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,
The Stiffs (band) The Stiffs (band) The Stiffs are an English band, variously referred to as Punk rock, Power Pop, and Pop Punk, hailing from Blackburn, Lancashire. Championed by Radio 1 DJ John Peel, their most successful singles were 'Inside Out' and 'Goodbye My Love'. Band members are Phil Hendriks (vocals, guitar), Ian 'Strang' Barnes (guitar, vocals), 'Big' John McVittie (bass guitar, vocals) and Tommy O'Kane (drums). The Stiffs were formed in 1976 by 14-year-old school pals Phil Hendriks (lead vocals, guitar) and Ian 'Strang' Barnes (guitar, vocals), joined by Tommy O'Kane (drums) and Mark 'Ossie' Young (bass guitar), and played their first