Ian Gillan, the powerhouse vocalist best-known as the longtime frontman of Deep Purple, celebrates his 80th birthday on August 19.
Gillan joined the British hard-rock band in 1969 and helped propel the group to superstardom, singing and co-writing many of Deep Purple’s most famous songs. His initial tenure in the band ended in 1973, but Ian rejoined the group from 1984 to 1989, and then returned to the fold for good in 1992.
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Gillan also has worked with a variety of other bands and artists, including launching his own solo group. In addition, early in his career, Ian contributed to the original soundtrack recording of an extremely popular stage musical.
In honor of Ian’s milestone birthday, here are four outstanding songs from the singer’s various noteworthy musical endeavors:
“Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)” – Jesus Christ Superstar Album (1970)
Shortly after he joined Deep Purple, Gillan was hired to sing the part of Jesus Christ on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1970 concept album/rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
Webber and Rice’s initial plans to present the project as a state musical were delayed because they couldn’t raise the money to put on the production. Instead, Webber and Rice assembled a cast of signers and actors to record the Jesus Christ Superstar album, which topped the Billboard 200 in February 1971. The album’s success helped fund the stage production, which debuted on Broadway in October 1971. Gillan was not part of the stage musical’s cast.
The Jesus Christ Superstar album featured a standout performance by Gillan on the song “Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say).” The dramatic, emotional ballad features Ian as Jesus trying to come to terms with making the ultimate sacrifice and be crucified to save humanity.
“Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple (1972)
Gillan is responsible for singing and co-writing one of the great all-time rock anthems, “Smoke on the Water.” The song appeared on Deep Purple’s landmark 1972 album Machine Head.
The tune’s lyrics tell a true story of an incident that occurred while Deep Purple was working on the album in December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland. During a concert by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at Montreux Casino, an audience member shot off a flare gun that started a fire that burned the venue to the ground.
Deep Purple members witnessed the fire, and the lyrics of “Smoke on the Water” basically recount what happened that evening. Musically, the song is driven by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore unforgettable riff. Along with Deep Purple’s 1968 debut single, “Hush,” “Smoke on the Water” is the band’s highest-charting U.S. hit. Both tunes peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2017, “Smoke on the Water” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Sleeping on the Job” – Gillan (1980)
“Sleeping on the Job” is an inspired track from the U.K. version of Glory Road, the third album by Ian’s namesake band Gillan. The driving rock song features a catchy melody and showcases Gillan’s vocal range and power.
Glory Road peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. albums chart.
“Zero the Hero” – Black Sabbath (1983)
In 1983, Gillan briefly became Black Sabbath’s lead singer, and recorded one album with the heavy metal legends, Born Again. Ian was tapped as the group’s new singer after Ronnie James Dio left the band.
Gillan and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward actually had planned to release Born Again as a supergroup, but the band’s then-manager, Don Arden, overruled them and insisted they be billed as Black Sabbath.
“Zero the Hero” is a hard-pounding metal song that appears at the end of the album’s first side. Gillan appears to be singing about a wealthy man who hasn’t made any significant contributions to the world. Ian offers up a fiery vocal performance, while Iommi delivers a blistering solo.
Born Again reached No. 4 on the U.K. albums chart and No. 39 on the Billboard 200.
(Photo by Frank Hoensch/Redferns)