Deep Purple Mark II line-up win Ivor Novello Award

From Planet Rock.

The Mark II line-up of Deep Purple were honoured with the Ivor Novello International Achievement award at The Ivors 2019 at Grosvenor House in London yesterday (23rd May).

Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice personally attended the 64th Ivor Novello Awards ceremony to pick up their International Achievement award and pose for photos with their Ivors statuette – a solid bronze sculpture of Euterpe, the muse of lyric poetry.

Alongside Roger and the two Ians, fellow Mark II members Ritchie Blackmore – who didn’t attend the ceremony – and the late-great Jon Lord (posthumously) were also listed as the Deep Purple members honoured.

Explaining why the Mark II line-up of Deep Purple were getting their award, Ivor Novello Awards organisers said they were “acknowledging an exceptional legacy that has inspired and shaped generations of hard rock musicians all over the world.”

The Ivors Academy presented Ivor Novello Awards to 29 individual songwriters and composers across 14 award categories, 83% of whom are first time winners.

The Ivors Academy Chair, Crispin Hunt, has said: “From heavyweights of rock, to gods of grime, jazz maestros to chart royalty; today’s celebrated music creators have been rightly recognised for their artistic merit and inspiring influence on their fellow creators. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners from The Ivors Academy.”

The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft received the PRS For Music Outstanding Contribution To British Music award and used the opportunity to announce that The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had agreed to hand over their publishing for ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ to him.

The Deep Purple Mark II line-up in 1972 © Getty

The classic Mark II line-up of Deep Purple released seven studio albums together during three separate spells – ‘Deep Purple in Rock’ (1970), ‘Fireball’ (1971), ‘Machine Head’ (1972), ‘Who Do We Think We Are’ (1973), ‘Perfect Strangers’ (1984), The House of Blue Light (1987) and ‘The Battle Rages On… (1993).

The current incarnation of Deep Purple features Ian Paice, Roger Glover and Ian Gillan alongside their guitarist of 25 years Steve Morse and Don Airey on keyboards.

Deep Purple last toured the UK in November 2017 on the inFinite The Long Goodbye arena tour. They play an extensive North American tour this coming September and October.

In tenuously related Deep Purple news, Mark III bassist Glenn Hughes embarks on his Performs Classic Deep Live tour this November.

Alongside rescheduled shows in Salisbury, Norwich, Holmfirth and Birmingham from his postponed May tour, the ‘Voice of Rock’ will play additional dates in Bexhill, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Aberdeen, Inverness and Middlesbrough.

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