There are two David Coverdales. The more famous is the frontman with Whitesnake. Lesser-known, but far more impressive, is The Voice – that’s what’s left once the glossy videos and sexual innuendo are stripped away.
For underlying Coverdale’s stardom is a talent that – with a bit less lyrical focus on the trouser area – might have made him a national treasure. He was only ever having fun, but it did prevent his reputation spreading into the mainstream in the way that, say, respect for Paul Rodgers (his early hero) and Robert Plant has done.
Coverdale was born September 22, 1951 in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. In 1973, almost unbelievably in retrospect, he was hired by Deep Purple to replace Ian Gillan. He’d spent six years in semi-pro covers bands and got the gig on the strength of a demo tape and one nervous rehearsal.
Coverdale grew up fast in Purple and made three studio albums with them before they split in 1976. After that he released a couple of low-key solo albums, the first called White Snake which (contracted) gave its name to his fledgling band.
Whitesnake’s line-up changed often, but the presence of guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, plus former Purple men keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice (later replaced by Cozy Powell) meant Whitesnake always sold tickets. Their albums, though, were slower to shift, especially in the US.
In 1984, with the early good-time blues- rock formula going stale, a US-only remix of their Slide It In album sold two million. Three years later Coverdale returned with a more metal sound, a ‘hair-metal’ image, an entirely new line-up and a bunch of slick videos. The 1987 album gave him hit singles and a mega profile. But short-lived liaisons with guitarists Steve Vai (for the follow-up) and Jimmy Page (as Coverdale- Page) couldn’t sustain the momentum.
In the 90s Coverdale put a toe in the comeback water with a new Whitesnake, while a solo album, Into The Light (2000), reminded fans of his roots. In 2008 Whitesnake re-emerged with Good To Be Bad, followed by 2011's Forevermore, 2015's ill-advised tribute to his old band The Purple Album, and 2019's Flesh & Blood.
