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,
Ian and the Zodiacs Zodiacs. The group came together following an audition at a local venue called Savoy Hall. In the spring of 1960, Ian Edwards departed from his band, The Deltones, and joined The Zodiacs. From that point on, the band became known as Ian and the Zodiacs, and shifted their style from jazz to rock and roll. Following several personnel changes, the lineup for the group included Edwards as lead vocalist, Pete Wallace on lead guitar, Geoff Bethell on piano, Charlie Flynn (stage name: Wellington Wade) on bass guitar, and Cliff Roberts on drums. The band played top venues in the area,