Following the news in July that guitarist Steve Morse will be stepping back from the legendary hard rock band Deep Purple, after more than a quarter of a century, his former bandmates have announced that, after an abundant summer of touring, Simon McBride will join the band permanently.
Collectively, Deep Purple stated, “We are thrilled that Simon has agreed to join. Simon’s playing is up there with the greats. Of course, Steve can’t be replaced, the same as Ritchie [Blackmore], and Steve has a long legacy with Deep Purple. In Simon we have not found a replacement, but an extraordinarily talented and exciting guitarist in his own right. The reception from audiences over the summer has already been great and we are looking forward to the forthcoming dates in the U.K. and Europe across the rest of the year. It is clear that Simon also holds great respect for those before him. We are all excited for what the years to come hold for the band.”
Simon stated, “I’m very happy to be asked to join the band, at the start of the pandemic if someone would have said to me that I was going to be the new guitarist in Deep Purple, I would have just laughed, but here we are and it’s happening. Deep Purple has a history of great guitarists so I’m very honored to be asked to be part of that. They are all amazing musicians and more importantly, I have become very good friends with the guys so I can’t wait to continue touring and even perhaps some writing and recording.”
McBride, who is guitar player, singer, songwriter and a band leader all in one, hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland —a place that resonates of the best music traditions like Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher, as well as bands such as Thin Lizzy, Stiff Little Fingers and obviously U2. His biography tells many stories — from his band touring with no sound engineer, driver, or roadie, playing 30 shows in 35 days, to him regularly sharing stages with [Ian]Gillan and [Don]Airey.