Another Thing...The Musical Connections Trail Continues

Ok, so last time we talked about the 1960's rock band "The Turtles"...
a bit about Frank Zappa...
 Then touched on Deep Purple's song about the blaze that burned down the concert venue beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
Deep Purple was the brain-child of drummer Chris Curtis who partnered up with businessman Tony Edwards to construct a "supergroup" The band's original name was the "Roundabouts", the idea being that band members would come and go as required, similar to getting on and off a roundabout.

The Roundabouts had some serious roots in the British rock and R&B scene. Founding member, Nick Simper used to play for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, right up until one day in 1966 when a horrendous car crash that he was in, killed Johnny Kidd and the driver's girlfriend.
Nick Simper survived with minor injuries
( for once a rocker survived near death, but hold that thought till later )

Jon Lord  was another founding member of Deep Purple. He came from a band  called "the Artwoods", oddly enough fronted by a guy named Art Wood.
Even better, he is Ronnie Wood's brother!
( Ronnie Wood, of The Jeff Beck Group, the Faces and some punters called "the Rolling Stones" )

And while we briefly scurry by the Rolling Stones camp, the Artwoods actually had a guy named Keef.
 "Keef" is of course Keith Richards nick-name.
Keef Hartley went on to form his own band imaginatively called...wait for it...The Keef Hartley Band. The band would go on to an interesting place in history by being the first British band to play at Woodstock.

Other founding fathers were drummer Ian Paice ( recruited into the band ) and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.    Ritchie contributed the name Deep Purple, saying that it was his grandmothers favorite song.

At this writing in February of 2012, Deep Purple, the band that launched  the song "Smoke on the Water" is NOT in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Oh yeah, the Keef Hartley guy...he got a job back in the old days with a band called Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. How did he get the gig?...Well the drummer they had, quit to go a play for another band. You might have heard of him, a Liverpool Englishman named, Ringo Starr.