Rod Evans
Great BritainBiography of Rod Evans
Early Life and CareerRod Evans is an English rock singer, best known as one of the co-founders of the band Deep Purple. He began his musical journey as a vocalist in the group The Maze, alongside Ian Paice. In 1968, Evans became one of the creators of Deep Purple and recorded three albums with the band. However, his singing style eventually clashed with the preferences of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice. As a result, Evans and bassist Nick Simper were forced to leave the band in 1969.
Post-Deep Purple
After leaving Deep Purple, Evans decided to pursue a career in medicine. However, he later joined the band Captain Beyond and recorded two albums with them. Following the breakup of Captain Beyond, Evans worked at a hospital in Northern California, USA.
Reunion with Deep Purple
In 1980, Evans was approached by American managers with questionable reputations, who had previously organized performances for a fake Steppenwolf band. They offered to "recreate" Deep Purple, which had disbanded in 1976. Evans agreed and invited Simper to participate in the project, but Simper declined. From May 17 to August 19, 1980, Evans and a group of relatively unknown musicians performed several concerts in Mexico, the USA, and Canada under the name Deep Purple. The band consisted of Tony Flynn on guitar, Tom de Rivera on bass guitar, Geoff Emery on keyboards, and Dick Juergens on drums.
Legal Issues and Disappearance
The low quality of their performances drew criticism from the audience, and the real Deep Purple's managers soon obtained a court order to ban Evans' group from using the name Deep Purple. They were also awarded $672,000 in damages for the unauthorized use of the band's name. As Evans was listed as the sole organizer of the fake group and received all the fees, he was solely responsible for the payment. Unable to pay, Evans stopped receiving royalties from the sales of the first three Deep Purple albums. After the court case, Evans never appeared in public again, and reliable information about his life afterward is scarce. There have been sporadic reports from fans claiming to have seen Evans working at the same California hospital or spotted him in the state of Vermont in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
