He Invented Deep Purple. Then He Vanished.

Everyone knows Deep Purple. Almost nobody knows the man who invented them. Chris Curtis - ex-Searchers drummer - dreamed up the band, recruited Jon Lord first, then Ritchie Blackmore, and then vanished before it even carried the name Deep Purple. What he left behind was a design: a group where no member is permanent. That design has been running for 58 years. This is the story of the band Curtis built to spin people off - and how it did exactly that, to everyone, right up to the present day. Nine lineups, five decades of firings and walkouts, and one man who never got off the ride. Note on the founding: Chris Curtis conceived the band and recruited the first members, but it was Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore who built what became Deep Purple - with Lord the early musical anchor. Blackmore opens this video because he's the one who told the origin story best, not because he was "first." 🎧 CHAPTERS 00:00 – The man who invented Deep Purple 01:16 – Chris Curtis and the Roundabout concept 04:08 – 58 years of Deep Purple lineup changes 07:28 – Even the Hall of Fame and the courts agreed (Rod Evans) 08:44 – Ian Paice: the only member who never left 💬 Who's the most underrated member Deep Purple ever cycled through? Tell me in the comments. 🔗 Deep Purple: The 1969 Collapse -    • Deep Purple: The 1969 Collapse   🔔 Subscribe to Deep Purple Vibes for band history, rankings, reimaginings, and the stories other channels never touch. Support the channel: https://ko-fi.com/deeppurplevibes ☕💜 Images used for purposes of commentary and criticism. #DeepPurple #ChrisCurtis #RitchieBlackmore #ClassicRock #RockHistory