About David Coverdale
David Coverdale, born 22 September 1951 in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire County, is a British singer. The former Deep Purple singer (1973-1976) founded Whitesnake in 1978, of which he is still the band leader today. Another project was Coverdale/Page (1991-1993).Growing up in a music-loving home, Coverdale first learned the guitar until his talent as a singer became more noticeable.
He sang in local bands while studying art, and in 1969 his band The Government even opened for Deep Purple. In 1973, Coverdale worked as a salesman in a boutique and applied for the lead singer position in response to an ad placed by Deep Purple in Melody Maker, whose singer Ian Gillan had left the band.
On December 8, 1973, Coverdale took the stage for the first time as the singer of Deep Purple. With this lineup, the band recorded the albums Burn (1974) and Stormbringer (1974). When guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left the band in May 1975, it was Coverdale who suggested Tommy Bolin as his successor and recorded the album Come Taste the Band (1975). However, the collaboration with Tommy Bolin proved problematic due to his heroin addiction, so Deep Purple disbanded in March 1976.
For contractual reasons, Coverdale moved to Germany and recorded the solo albums White Snake (1977) and North Winds (1978) there.
Together with Micky Moody, who already played guitar on these solo albums, Coverdale then founded the band David Coverdale's Whitesnake in 1978, which from 1979 was called simply Whitesnake.
However, Coverdale was the undisputed band leader and the only constant member in the years that followed. The albums Slide It In (1984) and 1987 (1987) were the biggest commercial successes. But with that, the band had apparently reached its peak. Coverdale became increasingly dissatisfied with its further development, and in the fall of 1990, he decided to put Whitesnake on hold.
He withdrew completely for three years, then founded a band with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in 1993. They released a blues rock CD under the name Coverdale/Page. This project was short-lived, because just one year later, Jimmy Page preferred to work with Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant again.
Coverdale teamed up again with his former guitarist Adrian Vandenberg and released the CD Restless Heart in 1997, which was actually planned as a solo album, but was released again under the name Whitesnake under pressure from the record company. It was not until three years later that Coverdale managed to free himself from contractual obligations: The album Into the Light was the first in 22 years to be released under his own name. In 2003, Coverdale reformed Whitesnake to go on a world tour. Another tour took place in 2004. In 2015, Whitesnake released The Purple Album, which includes 15 songs from Coverdale's Deep Purple era.
In 2016, Coverdale was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with his former Deep Purple bandmates.
On November 13, 2025, David Coverdale ended his career as a singer. In a post on the Whitesnake TV YouTube channel, he cited his advanced age as the main reason for his decision. He left the future of Whitesnake, of which he is the founder and band leader, open.
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