List Of Whitesnake Members
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Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...
are a British
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band originally from
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Formed in 1978, the group originally consisted of vocalist David Coverdale, guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, bassist Neil Murray, drummer Dave Dowle and keyboardist Brian Johnston. The current lineup of the band includes Coverdale, drummer
Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesn ...
(from 1987 to 1990, 2003 to 2007, and since 2013), guitarists
Reb Beach Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. (born August 31, 1963) is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake. Career After graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School and attending Berklee College of Music in the ea ...
and Joel Hoekstra (since 2003 and 2014, respectively), keyboardists Michele Luppi (since 2015) and Dino Jelusick (since 2021) and bassist Tanya O'Callaghan (also since 2021).


History


1978–1986

Following the release and promotion of his debut solo album '' White Snake'' in 1977, vocalist David Coverdale formed the band of the same name the following February, with the original lineup including guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, bassist Neil Murray, drummer Dave "Duck" Dowle and touring keyboardist Brian Johnston. After their first few shows, the group replaced Johnston with Peter Solley (although he was still credited as a "special guest", rather than a full member) and recorded their debut EP ''
Snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may ...
''. By August, Solley had also been replaced by Jon Lord, Coverdale's former bandmate in
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 music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
, in time for the recording of their debut album '' Trouble''. Dowle was replaced in July 1979 after the recording of '' Lovehunter'' by Ian Paice, another Deep Purple alumnus. After '' Ready an' Willing'' and '' Come an' Get It'', Whitesnake were placed on hiatus by Coverdale in early 1982, during which time Marsden, Murray and Paice all left the band for other projects. Coverdale reformed the group in October 1982, with Moody and Lord joined by new members guitarist Mel Galley, bassist Colin Hodgkinson and drummer
Cozy Powell Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was an English drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, B ...
. After the recording of '' Slide It In'', Moody and Hodgkinson left in December 1983, with John Sykes and the returning Neil Murray taking their places. Both new members featured on the US reissue of the album, which featured re-recorded tracks. A few dates into the subsequent tour, Galley broke his arm and was forced to leave the band, who completed the shows as a five-piece. Lord also left in April, to rejoin his former bandmates in reforming Deep Purple. Whitesnake subsequently continued performing as a four-piece, adding Richard Bailey as a touring keyboardist throughout the rest of the year. After two Rock in Rio performances in January 1985, Powell also left to form
Emerson, Lake & Powell Emerson, Lake & Powell, sometimes abbreviated as ELP, were an English progressive rock band, considered by many as a variant lineup of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, that released one official studio album in 1986. The album's debut single was "Tou ...
. A few months later, the band started recording their self-titled album with new drummer Aynsley Dunbar and session keyboardist
Don Airey Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English musician. He came to prominence as the keyboardist of the rock band Rainbow during 1979–1982. He has been the keyboardist of Deep Purple, the band from which Rainbow was a spinoff, since 2 ...
.


1987–1997

After it was completed the previous year, ''Whitesnake'' was released in 1987. Shortly before its release, Coverdale put together an all-new lineup which included former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell, former Vandenberg guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, and former
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
bassist and drummer
Rudy Sarzo Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban-American musician. He remains best known as the bassist for Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played with several well k ...
and
Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesn ...
. After the end of the album's touring cycle, Campbell left the band. He was replaced the next April by
Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai ( ; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a Transcription (music), transc ...
, formerly of David Lee Roth's solo band. Vai performed all guitars on the group's next album '' Slip of the Tongue'', after Vandenberg suffered a wrist injury that prevented him from playing. For the album's touring cycle, Rick Seratte joined on live keyboards. At the end of the tour in late September 1990, Coverdale chose to disband Whitesnake. In 1994, Coverdale reunited Whitesnake following the breakup of Coverdale–Page, touring between June and October 1994, in promotion of the ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' album. The band's lineup included returning members Vandenberg and Sarzo, in addition to
Ratt Ratt (stylized as RATT) was an American glam metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum and multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA. ...
guitarist
Warren DeMartini Warren Justin DeMartini (born April 10, 1963) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for glam metal band Ratt, which achieved international stardom in the 1980s. Early life DeMartini was born on April 10, 1963, in Chicago, ...
, former Coverdale–Page drummer Denny Carmassi, and keyboardist Paul Mirkovich. At the end of the tour, the band's deal with
Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...
expired and they disbanded again. A second reunion followed in 1997, when Coverdale, Vandenberg and Carmassi reunited alongside former Coverdale–Page touring members
Guy Pratt Guy Adam Pratt (born 3 January 1962) is a British bassist. He has worked with artists including Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson, the Smiths, Robert Palmer (singer), Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, T ...
(bass) and Brett Tuggle (keyboards) for ''
Restless Heart Restless Heart was an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band's longest-tenured lineup consisted of Larry Stewart (singer), Larry Stewart (lead vocals), John Dittrich (drums, vocals), Paul Gregg (bass guitar, vocals), Dav ...
''. The album was initially intended to be released as Coverdale's solo album, however due to pressure from his new label
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
, it was released as a Whitesnake album. The tour, which ran from September to December 1997, featured Vandenberg and Carmassi, plus guitarist Steve Farris, bassist Tony Franklin and keyboardist Derek Hilland.


2003 onwards

After a five-year hiatus, it was announced in January 2003 that Whitesnake would reform for a tour the same year, with drummer
Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesn ...
returning, alongside new members
Doug Aldrich Doug Aldrich (born February 19, 1963) is an American hard rock guitarist. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St. John in 1998 and has played with Whitesnake, Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints ...
and
Reb Beach Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. (born August 31, 1963) is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake. Career After graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School and attending Berklee College of Music in the ea ...
on guitars, Marco Mendoza on bass, and Timothy Drury on keyboards. In April 2005, Mendoza left to pursue "other musical avenues", with Uriah Duffy taking his place the following month. In December 2007, it was also announced that Aldridge had departed, with Chris Frazier having replaced him, to record drums for '' Good to Be Bad'', Whitesnake's first studio album since 1997. Both Frazier and Duffy had left by June 2010, with Brian Tichy and Michael Devin taking their places, respectively. Drury left to pursue a solo career in September, with his place taken on the '' Forevermore'' touring cycle by Brian Ruedy. After two years of touring, Tichy left in January 2013 and was replaced by Aldridge a few weeks later. Aldrich later left in May 2014, citing a desire to start a solo career. Aldrich's place in the band was taken by
Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco, California. The band formed in 1982 and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1980s with the release of several successful albums and hit singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and ...
guitarist Joel Hoekstra in August 2014. The following year saw the release of '' The Purple Album'', a collection of recordings of tracks from Coverdale's time in
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 music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
. Shortly after the album's release, Michele Luppi was enlisted as Whitesnake's new keyboardist. ''Flesh & Blood'' followed in 2019. In July 2021, Whitesnake recruited Dino Jelusick for their 2022 farewell tour, turning Whitesnake into a
septet A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry ...
for the first time. Later that November, Michael Devin parted ways with the band. He was replaced by Tanya O'Callaghan.


Members


Current members


Former members


Session/touring musicians


Session musicians


Timeline


Lineups


References


External links


Whitesnake official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitesnake members * Lists of members by band