Fame & Fortune: Deep Purple's Ian Gillan He won't mind his own business By Larry Getlen • Bankrate.com

The legacy of Deep Purple runs far and ... well, deep.

The band has been around, on and off, in one form or another, since 1968. While the roots of their family tree could reach to China, the lineup that made the greatest impact was their 1969-1973 incarnation, which included Ritchie Blackmore on guitar and Ian Gillan on vocals. This lineup became one of the best-loved hard rock bands on the planet, elevating the band members to legend status with the 1973 hit "Smoke on the Water." Since then, the band has broken up, reformed and swapped members with other bands more times than one can count. As for the power-throated Gillan, he left immediately after "Smoke" hit big. He played in solo bands and ran some nonmusic-related businesses for 10 years. He spent one year in Black Sabbath in 1983 before leaving to join Purple again for five years, leaving again for three, then finally rejoining for good in 1992.

Now, Deep Purple has a new album out, "Rapture of the Deep," and despite several more lineup changes (Blackmore left for good in 1993 and was replaced by Dixie Dregs guitarist Steve Morse), the band still has the same rocking crunch and swagger that has defined them for more than 35 years.

Bankrate spoke with Gillan about the new record and the business travails of a rocker who doesn't care about business.

Bankrate: When you're writing new material, is there a sense of preserving the band's legacy, or is every album a fresh start?

Ian Gillan: It's completely fresh. In fact, this is one of the most enjoyable records, in a creative sense, we've ever done -- very similar to how we worked in '69 and '70. The band was very hot, and there was not a single note or word written or preconceived notion of how the album would be.

Bankrate: As the music industry changes, is there ever concern or discussion about where Deep Purple fits in with what's happening today?

Ian Gillan: You come to a time in your life when you realize you were never in this for a game. If you try to be fashionable, then tomorrow, by definition, you're going to be unfashionable, so we might as well stick to what we do and maintain that incredible audience we have. Our crowd is not the slightest bit fickle. They've been incredibly loyal over the years, and they breed new generations. The average age of our audience outside the United States, internationally, is 18 years old.

Bankrate: Are you received as well in America as you are overseas?

Ian Gillan: Not really, no. We have some fantastic fans in America, but there's an industry thing in the States called classic rock. If you were a success in the '60s and '70s and '80s, you fall into that bracket, and consequently you're considered to be dead and buried. You're a historical event rather then a contemporary act. Whereas around the world, we tend to be viewed more in the context of the current, living, thriving Deep Purple.