Ian Gillan Purple. By 1969, after having released nine singles, none of which charted in the UK, and finding their style of music too restrictive for him, he decided to leave Episode Six. By spring 1969, Deep Purple had had a top 5 US hit with "Hush", but the band, particularly Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, decided their future lay in hard rock, rather than the psychedelic pop sound of the early band. In June 1969, Blackmore, Lord and Paice went to see Episode Six perform at a pub gig and subsequently offered Gillan the job as new lead singer,
Graham Bonnet Graham Bonnet Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. Bonnet's style is described as being a cross between James Dean and Don Johnson in Miami vice. He is also known for his powerful singing voice but is capable of also singing soft melodies..His singing has been noted as 'very loud' by both his contemporaries and himself, and he claims to be a self-taught singer