I have just learned of the death today of Jonathan Douglas Lord, (1941-2012), founder member and original keyboard player with Deep Purple, and a considerable classical composer in his own right. He had been fighting a long battle against pancreatic cancer, and was just 71.
If ever I’ve had a musical hero, it was him.
I can remember the very first time I heard the distinctive roar of his Hammond C3 – I was 14 or 15 and in the school common room. ‘Have you heard this?’ asked a fellow pupil, hastening to put a disc on the record player. It was Deep Purple In Rock.
Lord was renowned in the music industry as a true gentleman in a business populated by sharks. Quite by coincidence I received a missive from the widow of another much loved Hammond player, though much less famous. Regular readers will recall my notice almost exactly two years ago of the passing of Ray Bartrip, Essex muso and a personal mentor. His widow wrote me a lovely letter enclosing a photo album bursting with pictures of Ray’s extensive keyboard collection.
There are no more heroes, and this dull evening will turn to Black Night.
I had no idea he was ill. A key piece of my high school rock ‘n roll experience was buying a copy of a greatest hits package by Deep Purple, mainly for Smoke on the Water, and being blown away by the rest of it. Particularly the delicate organ work on Child In Time, but also the fist-pounding piano on Woman From Tokyo, a style he was less well known for.
I also like that he developed a style on the Hammond unlike almost everybody else – overdriven and with no vibrato, just straight ahead face-peeling loudness. It’s amazing to go back and listen to just how many Deep Purple songs have his keys layered in among the guitar parts, adding body to the songs.
RIP.
A sad day. But let us remember all he did, and that he left something by which he is immortalized.
Yep. Sad news – a great player.
I’ve got a story a bit like Richard W’s. Before being an aspiring punk guitarist (c 1978), I was merely an aspiring 1970s guitarist – making it practically inevitable that the first single I ever bought was the 1977 single re-release of Smoke on the Water. It had two tracks on the B-side, including a great cut-down live version of Child in Time. Which, as the boys allude to, would be a good tune to listen to to remember Jon Lord.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OorZcOzNcgE
I have fond memories of deep purple especially when going to school parties (1970), but really listening in that time and sniffing the folk-country and country rock.
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