Ian Gillan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan performing live with Deep Purple in 2006
Ian Gillan performing live with Deep Purple in 2006
Background information
Birth name Ian Gillan
Born August 19, 1945 (age 61)
Origin Flag of England Hounslow, London, England
Genre(s) Rock, Hard rock, Heavy metal
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Years active 1965 - present
Associated
acts
Episode Six
Deep Purple
Gillan
Ian Gillan Band
Black Sabbath
Website http://www.gillan.com/

Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945 in Hounslow, London), is an English rock music vocalist known as the lead singer for legendary rock band Deep Purple, and for his year-long stint in Black Sabbath. He also sang the role of Jesus Christ in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Gillan is considered to be one of the foremost rock vocalists, who introduced into rock music the vocal belting technique. In his prime he possessed a very wide vocal range, extending from the E2 to the soprano high C, or C6, with seemingly effortless and fluid movement throughout and with remarkable force and precision in the upper register. His work with Deep Purple is particularly recognisable for its occasional high-pitched screams and wails.

Contents

[edit] Career

Gillan was born at Chiswick Maternity Hospital, Hounslow, London, England in a family of Scottish descent (his father was from the Govan area of Glasgow).

Ian Gillan playing air guitar
Ian Gillan playing air guitar

Gillan was a member of Deep Purple from 1969 through to 1973, appearing on such now-classic Deep Purple albums as Fireball and Machine Head. During these years, he also was the voice of Jesus on the original 1970 album recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. He was offered the lead role in the 1973 film adaptation (Jesus Christ Superstar (film)). Ian demanded not only to be paid for his role in the movie but insisted, without the consent of his manager, that the entire band be paid because filming would conflict with a scheduled tour. The producers declined and Ian continued on in the band.

Gillan was room-mates with Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, and in a 2006 interview Gillan said Blackmore "turned into a weird guy and the day he walked out of the tour was the day the clouds disappeared and the day the sunshine came out and we haven't looked back since." [1] He added that "there are certain personal issues that I have with Ritchie, which means that I will never speak to him again. Nothing I'm going to discuss publicly, but deeply personal stuff.[1]

After leaving Deep Purple, Gillan retired from performing to pursue business ventures. However, encouraged by his reception at the Butterfly Ball in 1975, he decided to resume his singing career. He formed the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the group's name to Gillan. Writing the bulk of new material with keyboardist Colin Towns, the release of Mr. Universe saw Ian Gillan back in the UK charts, although the independent record company the album came out on -acrobat- folded soon after the album was released, prompting a contract with Richard Branson's Virgin Records. Through several more lineup changes the band released a string of UK hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.

In 1982 Ian Gillan announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal chords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath for a year to record the Born Again album and tour before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, rejoining in 1992. He remains in the band up to present day.

In April 2006 Gillan released a CD/multimedia project to document his 40-year career called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, Joe Satriani, as well as current and former members of Deep Purple such as Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Steve Morse are featured on this 2006 CD and DVD. The project includes a re-recorded selection of his Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and solo tracks. In a recent interview, Gillan announced that his solo albums from the 1970s and 1980s would be re-issued late in 2006 through the Demon record company.[1]

In 2006 a single called Eternity was released for the Japanese Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon, composed by Nobuo Uematsu and featuring the vocals of Gillan.

A passionate football fan, he supports Queen's Park Rangers F.C.

His surname is often misspelled as "Gillian". Gillan himself made light of this in the lyrics to "MTV", a track off of Deep Purple's 2005 album Rapture of the Deep

In March of 2007 Ian Gillan released a DVD Highway Star: A Journey In Rock. The DVD has 6 hours of footage including documentaries and music clips.

[edit] Discography

[edit] With Deep Purple

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Live albums

[edit] As Ian Gillan Band

[edit] As Gillan

[edit] With Black Sabbath

[edit] With Roger Glover

  • Accidentally on Purpose (1988)

[edit] As Garth Rockett & the Moonshiners

  • Garth Rockett & The Moonshiners Live at the Ritz (1990])

[edit] As Ian Gillan

[edit] With The Javelins

  • Sole Agency and Representation (1994)

[edit] Others

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Steffens, Charlie. "Child In Time: An Interview With Ian Gillan", KNAC, Dec. 25, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] External links

v  d  e
Deep Purple
Ian Gillan | Steve Morse | Roger Glover | Don Airey | Ian Paice
Ritchie Blackmore | Jon Lord | David Coverdale | Joe Lynn Turner | Tommy Bolin | Glenn Hughes | Rod Evans | Nick Simper | Joe Satriani
Discography
Albums : Shades of Deep Purple | The Book of Taliesyn | Deep Purple | Deep Purple in Rock | Fireball | Machine Head | Who Do We Think We Are | Burn | Stormbringer | Come Taste the Band | Perfect Strangers | The House of Blue Light | Slaves & Masters | The Battle Rages On | Purpendicular | Abandon | Bananas | Rapture of the Deep
Live albums: Inglewood - Live in California | Concerto for Group and Orchestra | Kneel & Pray | Scandinavian Nights | Gemini Suite Live | Space Vol 1 & 2 | Made in Japan | Deep Purple In Concert | Made in Europe | Live in London | California Jamming | Just Might Take Your Life | Perks And Tit | Mk III: The Final Concerts | Last Concert in Japan | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert | This Time Around: Live in Tokyo | Nobody's Perfect | In the Absence of Pink: Knebworth 85 | Come Hell or High Water | Live in Europe 1993 | Live at the Olympia '96 | Live at Montreux 1996 | Total Abandon: Live in Australia | In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra | Live At The Rotterdam Ahoy | The Soundboard Series
Videos and DVDs: Concerto for Group and Orchestra | Special Edition EP | Live In Concert 1972/73 | Rises Over Japan | Live in California 74 / Live at the California Jam | Come Hell or High Water | Bombay Calling | Live at Montreux 1996 | In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra | Total Abandon Australia '99 | New, Live & Rare | Perihelion | Live Encounters
Compilation Albums: Purple Passages | 24 Carat Purple | When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll | The Mark II Purple Singles | Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple | The Anthology | 30: Very Best of Deep Purple | Days May Come and Days May Go | Listen, Learn, Read On | Winning Combinations: Deep Purple and Rainbow | Deep Purple: The Platinum Collection
Related articles
Rainbow | Blackmore's Night | Ian Gillan Band | Gillan | Trapeze | Black Sabbath | Garth Rockett & the Moonshiners | The Javelins