Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee David Coverdale, who sang for Deep Purple in the mid-Seventies and fronted Whitesnake for the past five decades, has announced his retirement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the Snake, a special announcement for you,” Coverdale said in a video he posted to Instagram. “After 50 years-plus of an incredible journey with you — with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page — the last few years it has been very evident to me that it’s time really for me to hang up my rock ‘n’ roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans.”
“And as you can see, we’ve taken care of the lion’s wig,” he continued. “But it’s time for me to call it a day. I love you dearly. I thank everyone who’s assisted and supported me on this incredible journey: all the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family. It’s amazing. But it really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement, and I hope you can appreciate that.”
Coverdale reached the pinnacle of his fame in 1987 when Whitensake scored massive hits with “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love.” With help from his then-girlfriend Tawny Kitaen, who appeared in both videos, Whitesnake were a regular presence on MTV that year alongside the latest videos by Def Leppard, U2, and INXS.
Fourteen years prior to his commercial breakthrough, Coverdale was given the chance to front Deep Purple, alongside bassist Glenn Hughes, when original frontman Ian Gillan left the band. This new lineup of Deep Purple produced three albums – 1974’s Burn and Stormbringer and 1975’s Come Taste the Band – and toured all around the globe. They split in 1976, shortly after guitarist Tommy Bolin died of a heroin overdose. Two years later, Coverdale formed Whitesnake.
In 1993, Coverdale teamed up with Jimmy Page for a collaborative project they dubbed Coverdale-Page. Despite some early buzz, their album was a commercial disappointment. The tour – where Coverdale sang Led Zeppelin classics like “Kashmir,” “Rock and Roll” and “Whole Lotta Love” – was called off after a brief run through Japan.
Editor’s picks
Like many groups of their era, Whitesnake struggled to find relevancy after the alt-rock revolution of the early Nineties. But they continued to tour and record throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Their last album was 2019’s Flesh & Blood. Their last show took place June 23, 2022, at Hellfest in Clisson, France. They originally planned on playing many more dates on a farewell tour, but health issues made that impossible.
Trending Stories
“Last year, I was so incredibly compromised by, without any doubt, the worst sinus infection I’ve ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like fucking relatives of mine,” Coverdale told Ultimate Classic Rock in 2023. “This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I’ve [ever] had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying Prednisone steroids.”
Earlier this year, former members of his band started playing shows as Whitesnake Experience by the Members of Whitesnake. Now with Coverdale officially retired, that’s the nearest things to a genuine Whitesnake experience fans are likely to get.