Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple are considered one of the forebearers of heavy metal.
An amalgamation of different band members' blues, rock and classical influences helped Deep Purple pen some of the 1970s' hardest and heaviest albums, such as In Rock, Fireball and the classic Machine Head.
Throughout the band's history, Deep Purple has had something of a revolving-door policy with its members. Fourteen musicians in all have been members of Deep Purple since the group formed in 1968, several members often leaving only to return a short time later.
This rotation has led to the famous but unoffical "Mark" designation to separate the various lineups. Deep Purple's most successful lineup, "Mark II," was active from 1969 to 1973 and consisted of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, vocalist Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice.
Below is a visual guide to all Deep Purple members, past and present.
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