Deep Purple is still rocking after so many years, and their guitarist from 1994 to 2022, Steve Morse, is talking about his time in the band. In a chat with Rick Beato on YouTube, Morse went through his career and his latest projects. Morse famously took over as lead guitarist for Deep Purple in 1994 after Ritchie Blackmore left the band. Before that, he was also the guitarist for Kansas in the 80s. So he knows about replacing legends and making a back catalog his own. Surprisingly, he’s the longest-tenured guitarist in Deep Purple’s history.
The key for Morse was keeping his own style, but still giving fans what they want from the studio recordings while playing with Deep Purple live. He reflected on his time with Deep Purple and with stubborn fans who couldn’t/wouldn’t accept that he was the new guitarist.
“The people that hate me for being born, they would go to the shows just because I’m not the original guy. They want to see that guy on the albums. They’re waiting to get the albums signed, and I’m not the original guy. Those people will begrudgingly say, ‘Okay yeah, it was kind of neat,’ if they see me giving my heart and soul and loving the music and enjoying it.”
He eventually found a way to get most of the fanbase on his side, especially after playing in the band for so long. He says that the key was to pay homage to the people that came before him, while still being himself.
“I know it’s not cool to a lot of people to be enjoying the music as much as I do on stage, but I think it comes across most of them, it softens them up. Especially when I do a little bit of, ‘This is a little bit of how Ritchie played the solo. No, I’m not Ritchie I can’t do it like him but I’m gonna improvise my own thing.’ I think that’s the sweet spot, showing that you care, you give the nod to them and you also can’t help but be yourself.”
You can watch the full interview here!
So, what do you think of Steve Morse’s time with Deep Purple? Do you enjoy the albums that he played on?
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Source: Rick Beato YouTube
