John Lord died today, 17 July 2012, he lost the battle against cancer.
Legendary Deep Purple keyboard player and composer Jon Lord – also loved for his work with Whitesnake, Paice, Ashton & Lord, The Artwoods and Flower Pot Men – has passed away today, Classic Rock has learned.
A statement from Lord’s PR representative reads:
“It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Jon Lord, who suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism today, Monday 16th July at the London Clinic, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jon was surrounded by his loving family.
“Jon Lord, the legendary keyboard player with Deep Purple co-wrote many of the bands legendary songs including Smoke On The Water and played with many bands and musicians throughout his career.
“Best known for his Orchestral work Concerto for Group & Orchestra first performed at Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969 and conducted by the renowned Malcolm Arnold, a feat repeated in 1999 when it was again performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra and Deep Purple.
“Jon’s solo work was universally acclaimed when he eventually retired from Deep Purple in 2002.
“Jon passes from Darkness to Light.
Jon Lord 9 June 1941 – 16 July 2012.”
The founders of heavy metal?
But also great symfo with Concerto for Group and Orchestra.
It all started in 1968 when:
Chris Curtis, an ex-Searcher, formed a group with:
Dave Curtiss (no relation, note different spelling) on bass,
Bobby Woodman-Clarke on drums and brought in ex-Artwoods organist
Jon Lord (born 9 June 1941, Leicester, England) and
Nick Simper (born 3 November 1946, Southall, Middlesex), ex-Johnny Kidd and The Pirates bassist.
Nick had survived the car crash that had killed Johnny Kidd in 1966.
Curtis dropped out within days, and when Dave and Bobby also proved incompatible, two members of Maze,
Rod Evans (born 19 January 1945, Edinburgh, Scotland; vocals) and
Ian Paice (born 29 June 1948, Nottinghamshire; drums), replaced them.
Ritchie Blackmore (born 14 April 1945, Weston-super-Mare, England) joined in rehearsals for this new act initially dubbed Roundabout.
They were called the Roundabout.
Apparently the name Deep Purple was inspired by Ritchie's grandmother's favorite song.
Theire debut album was called Shades of Deep Purple thus included dramatic rearrangements of well-known songs, including a faithful cover of Hendrix's version of "Hey Joe" and the Joe South-penned, Billy Joe Royal hit "Hush" ('68).
Followed up by Book of Taliesyn and Deep Purple ('69 and all at the famous Harvest label).
In July 1969 both Evans and Simper were axed from the line-up:
Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945, Hounslow, Middlesex, England; vocals),
Roger Glover (born 30 November 1945, Brecon, Wales; bass),
John Lord,
Ritchie Blackmore.
Concerto For Group And Orchestra ('69), scored by classical trained John Lord and recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold (later sir Malcolm), was a hugh effort to combine the heavy rock with an classical orchestra.
Deep Purple established as a leading heavy metal attraction and introduced such enduring favorites as Speed King and Child In Time. Gillan's powerful silver-throated vocals brought a third dimension to their sound and this new-found popularity in the UK was enhanced when the single, Black Night reached number 2. Strange Kind Of Woman followed it into the Top 10, while Fireball and Machine Head both topped the album charts. The latter included the riff-laden Smoke On The Water, based on a real incident involving Frank Zappa and The Mothers and an infamous Montreaux concert.
They made a few good selling albums, just a few to mention: Deep Purple in Rock ('70), Fireball, Machine Head, Made in Japan ('72).
In '74 the departures of Gillan and Glover robbed Deep Purple of an expressive frontman and imaginative arranger, although
David Coverdale (born 22 September 1949, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Lancashire, England; vocals) and
Glenn Hughes (born 21 August 1952, Penkridge, Staffordshire; ex-Trapeze, bass & vocals)
brought a new impetus to the act. "Burn" and "Stormbringer" both reached the Top 10, but Blackmore grew increasingly dissatisfied with the group's direction and in May 1975 left to form Rainbow.
US guitarist Tommy Bolin (born 1 August 1951, Sioux City, Idaho), formerly of the James Gang and who had impressed Coverdale with his playing on Billy Cobham's "Spectrum", joined Deep Purple for "Come Taste The Band".
