These days, the word “exclusive” gets tossed around like animal carcasses at an Ozzy show circa 1982. “One night only” turns into two, and two into three. Before you know it, you’ve got a whole 3 month tour on your hands, which is bound to turn into a year-long global jaunt anyways. Such is NOT the case for international supergroup The Dead Daisies, who in the midst of an off year, are reuniting with their old frontman/bassist, Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple legend, for a one night only show at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois. And yes, when they say “one night only”, they mean it! We had the chance to sit down with Glenn and guitarist Doug Aldrich to discuss this show, their working relationship, and the bands that came from the ashes of Purple.
Greetings Glenn and Doug! Welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?
Glenn Hughes: Thank you so much, Joe. I’m good, how are you?
Doug Aldrich: Hey Joe!
Fantastic, thank you. It isn’t everyday I get to talk to one legend, let alone two, so thank you for gracing my presence, albeit for a very unique reason. On Saturday, May 30th at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, Glenn, you will be reuniting with The Dead Daisies for a one night only shoe in which you will play two sets: One Dead Daisies and one Deep Purple. How did this show come to be and why Chicago?
GH: I had a meeting. (Dead Daisies founder) David Lowy called me to have lunch with him in February, not knowing anything other than we were gonna have a nice lunch. He spoke highly about…we used to play “Mistreated” and “Burn” when I was in the Daisies, 4 or 5 years ago, and he loved playing those songs. He said to me, he was very shy, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could play more of your songs from Deep Purple and maybe play some Daisies songs?” I said, “That sounds like a good idea!” We steamrolled from there.
DA: Chicago is an iconic rock n’ roll city. It’s very unique and the Arcada is an amazing venue with an amazing owner. Ron (Onesti) is a great dude who supports the music. It’s just a cool venue. It’s the perfect place for this. It’s a really special thing that we’ve never done. I don’t know why, but I’m glad!
GH: Yeah, me too!
Doug, I just saw you at Arcada less than a month ago for the Cactus all-star show!
DA: Yeah *laughs*! It’s very special. I’m so happy to be going back. That was a fun night, but I’m even more stoked about this. Getting the chance to play with Glenn again…if anybody reading this got a chance to see Glenn do his Deep Purple show, he was sensational. It was an amazing, respectful tribute…he was a band member though.
GH: Yeah *laughs*!
DA: “Tribute” isn’t the word for it, but “celebration”. It was a celebration, right Glenn?
GH: Yeah, I played the Arcada Theatre playing the Deep Purple show. It was fantastic!
DA: It’s gonna be fun to do that with the Daisies, with Glenn, and do two sets! We’ve never done that.
Glenn, do you remember the first time you played in Chicago, and would it have been with Trapeze?
GH: It would’ve been Trapeze. I can’t remember the venue. It would’ve been a theater somewhere. Then, I played the Chicago Amphitheater with Deep Purple 3 or 4 times, back in the day, Joe, in the ’70s. It was a fantastic venue. I love Chicago. I love rock music fans in Chicago. They are very vocal!
Very! How about you Doug? Did Lion ever make it to Chicago, or was it a little later before you played these parts?
DA: No, Lion did not make it there. I think the first time proper, I joined a band after Lion called Hurricane. I think we played Chicago. The Arcada with The Dead Daisies has always been amazing, but one of my best memories is in 2002, I played a show with Scorpions. I was in Dio at the time. We had a day off in Chicago. It was a beautiful summer evening. We got to go to Chicago Speedway and race in the cars. It was Ronnie’s birthday, so we went to the party after, and it was just an amazing day. That’s one of my favorite days. The last few times I was there, I was there with Glenn. We went down to Chicago Music Exchange. Finally, I bought a guitar from them, Glenn. I don’t know if I told you.
GH: You did?
DA: Yeah, a ’53 Les Paul.
GH: No way!
DA: Yeah, it’s insane. Anyways, Chicago, let’s rock! Let’s go!
Glenn, you spent a few years in The Dead Daisies and did a couple albums with them as well. What events led to you joining the band and how does it feel to be reuniting with them for a night?
GH: I’d heard about them. All I knew is that my friend Doug Aldrich was playing guitar. They managed to call me, it must’ve been around January of 2019, if I would take a meeting with David Lowy in L.A., and I did. They asked me, number 1, “Would you like to write some songs for the band and see how it goes? Maybe get together and jam?” Then, David came to see me play somewhere in the Midwest. He flew in to see me play a show. He flew me back to New York the next day to meet with Doug and Deen Castronovo. We jammed and it was great. Then, I started to work with The Dead Daisies. That would’ve been sometime in the summer of 2019.
