MusicRadar

Steve Morse likes to play the guitar. No - he really, really likes to play the guitar! Seated in his tour manager's room at New York's London Hotel, the venerated Deep Purple axeman noodles, shreds and races his fingers up and down the fretboard of his "number one" Ernie Ball Music Man signature model, plugged into a small practice amp, for the duration of our interview.

He's not being rude or aloof, mind you - in fact, he's charming and witty, answering each question with thoughtful, measured consideration. "I just feel more comfortable when I'm playing the guitar," he explains. "I hear these other guitarists say they can go two weeks or a month without playing. Not me. If I'm not actively doing something physical, I play the guitar. I practice every day, too. There's always room for improvement."

That last statement is bound to drop jaws and raise eyebrows amongst Morse's legion of fans across the globe, who have marveled at every note he's plucked since debuting with his band The Dixie Dregs in 1976. Throughout his career with The Dregs (they shortened their name in 1981) and on numerous solo releases, and even in his brief tenure in Kansas, Morse effortlessly mixed rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, blues - you name it, he can play it - to create that rarity in music, and all of art, for that matter: a style all his own.

So it came as a bit of a surprise - OK, a shock - when he accepted an invitation to join the veteran British hard rock band Deep Purple in 1994, after the mercurial Ritchie Blackmore split for good a year earlier. (Joe Satriani played a handful of dates with the group and almost became a full-time member, but his record contract at the time prevented him from doing so.)

"That did throw a lot of people," Morse says. "Many of my fans see me as something of a lone wolf or a band leader, like I have to control every aspect of everything. The truth is, I love being part of a group and not having to make every decision. This situation is the best of both worlds. When time permits, I still do my solo stuff. And with Deep Purple, I get to play great music. To me, it's a cake with lots of icing."

And right now, it's a triple-layer job served with extra frosting and candles as Deep Purple (which also includes "classic lineup" members Ian Gillan on vocals, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice and "new guy" Don Airey on keyboards, who signed on in 2001) are currently touring the world with a 38-piece orchestra backing them up on such hits as Smoke On The Water, Highway Star, Space Truckin' and countless other songs you know by heart.

In addition to discussing the behemoth tour, Steve Morse talked to MusicRadar about his role in Deep Purple, how he's been able to carry on in the shadow of Ritchie Blackmore and the band's plans for a new studio album. What's more, he even detailed his two Ernie Ball Music Man Steve Morse signature models (see the above video) and demonstrated the "correct" way to play the oh-so-recognizable but much-mangled riff to Smoke On The Water (see page two).

You're now the longest-serving guitarist in Deep Purple history. Did you go into it thinking it would be a career gig? Also, did you have any trepidation stepping into the shoes of Ritchie Blackmore?

"I have been through something like this before when I replaced Kerry Livgren in Kansas, so I was sort of prepared for what the experience would entail. You go in knowing that a certain percentage of fans will just hate it, no matter how well you play or what you do. A lot of fans like a band only one way; another guy comes in, they don't like it. It doesn't matter who it is, what songs they write, or even if they're better than the guy that came before – some fans will just fold their arms and go, 'I don't like it.' I understand that.

"Still, when I joined Deep Purple, it was a chance for me to really bring something to the table. As a fan of the band, I felt as though they needed something. They did the organ and the keyboards thing really well, but with the guitar stuff, a lot of which was blues based – and I realize that's their meat and potatoes – I felt like there needed some stepping up, a different kind of attitude.

"Actually, I did have some trepidation. They asked me to join the band, but I'd never even seen them play live. They played all over the world, but they didn't play a lot in America. I didn't know what they'd be like, whether they were a band just living of their name and not into new ideas – all those things. So my manager, Frank Solomon, set it up Deep Purple's manager that I would play four shows with the band. That way, it was an easy get-out-of-jail arrangement on both sides if we were unhappy.

"I didn't know what to expect, but during my first rehearsal with the band, which was only a couple of hours before we were supposed to do a gig, I was blown away by how great they were. I think we were all surprised at how good things sounded and how easy the chemistry was. Within an hour, we were laughing and slapping one another on the backs going, 'All right, this is gonna work!'"

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