Deep Purple, Whitesnake Star Jon Lord Celebrated In New Book
Wymer Publishing has set a 23 September release date for their new book, Jon Lord: A Visual Biography, authored by Jerry Bloom.
Lord will forever be immortalized as a musical pioneer. His attitude towards his art form — “It’s all music” — ensured that he embraced his joint passions for rock ‘n’ roll and orchestral music, along with other genres, throughout his career.
Having initially found his feet in 1960s R&B group The Artwoods, the formation of Deep Purple with co-conspirator Ritchie Blackmore escalated Jon Lord to huge success with one of the biggest bands of the 1970s, and again in the mid-1980s when the band reformed. In between, several years spent in Whitesnake added to his portfolio.
Outside of his commitment in both these rock bands, Lord produced many albums under his own name, fusing his various musical interests, producing some sublime work in the process. Eventually deciding that his desire as a composer required more time and commitment than his day job with Deep Purple would afford, he left the band he had helped to create in 2002.
For the next decade, Lord engrossed himself in his composing, producing monumental works such as Durham Concerto that became a firm favourite on classic FM radio, and Boom Of The Tingling Strings, a four-movement piano concerto. All aspects of Jon’s long and illustrious career are plotted throughout this book, accompanied by numerous photos, many previously unpublished that help to emphasize the incredibly colorful career of this extraordinarily talented musician.
Jon co-wrote many of Deep Purple’s legendary songs, including Smoke On The Water. He also played in Whitesnake — the band led by ex-Purple singer David Coverdale — from 1978 to 1984, appearing on the albums Trouble, Lovehunter, Ready An’ Willing, Come An’ Get It, Saints & Sinners and Slide It In.
Lord died in July 2012 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 71 years old.