In 1973, Coverdale saw an article in a copy of "Melody Maker", which said that Deep Purple was auditioning for singers to replace Ian Gillan. Coverdale was the frontman of a local group called The Government. They had played with Deep Purple in 1969. So both he and the band knew one another. Coverdale first sent a tape to the band. Then, he auditioned to become a singer. He was admitted into the band, with bassist Glenn Hughes being another vocalist.