Ian Gillan

Born 19 August 1945, Gillan cut his teeth in mid-sixties local bands shaped by Elvis, then joined Episode Six when their singer walked. Deep Purple pulled him in during 1969, and the commercial breakthrough arrived fast. He resigned in June 1973 after a long notice period, stepped away briefly, then returned with the Ian Gillan Band and Gillan before spending 1983 as Black Sabbath's vocalist for a year. Deep Purple reformed in 1984; he left again in 1989 and rejoined in 1992, holding the mic ever since. Along the way he sang Jesus on the original 1970 recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, joined Rock Aid Armenia, and sank money into a hotel, a motorcycle maker, and Kingsway Studios. More recently he's run solo concerts parallel to Purple, and his Armenia work and friendship with Tony Iommi led to the supergroup WhoCares.