Roderic Evans (born 19 January 1947) is a British former singer.
In the late 1960s, he began his professional career in The Maze, formerly MI5, after which he was a member of the original
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
line-up, who produced three studio albums with a more progressive and pop-driven sound. After recording a solo single, he was a member of the original
Captain Beyond
Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971. at line-up that produced two studio albums. Following a legal battle with Deep Purple in 1980, Evans turned reclusive and disappeared from public life.
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...
.
He played together with drummer
Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple.
He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only membe ...
in The Maze, formerly MI5. He was also in a band called The Horizons in the mid 1960s.
Deep Purple
Evans and Paice were original members of Deep Purple when they formed in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...
in 1968.
According to Deep Purple's founding bassist,
Nick Simper
Nicholas John Simper (born 3 November 1945) is an English bass guitarist, who was a co-founding member of Deep Purple and Warhorse. In the 1960s, he began his professional career in bands such as Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, The Flower Pot Me ...
, Evans was hired after "dozens" of other singers were auditioned; Evans clinched his place in the band after sharing an idea to rearrange
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' song "
Help!
''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles " Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ...
" as a ballad. This version of "Help!" was subsequently recorded for Deep Purple's debut album '' Shades of Deep Purple'', but the most recognised song recorded with Evans on vocals is "
Hush
Hush may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young
* ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi
* ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
", a cover of a
Joe South
Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...
composition. "Hush" reached No. 4 on the US ''Billboard'' charts in October 1968.
Deep Purple recorded only one other US Top 40 hit with Evans on vocals, that being a cover of
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
's " Kentucky Woman", which appeared on the band's second album and peaked at No. 38. Both "Hush" and "Kentucky Woman" are used in the
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
film, ''
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is ...
''.
After recording three studio albums and one non-album single ("Emaretta") with Deep Purple, Evans was dismissed in the summer of 1969 while on tour in the U.S. It had been decided by
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guita ...
,
Jon Lord
John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...
and Ian Paice that Evans' pop vocal style would not be suitable for the heavier
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
sound the band wanted to achieve and move toward. Another factor in Evans' dismissal from Deep Purple was his desire to move to the United States.
Captain Beyond
In 1971, Evans recorded a solo single for Capitol, titled "Hard To Be Without You" (b/w "You Can't Love A Child Like A Woman"), then went on to form
Captain Beyond
Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971. at , along with former
Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...
drummer
Bobby Caldwell
Robert Hunter Caldwell (born August 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell released the ...
, former
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal musi ...
bassist
Lee Dorman
Douglas Lee Dorman (September 15, 1942 – December 21, 2012) was an American bass guitarist best known as a member of the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly. After replacing Jerry Penrod following Iron Butterfly’s debut album, Dorman had f ...
and guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, who also was part of the last incarnation of Iron Butterfly.
Evans left Captain Beyond and the music business after two albums. He then became a director of respiratory therapy at a western American hospital until 1980.
Deep Purple controversy and lawsuit
In 1980, Evans was approached by a management company that specialized in the unscrupulous and frequently legally-actionable practice of reforming groups with a minimum of original members, often in violation of trademark and contractual law. They offered him a chance to sing again under the Deep Purple name and he accepted. After several shows ended in near-riots, management of the genuine Deep Purple, which had disbanded in 1976, successfully sued and were awarded damages. Also as a result, Evans stopped receiving royalties from the Mark I Deep Purple albums.
Later life
Evans has not appeared publicly since the 1980 court case and his current whereabouts are of considerable interest to fans of early Deep Purple.
In 2015, Ian Paice said "If anyone knows where Rod is or even if he is still on the planet, that would be good news. We haven't had contact with him since the late 1970s. Nobody seems to know where the hell he is, or even if he is still alive. Not a clue."
In a 2015 interview, Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell mentioned that he was in touch with Evans, saying that Evans is "just doing fine these days" and had gone back to working in respiratory therapy for a long time.Blowin’ Wind with Captain Beyond’s Bobby Caldwell - The Great Southern Brain Fart. Retrieved 30-Jan-2016.
On 8 April 2016, Evans was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
as a member of Deep Purple, but despite being invited, he did not attend the ceremony.
Discography
Solo
*''It's Hard To Be Without You / You Can't Love A Child Like A Woman'' (1971), Single, Promo only
with
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
The Book of Taliesyn
''The Book of Taliesyn'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, recorded only three months after ''Shades of Deep Purple'' and released by Tetragrammaton Records in October 1968, just before their first US tour. The n ...
'' (1968), US#54
*''
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
'' (1969), US#162
;Live albums
*''
Inglewood – Live in California
''Inglewood: Live in California'' is a live album by Deep Purple. It was recorded in Los Angeles on 18 October 1968, as the supporting band for Cream, at their Farewell Tour. One of the very few live recordings featuring the Mark I lineup, it ...
When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll
''When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll'' is a compilation album by Deep Purple featuring some of their most popular songs from 1968 to 1974.
''When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll'' was released in October 1978 by Warn ...
Hush
Hush may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young
* ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi
* ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
River Deep – Mountain High
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released as the title track to their 1966 studio album on Philles Records. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. ''Rolling Stone'' ranke ...