10 Rock Bands Who Only Have One Original Member Left

Deep Purple's rise to fame was a lot different than most people would expect out of their favorite rock acts. As opposed to the age-old tale of starry-eyed kids forming a group, Purple came together as a group of musical professionals, with Jon Lord hooking up with Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Paice in the early days. When you have that kind of dynamic though, things can start to turn a corner real quick.

Throughout their classic run in the '70s, Purple had no fewer than 4 different lineup changes in their time. Whereas most people might be familiar with Ian Gillan as the star of the original version, he was actually the second vocalist after Rod Evans' croon didn't seem like the greatest fit. Even that didn't hold up either, with in-fighting prompting Gillan and bassist Roger Glover to be replaced by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes respectively.

While the Gillan-Glover lineup did reunite for a short time, it didn't take long before old problems resurfaced, causing Blackmore to strike off on his own again. At the turn of the millennium, another piece of the puzzle was gone when Jon Lord announced he would be retiring from touring, bringing in Don Airey to replace him. Though the faces behind the music have changed over time, we still have Ian Paice behind the kit as Purple's beating heart.