Doug, growing up, do you recall the first time you heard the music of Glenn Hughes? Subsequently, is working with him a “pinch me” moment for you?
DA: Oh yeah, totally. Glenn’s legendary! Of course, I knew Glenn from Deep Purple, but there was a period of time when I didn’t have access to a lot of records. I was a starving musician *laughs*, so I missed out on a lot of good stuff. Later, I got a CD of one of Glenn’s solo records. My buddy was playing drums on it, or at least on a song. His voice…oh, no! I take it back! The first time I heard Glenn really sing was with Phenomena. That’s what it was!
GH: OK, wow!
DA: Who was in that band, Glenn?
GH: Cozy Powell and Mel Galley.
DA: There you go. Mel Galley was amazing. So was Cozy. That first song came on with the descending riff. I was like, “Oh my God! This sounds amazing!” Glenn was singing it. I forget the title of the track, but it was the opening track on that Phenomena album. Then, I heard Glenn solo and Glenn and I became friends. We met several times over the years. Then, he asked me to join for a tour. His guitar player was busy and I joined for a tour with him. We had a blast!
GH: Yes!
DA: The next time, we were in The Dead Daisies together. It is a “pinch me” moment, working with Glenn. He’s a crazy talented human, not just musically, but spiritually too. It’s very cool.
GH: Thank you, Doug. I feel the same for you too.
Besides the set of Daisies songs, we will be getting a 10 song Purple set as well. Glenn, you’ve spent the better part of the last decade celebrating your era of Purple around the globe, and I know you recently retired that show. Could this potentially be the last time we see you perform a full set of Purple classics?
GH: Well, never say never! If I’m going to perform, whatever I’m doing, whoever it’s with, I’ll always feel I should play a few Purple classic songs that I wrote and sang with David Coverdale. I enjoy singing them. They’re such classic songs. I think people will get a kick out of it, hopefully!
Doug, you’re more than familiar with these songs, not just as a fan, but as a guitarist, having played a handful of them live with Whitesnake or Glenn. What are some of your favorite Purple songs to play and why? What aspects of Ritchie Blackmore’s playing stand out the most to you?
DA: The guy was phenomenal, effortless. Blackmore is a hard guy to describe. Just like Jimmy Page was for Zeppelin, Blackmore was the whole package. He looked amazing. He sounded amazing. It all came together. The first song so many people ever played was “Smoke on the Water”, but I didn’t really own any of those early records. I did get Burn, so “Burn” was definitely a favorite. I couldn’t really play that when I was a kid, but we’d mess around. Of course, “Mistreated” was an amazing song. There’s so many different versions of it, but obviously with Ritchie playing it, it’s the best. I love playing both of those, but there’s other songs that I won’t say because I don’t wanna give it away. You’re trying to sneak the setlist out of me. I know you, Joe!
GH: *laughs*
Me?! Never!
DA: *laughs* There’s a lot of Deep Purple songs that I love. I’ll tell you one song, when I first heard it, the guitar was just singing like I never heard it before was “Hush”. That solo from “Hush”, I love it. You’ll hear my favorite songs when I see you at the Arcada!
That’s the correct answer! Glenn, how well did you know Ritchie or any of the Purple guys prior to joining the band? Did Trapeze ever play with Purple in those early days?
GH: You know, they came to see my band Trapeze play in London, New York, and Los Angeles. They each came on separate nights, not together. They would show up: One night Ritchie was there. The next night Jon (Lord) was there. The next night Ian (Paice) was there. I just thought they were in love with my band. What I didn’t know was they were checking me out. It was about a year of this strange behavior until finally, they asked me if I’d like to join.
And you did join, which led to 1974’s masterpiece, Burn. I’ve always been curious: Did the band ever receive their individual candles that graced the album cover?
GH: We’re all still looking for those, actually. I know somebody has them somewhere. They were lost years and years ago. What a shame.
Totally! They belong in a museum!
GH: I agree!
Besides Burn and Stormbringer, we can’t forget about 1975’s Come Taste the Band: The sole Purple album to feature Tommy Bolin. Glenn, in the years since Tommy’s passing, you’ve served as an ambassador for his legacy. What’s the greatest lesson you took away from your time with him?
