Whitesnake was formed in 1978 by David Coverdale , shortly after his departure from Deep Purple . The band originated from musicians who were already part of the vocalist's solo career when he released the albums White Snake and Northwinds , but it was only with the EP Snakebite , released under the name "Whitesnake," that the band officially came into existence.
Whitesnake's first full-length album, Trouble , was released that same year, featuring Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden on guitars, Neil Murray on bass, Dave Dowle on drums, and Jon Lord on keyboards. The album charted in the UK. The following year, Whitesnake released Lovehunter , and in 1980 , Ready an' Willing, with Ian Paice replacing David Dowle. But it wasn't until 1982 that the band truly captured the spotlight with the hit "Here I Go Again" on the album Saints and Sinners . That same year, drummer Cozy Powell replaced Paice.
On their 1983 album, *Slide It In* , Whitesnake scored another hit, "Love Ain't No Stranger." This was Jon Lord's last album with the band before returning to Deep Purple. After a long hiatus and the departure of Cozy Powell, it wasn't until 1987 that Whitesnake released a new self-titled album, which included the classic "Is This Love." In 1989, the band released an album with Steve Vai on guitars, *Slip of the Tongue *, which, despite being well-received by critics, didn't sell as expected. Coverdale then decided to end the band and continue with a side project with Jimmy Page .
It wasn't until 1997 that Whitesnake reunited, releasing an album of unreleased tracks, Restless Heart . In 2002, the band went on tour to celebrate Whitesnake's 25th anniversary, and since then has released two more albums: Good To Be Bad (2008) and Forevermore (2011).
With only David Coverdale as a permanent member of the band, Whitesnake featured numerous renowned rock musicians, including John Sykes , Vivian Campbell , Rudy Sarzo , Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini , Doug Aldrich and many others.
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