YEAR
2016
INDUCTED BY
Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
CATEGORY
Performers
Deep Purple were the harbingers of hard rock, paving the way for metal groups with their breakneck style.
Despite their rotating lineup, Deep Purple could be counted on for consistency and innovation in equal measure. They drew inspiration from both orchestral music and harder rocking sounds to create riffs that left an indelible mark on music history.
Roger Glover
Rod Evans
Ritchie Blackmore
Jon Lord
Ian Paice
Ian Gillan
Glenn Hughes
David Coverdale
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Jim Farber
They created a riff everyone knows, a concert format no one had previously presented, and a sound to which countless bands owe a great debt. That gives Deep Purple at least three claims on history.
The chugging chord progression of “Smoke on the Water” became so deeply embedded in the culture, it now has the resonance of a Biblical quote. The 1969 Concerto for Group and Orchestra was the first live release ever to pair a rock band with a full symphony, while Deep Purple’s essential musculature forged the hard-rocking sound that later solidified into heavy metal.
