Simon McBride is living the dream. “When I was growing up,” he says, “there were three giants – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. If you’d said to a 13-year-old version of me that one day I’d be in Deep Purple, I’d have laughed.
” But 30 years later, that’s exactly where the Irish guitarist has ended up. “I’m honoured and privileged,” he smiles, “because every guitarist under the sun has a dream goal to be in a legendary rock band, and here I am doing it. I’m loving every minute of it.
And to have my name attached to such a legacy is amazing.” For sure, Simon had big shoes to fill when he joined Purple in 2022. He was replacing Steve Morse, an iconic shredder and Purple’s longest-tenured guitarist.
And when it came to playing live with the band, he faced an even more daunting task – performing those classic Purple songs from the ’70s, including , and, of course, – all of which bore the indelible stamp of one of the most revered guitarists of all time, Ritchie Blackmore. But Simon had years of experience behind him, including stints working with two of the guys in Purple, singer Ian Gillan and keyboard player Don Airey. With his trusty PRS in hand, he was up for the challenge.
And now, two years on, comes the release of his first album with the band. Titled , it’s the 23rd studio album of Purple’s long career, and its creation was a remarkably stress-free experience for the new guy in the band. “I didn’t really need to pr.