Whitesnake

Whitesnake was a legendary English rock band, formed in London in 1978. After David Coverdale departed from his previous band, Deep Purple, he followed up with his solo career, releasing two albums. During that time, he formed a partnership with Micky Moody, and during his solo albums, he eventually assembled others to join Coverdale’s backing band while promoting his solo album. The initial lineup had recruits such as Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, and others who had short tenures with the group. Notably, members from Deep Purple (Jon Lord and Ian Paice) also joined. They were named “David Coverdale’s Whitesnake” to help shake up with the Deep Purple clout, but were later shortened to Whitesnake instead.

Their early albums contained a continuous blend of blues rock, alongside an early side of soul and hard rock. After their first EP, Snakebite (1978) was released, the group followed up with their albums Trouble (1978) and Lovehunter (1979). The group began making a name for themselves all across the European market after their third album, Ready an' Willing (1980). Following up with Come an' Get It (1981), the group was at its peak with its bluesy original lineup, but they, however, remained unknown in North America.

The future of the group began to shift gears by the end of 1981 when intentions started to grow, along with financial struggles, which included temporarily putting Whitesnake on hold not long thereafter. Fortunately, Coverdale began reassembling the band together with recruits and released Saints & Sinners (1982).

Intending to break the North American market, Whitesnake signed with Geffen Records and released Slide It In (1984), which became a modest success in the United States, eventually becoming double platinum, with six million sold worldwide. During the tour, the group met up with John Sykes, who previously toured with Thin Lizzy, and the lineup again changed during that time.

By the beginning of 1985, the band would record what would ultimately become Whitesnake’s smash breakthrough. However, problems during recording arose, alongside the existing $3 million in financial debt, mostly Coverdale being sidelined from a nasal illness that would almost cost him his singing career. The line-up would be eradicated, leaving Coverdale as the sole remaining member of Whitesnake. He again assembled the group back together, this time adopting a new glam metal image to further appeal to the 1980s pop-metal scene. The lineup included Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell, Tommy Aldridge, and Rudy Sarzo.

Their breakthrough album, known as Whitesnake/1987 (1987), became a huge success across multiple markets, developing with three signature songs: “Here I Go Again”, “Is This Love”, and “Still of the Night”. The album would become one of the best-selling heavy metal albums of all time, peaking at number two in the US with over ten million sold there. Worldwide, it has currently sold close to 25 million. Furthermore, the group developed a ground-breaking entity with notoriously popular music videos that were played on MTV with heavy rotation, courtesy of Coverdale’s fiancée and sex symbol, Tawny Kitaen, finally achieving the success they wanted.

Following the conclusion of their 1987-1988 tour, the group recorded their next album, which had a minor issue during the process. Guitarist Vandenberg would be sidelined from the recording due to an existing hand injury, so the group brought in high-profile guitarist Steve Vai. Their project would be released as Slip of the Tongue (1989). Initially, the album retained the majority of the current glam metal looks with a fusion of blues-incorporated rock from the group’s past. In the first few months, the album charted well in the US and the European markets, but was met with disappointment regarding its sound and lyrics, with some critics having mixed feelings towards the partnership of Vai and Whitesnake for the record. Despite using the same formula as their previous album, long-term sales were also not helping either. Ultimately, the album would sell a million in the US and four million internationally.

Despite recent successes and failures, Coverdale did not want this to be the image of Whitesnake. By the end of the album’s coinciding tour in 1990, he took a break from the group altogether, giving himself time to take some stock and review what he wasn’t expected to become and remain out of the public eye, marking the end of Whitesnake’s glam-pop heavy metal era.

During the split, Coverdale collaborated with Jimmy Page and released Coverdale/Page in 1993. Steve Vai continued his solo career, while other members formed Manic Eden. A compilation album was released the following year, resulting in the group’s reformation and tour, but the group broke up shortly after that.

Between 1995 and 1997, Coverdale wrote and recorded his intended next solo album with Vandenberg. However, due to their label expecting higher-up demands, their next album was forced to go under a “David Coverdale & Whitesnake” moniker. Restless Heart (1997) was released and it sold fairly well in European markets. Some called this potentially the final Whitesnake album. The group billed their farewell tour that year and again disbanded.

During the hiatus, Coverdale released his third solo album and remained out of the public eye for a couple of years, while Vandenberg began spending time painting and with his family.

In 2003, Coverdale reformed the group and continued touring worldwide, achieving some success and meeting expectations, while releasing live albums. They secured a recording contract and released various albums, including Good to Be Bad (2008), Forevermore (2011), The Purple Album (2015), and Flesh & Blood (2019), which were met with modest success.

The group announced their farewell tour in 2022, but was later cut short due to Coverdale’s physical health, which prevented him from touring. After multiple reissues of the band’s back-catalogue, Coverdale has officially announced his retirement in 2025, disbanding Whitesnake altogether.

Members

Final Line-up

David Coverdale – vocals (1978–1990, 1994, 1997, 2003–2025)
Tommy Aldridge – drums (1987–1990, 2003–2007, 2013–2025)
Reb Beach – guitars, backing vocals (2003–2025)
Joel Hoekstra – guitars, backing vocals (2014–2025)
Michele Luppi – keyboards, backing vocals (2015–2025)
Dino Jelusick – keyboards, backing vocals (2021–2025)
Tanya O'Callaghan – bass, backing vocals (2021–2025)

Past

Bernie Marsden – guitar, backing vocals (1978–1982)
Micky Moody – guitar, backing vocals (1978–1981, 1982–1983)
Neil Murray – bass, occasional backing vocals (1978–1982, 1983–1987)
Jon Lord – keyboards (1978–1984)
Dave “Duck” Dowle – drums (1978–1979)
Ian Paice – drums (1979–1982)
Mel Galley – guitar, backing vocals (1982–1984)
Colin Hodgkinson – bass, backing vocals (1982–1983)
Cozy Powell – drums (1982–1985)
John Sykes – guitar, backing vocals (1983–1986)
Aynsley Dunbar – drums (1985–1986)
Adrian Vandenberg – guitar, backing vocals (1987–1990, 1994, 1997)
Vivian Campbell – guitar, backing vocals (1987–1988)
Rudy Sarzo – bass, backing vocals (1987–1990, 1994)
Steve Vai – guitar, backing vocals (1989–1990)
Denny Carmassi – drums (1994, 1997)
Warren DeMartini – guitar, backing vocals (1994)
Paul Mirkovich – keyboards, backing vocals (1994)
Brett Tuggle – keyboards, backing vocals (1997)
Guy Pratt – bass (1997)
Steve Farris – guitar, backing vocals (1997)
Tony Franklin – bass, backing vocals (1997)
Derek Hilland – keyboards (1997)
Doug Aldrich – guitar, backing vocals (2003–2014)
Timothy Drury – keyboards, backing vocals (2003–2010)
Marco Mendoza – bass, backing vocals (2003–2005)
Uriah Duffy – bass, backing vocals (2005–2010)
Chris Frazier – drums (2007–2010)
Brian Tichy – drums (2010–2013)
Michael Devin – bass, harmonica, backing vocals (2010–2021)