10 Biggest Band Blowups In Hard Rock
1. Literally Everyone - Deep Purple
Out of all the hard rock bands coming out in the late 60's, Deep Purple may have been the most seasoned musicians out of the bunch. While everyone was still immersed in the blues scene, these guys brought in genres as diverse as jazz, classical, and even Eastern music. That didn't necessarily mean that everyone got along though.
Once the band found their core lineup with Ian Gillan up front, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore almost immediately had problems with the new singer. As disagreements started mounting on the road, Gillan left the band with bassist Roger Glover following behind him. Though the band did have new life with Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale, their switch towards blues and R&B left Blackmore feeling even more dissatisfied with his place in the band.
After 1974's Stormbringer, Blackmore left to form his own act Rainbow, with the band carrying on with funk guitarist Tommy Bolin. The accompanying tour for the band's next record Come Taste the Band proved to be a disaster, with fans clamoring for the return of Blackmore.
The backlash was so bad that the only founding members Jon Lord and Ian Paice decided to retire the band a few hours after their last show. Within minutes, Coverdale stormed in and said he was leaving the band, to which Lord replied "There's no band to leave."