Ian Gillan July. As the band had only been rehearsing for a few weeks, they relied on older instrumentals such as "Wring That Neck" and "Mandrake Root" to fill in a set. Unsure of what to do, Gillan found a pair of congas onstage, and decided to play them during these instrumental sections. Deep Purple Mk.II continued rehearsing at Hanwell Community Centre. One of Gillan's first contributions to the band during these rehearsals was the vocal melody and lyrics to "Child in Time". At Hanwell, the band wrote what would eventually become most of "In Rock" during 1969, though were interrupted in
Ian Gillan 2011. It was subsequently released on DVD. Gillan was in a relationship with Zoe Dean from 1969 to 1978. They had known each other since his time in Episode Six. In 1984, Gillan married his girlfriend Bron, to whom he had dedicated "Keep It Warm" from Black Sabbath's 1983 album "Born Again". They have twice since renewed their marriage vows. Gillan moved to southern Portugal in the late 2000s. Gillan is a passionate football fan, supporting Queens Park Rangers. He is also a big fan of cricket. His surname is sometimes misspelled as "Gillian". Gillan himself made light of this