David Coverdale Criticizes Ritchie Blackmore’s Impact On His Artistic Expression

David Coverdale recently chatted with Metal Edge, discussing what defined Whitesnake’s sound and why Deep Purple held his musical abilities back despite Ritchie Blackmore’s overall contribution to his music career.

The rocker answered questions about Whitesnake’s cult sound and whether he was comfortable with fans feeling the band’s identity originated with their 1987 self-titled debut. David clarified the remark, saying ‘identities never bothered him,’ though he didn’t explicitly agree that the debut record defined him.

The host then asked what he thought defined him, and the singer discussed how Whitesnake enabled him to reach his actual limits and added that Deep Purple got in the way of him ‘finding his voice.’ He credited Ritchie Blackmore and John Lord as the ‘professors’ that contributed to his career but noted that they still restricted his artistic expression.

David on what sound defined him and his band:

“Number one: you’ve got my voice. Boom, that’s it. That’s the running context that you get right from the get-go. And the truth is, I was able to find my voice with Whitesnake in ways that I never could with Deep Purple.

Of course, I learned a great deal through three albums I recorded with Deep Purple and received an incredible education from Professor Ritchie Blackmore and Professor John Lord. But the circumstance was that I knew I couldn’t do everything that I loved and wanted to do.”

It felt to the rocker that he finally had what it took to broaden his musical horizon with Whitesnake. However, he had collected significant experiences through his former band, Deep Purple, under the guidance of Ritchie Blackmore and John Lord.