GH: Tommy Bolin, when I met him, he got the audition with Purple and he came to live with me for 3 or 4 months. We were inseparable. What I found with Tommy was a Midwest kid from Iowa, very soft spoken, giggly, child-like, very free, kind, generous, who had amazing qualities to play rock, pop, reggae, soul, jazz. He was absolutely gifted, but the most important thing that people need to know is that Tommy Bolin was a beautiful, kind human being. I miss him dearly!
DA: Obviously, I’d heard him with Deep Purple. He did a record with Billy Cobham, Spectrum. His playing on that was insane. Then, his solo album, Teaser…
GH: “Teaser” and “Dreamer”, they were great!
Doug, obviously Tommy was a much different guitarist from Blackmore. Just as I asked about Ritchie, when you’re playing those parts on guitar, what qualities stand out most to you?
DA: When you’re just enjoying it, sometimes you don’t really get all the…some of his songs have a little bit of a funk vibe to them. You’re just enjoying them. You don’t really think about it, but then when you try to play it, you go, “Oh, this is a little more intense than what I thought.” Fortunately, I’ve been a fan of his, so it’s stuff that I’ve learned. That was a really big role to step into, playing guitar in Deep Purple after Blackmore.
GH: Absolutely.
DA: You gotta be a strong-hearted person to do that to yourself. Of course, there’s gonna be comparisons. That shows a strong-hearted man right there.
Glenn, in the wake of Purple’s split in ’76, you seemed to be the one classic era member who embarked upon a solo career. Ian Gillan started his namesake band. Ritchie and Roger (Glover) did Rainbow. David, Jon, and Ian Paice did Whitesnake. Were you ever at any point approached about joining Whitesnake or Rainbow?
GH: No. David’s a very close friend. At that time, David had been singing with me for 3 or 4 years. I think he wanted to be the only man singing. I appreciate that. Ritchie, he was onto new things. Ronnie was the perfect example for the way he liked Bach-influenced music. Ronnie was also into the medieval thing, so it was perfect for Ritchie.
I always felt those early Whitesnake albums had your name all over them, especially with those R&B and soul influences.
GH: Yeah, I feel you! I remember David playing me the first Whitesnake album when I went to his house in Germany. I was blown away. I’m really happy for him.
Between the two of you, there is roughly a century of combined rock n’ roll experience. What do you say to the 16 year old kid who’s trying to find his or her way through “Burn” or “Highway Star”?
DA: The most important thing is to have fun with what you’re doing. Don’t let it be a chore. Everyone’s unique. You can learn from somebody, but there’s some times when people delve so deep into one thing. I think it’s good to mix it up a little bit and get a lot of different styles, if you can, that creates whatever it is you want to do. Be the best of all of that. That makes your style. I would say the most important thing is to have fun. There’s no other reason to do it. It’s extremely fun to play music. When you create music with somebody else too and you’re playing it live in a garage, in a basement, whatever, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I still have it. Have fun and be yourself. Don’t try to copy anybody.
GH: For me, it’s falling in between the ages of 11 and 14, boy or girl. What happened to me between the ages of 11 and 14, I started to play guitar. My father and mother bought me a guitar. I slept with my guitar. I was in love with the guitar. After a couple of years, people thought, “He’s gonna put the guitar down.” I didn’t. I fell in love with playing guitar. I fell in love with learning how to read music and learning how to play piano. It was all about the process of the early Glenn-isms about who I am. I had no idea I was gonna become “this guy”! I just wanted to be a musician. It was important for me to be in love with the artform of music, which I still am to this very day.
In closing, I’m not sure if either of you can answer this, but I’m going to ask anyways: Is there any chance this show could result in a live album and DVD?
DA: That’s a good question! We were asked that before, actually, and we didn’t think about it. I haven’t. I’m thinking about, “I want to do a great job on this show.” It means a lot to me, but that would be a cool thing, right, Glenn?
GH: Yeah, Joe, as you can understand, these days, everybody records everything. The front of house of every band records every night, so the band can hear it to learn if there’s anything they can change. I’m not gonna go too deep into it, but I would imagine it will be recorded. Will it ever come out? I’m not sure.
DA: The lost tapes at the Arcada Theatre! *laughs*
GH: *laughs* It’s gonna be great!
Coming out as part of The Dead Daisies vault!
GH: *laughs* You never know, Joe! You never know these days, do you?
The Dead Daisies and Glenn Hughes will be playing the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois on Saturday, May 30th. For tickets, click here. For more information on The Dead Daisies, click here. For more information on Glenn Hughes, click here.
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