The 5 members started the band "Deep Purple" in 1968, (Deep Purple - the name came from Ritchie's grandmothers favorite song.) The debut album was called "Shades Of Deep Purple", which included a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe", Billy Joe Royal hit "Hush", the album hit #4 in the US, and not troubling UK chart-compilers one bit.
Lengthy tours ensued as the group, all but ignored at home, steadfastly courted the burgeoning American concert circuit. "The Book Of Taliesyn" and "Deep Purple" albums also featured several excellent reworkings, notably "Kentucky Woman" (Neil Diamond) and "River Deep Mountain High" (Ike And Tina Turner). The lengthy intro section to "River Deep" was a dramatic work-out of the theme from the then recently released Stanley Kubrick sci-fi classic film "2001: A Space Odyssey". This piece was based on Richard Strauss' "Thus Spake Zarathustra" and Jon Lord's classical leanings would soon culminate in a self-composed full-length work performed at the Royal Albert Hall in September 1969.
The band drew acclaim for the amazing interplay between Lord and Blackmore, which could go on for a long time in live concerts.
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