Bolin died of a heroin overdose within months of Purple's demise ('76).
Successful off-shoot bands include:
Roger Glover solo single succes: Love is all (The singing Frog),
Whitesnake (Coverdale, later on with Lord and Ian Paice),
John Lord made a few classical solo-albums,
Black Sabbath (Gillan followed up James Dio),
Rainbow (Blackmore and later with Glover),
Hughes formed a bands and played also with Gary Moore,
Gillan wetn solo (and sung before that the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar ('70)) and
Ian Paice played with Gary Moore in the meantime.
Perfect Strangers ('84) reunited:
Gillan,
Lord,
Blackmore,
Glover and
Paice (the original Mark II).
Joe Lynn Turner, one of Blackmore's many Rainbow vocalists, joined end of the eighties.
Blackmore joined and left, joined and jumped ship once more during a tour ('94). Joe Satriani took over but couldn't spent more time in Deep Purple because of obligations elswhere.
Steve Morse (ex-Kansas, Dixie Dregs, The Steve Morse Band, et al) (born 28 July 1954, Hamilton, Ohio) was the next guitar hero in Purple ('96).
1998's Abandon album had all the classic rock attitude, nasty guitars, pounding drums and driving bass to scratch that R.O.C.K. itch. The album included a brilliant reworking of "In Rock"'s "Bloodsucker" (retitled "Bludsucker") and the Floydish-style "Watching The Sky" amongst other driving rock tracks.
With help from a dutch guy, Frank de Goeij (he wrote the lost score again) the group played the Concerto For Group And Orchestra again in '99. The album was released a year later.
In 1999 Deep Purple had a very successful tour of Australia and Europe.
The Legend marches on...
Abandon ('98)
Ian Gillan vocals
Roger Glover bass
Jon Lord organ and keyboards
Steve Morse guitar
Ian Paice drums
Nowadays the band is:
Don Airey
Ian Gillan
Roger Glover
Steve Morse
Ian Paice
The last studio release is from ('03) and it's called Banana;s.
According to TotalRock, Shadow Of The Moon, the current album from Blackmore's Night, is to
be used as "wake up music" on on the next space shuttle which is due to be launched by NASA
on July 19th 2002.
Candice Knight and Ritchie Blackmore under the guise of Blackmore's Night are to release a new DVD of a
live Concert from
Paris entitled Paris Moon, which will be released through SPV/Steamhammer on 5th November 2007.
He made more solo albums such as Before i forget, Gemini Suite, Windows and after an big silence;
Pictured Within ('99) is an ambitious project from Jon Lord inspired by classical music. Most of the album is instrumental; piano, cello and violin,
with the occasional choral voices gracing the lush symphonic textures. If i must but a label on this moody album, i would say New Age. With:
NEWS:
The new super group featuring members of URIAH HEEP, DEEP PURPLE and OZZY OSBOURNE's
former bass player Bob Daisley is putting the finishing touches on its debut album,
tentatively due in late 2003/early 2004 through an as-yet-undisclosed label.
The as-yet-unnamed band, which consists of Daisley, Lee Kerslake (URIAH HEEP) on drums,
Jon Lord (DEEP PURPLE) and Don Airey (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) on keyboards,
Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE) on guitar, and Jimmy Barnes (COLD CHISEL) on vocals, h
as finished recording the CD and will complete the mixing process within a month (september '03).
STEVE MORSE
Dixie Dregs ('75-'00 -'05), Steve Morse Band since 1994, Deep Purple 2 years in Kansas.
Lionna Boyd (2005), Billy Sheenan, Ian Gillan, Carmen Appice (2006),
Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), Trading Eights ('09), Neal Morse (2011), John Wetton (2011).
Angelfire ('10):
Steve Morse,
Sarah Spencer - vocals,
Dave LaRue - bass,
Van Romaine - drums.
NEWS Jan 2012:
Announcing Flying Colors, the new band from
Steve Morse, Casey McPherson, Neal Morse
, Dave LaRue and Mike Portnoy.
Updated July 2012 by Nick.
Shine On Jon!
To Notice Suchs Things April 2010. 
Symfo-Index.