(born July 28, 1954, Hamilton, Ohio, USA)
Superb guitarist and bandleader in his own right, Steve went to Miami University to study classical and jazz guitar. He formed The Dixie Dregs in 1975 with bassist Andy West. Between 1982 and 1986, readers of ‘Guitar Player’ magazine voted Steve Morse ‘Best Guitarist’ for five years in a row. He formed The Steve Morse Band in 1983 and joined Kansas before switching careers to become an airline pilot.
Drawn back to music, he joined Deep Purple as lead guitarist in 1994, although he maintains his own recording band.
“It’s so much fun for me to play with the guys in Purple.Ian Gillan, apart from being a great singer, is also a master of the English language. He can manipulate words and pluck double entendres out of nowhere! What I most enjoy in life is working with excellent musicians. That’s why I get so enthusiastic about working with Deep Purple.”