Jon Lord

A founding member of heavy metal institution Deep Purple, keyboardist/composer Jon Lord was born June 9, 1941, in Leicester, England. He began playing piano at age nine, later forgoing his classical studies to play rock, jazz, and blues. Around 1960, he relocated to London, following a stint with The Bill Ashton Combo by joining Red Bludd's Bluesicians. In 1964, Lord played on The Kinks' eponymous debut LP (retitled You Really Got Me for American consumption); around the same time, his group The Artwoods released their first single "Sweet Mary," issuing several more singles prior to the 1966 full-length Art Gallery. After the 1967 Jazz In Jeans appeared to little response, the band re-christened itself St Valentine's Day Massacre, adopting a gangster-influenced image for their lone single, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"



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