edwards agreed to finance the venture with two business partners: John Coletta and Ron Hire (Hire-Edwards-Coletta - HEC Enterprises).

The first recruit was the classically-trained Hammond organ player Jon Lord, who had most notably played with The Artwoods (led by Art Wood, brother of future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, and featuring Keef Hartley). He was followed by session guitarist Ritchie Blackmore who was persuaded to return from Hamburg to audition for the new group. Curtis soon dropped out, but HEC Enterprises, as well as Lord and Blackmore, were keen to carry on.

For the bass guitar, Lord suggested his old friend Nick Simper, with whom he had played in a band called The Flower Pot Men and their Garden (formerly known as The Ivy League) back in 1967. Simper's claims to fame (apart from Purple) were that he had been in Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and had been in the car crash that killed Kidd. He was also in Screaming Lord Sutch's The Savages, where he played with Blackmore.

The line-up was completed by singer Rod Evans and drummer Ian Paice from The Maze. After a brief tour of Denmark in the spring of 1968, Blackmore suggested a new name: Deep Purple, which was his grandmother's favourite song. [ [http://www.deep-purple.net/tree/mk1.htm Deep Purple Mark 1 History ] ]

So the band was formed and they made a short debut tour in Scandinavia [ [http://deeppurpleliveindex.com/ The Deep Purple Live Index ] ]

Tour Dates

Day/Month/Year/Venue/City/Country

*?/4/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/4/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/4/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/4/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/4/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/4/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*20/4/1968- Parkskolen-Vestpoppen, Tastrup,Denmark
*?/5/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/5/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/5/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??
*?/5/1968- Unk.Scandinavian, ??, ??

External links

* [http://www.deeppurpleliveindex.com/ All tour dates of Deep Purple from 1968 till 2007]

References