Ian Gillan , lead singer of Deep Purple , has once again commented on the controversy surrounding the band's induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . This time, the singer was not so complimentary towards the former band members, especially David Coverdale .
In an interview with Tales From The Road , Gillan said he still keeps in touch with Ritchie Blackmore despite the difficult separation when the guitarist left the band. “Tensions have decreased considerably since we took control of our business and came to an understanding,” he said (via Blabbermouth ). “There are still problems, there are still remnants of discord.”
Speaking about these difficulties, Gillan criticized comments made by other former band members in the press regarding the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . “I saw a lot of rubbish being said – not even worth mentioning – but I heard David Coverdale and others talking about [it]. Well, we were very polite to everyone, to the current band. And we invited Ritchie to play 'Smoke On The Water' with us, but he refused. So these are just opportunistic comments from others,” he complained. “We never had any antagonism towards Ritchie.”
At the time of the ceremony, Blackmore did not attend the event, despite being nominated alongside his other colleagues from various Deep Purple . The same did not happen with Steve Morse and Don Airey , longtime members of the band, whose names were not included by the Hall of Fame in the honor.
The solution found was to perform only with the band's current lineup, without the presence of former members on stage. Initially, Coverdale seemed satisfied with the alternative. “Deep Purple, alive and current, will play. Inevitably, this means excluding Ritchie, David and Glenn [Hughes] from the live performance, but, given the circumstances, there is no other acceptable option. I spoke with David Coverdale last week and he expressed complete understanding,” Gillan commented in a statement published before the event.
In interviews given in recent years, however, the tone of the former Deep Purple vocalist changed, and Coverdale complained about Blackmore's absence from the event. "I called Ritchie and said, 'Come with me, nobody's going to do anything.' The first thing I said in my speech was, 'I'm sorry Ritchie Blackmore isn't here, without him none of us would be here,' because it's true," the singer said about the occasion in 2019 .
