In 1967, a drummer called Chris Curtis was putting a new band together, where members would only be part of it when it suited them (or would "get on and off"). Because of this format, the band was called Roundabout. The first musicians to be hired were guitar player Ritchie Blackmore and keyboard player Jon Lord. Curtis behaved in a disorderly way, and so was fired from his own project. Blackmore and Lord wanted to continue, and so finished putting the band together themselves, with singer Rod Evans, bass player Nick Simper, and drummer Ian Paice. They renamed the band "Deep Purple" after a song Blackmore's mother liked, disliking the name "Roundabout".