Rod Evans

Rod Evans
Evans (far right) with Deep Purple in 1968
Background information
Birth name Roderic Evans
Born (1947-12-19) 19 December 1947
Origin Eton, Buckinghamshire, England
Genres Psychedelic rock, progressive rock, hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation(s) Singer, model, physician
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1959–1973, 1980
Associated acts Deep Purple, Captain Beyond, The Maze, The Horizons, Bogus Deep Purple

Roderic Evans (born 19 December 1947) is an English former singer. In the late 1960s he began his professional career in The Maze, formerly MI5, after which he was a member of the original Deep Purple line-up who produced three studio albums with a more progressive and pop-driven sound. After recording a solo single, he was a member of the original Captain Beyond line-up, who produced two studio albums. After a legal struggle with Deep Purple in 1980, Evans turned reclusive and disappeared from public life.

Early career

Evans was born in Eton, Buckinghamshire.[1][2] He played together with drummer Ian Paice in The Maze, formerly MI5. He was also in a band called The Horizons in the mid 1960s. Reports state that Evans also worked as a male model around this time. He was tall and had good posture.

Evans and Paice were original members of Deep Purple when they formed in Hertfordshire in 1968.[3] According to Deep Purple's original bassist Nick Simper, Evans was hired after "dozens" of other singers were auditioned. The most recognised song recorded with Evans singing is "Hush", which reached No. 4 on the US Billboard charts in October 1968. After recording three studio albums, he was dismissed in 1969.[3] In the summer of 1969 while on tour in the U.S., it was decided by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, and Jon Lord that Rod Evans' pop vocal style would not be suitable for the heavier hard rock sound the band wanted to achieve and move toward.[4] Another factor in Evans departure from Deep Purple was in part due to his desire to move to the United States.[5]

Captain Beyond

In 1971, Evans recorded a solo single for Capitol,[6] titled "Hard To Be Without You" (b/w "You Can't Love A Child Like A Woman"), then went on to form Captain Beyond, along with former Johnny Winter drummer Bobby Caldwell, former Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman and guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, who also was part of the last incarnation of Iron Butterfly.

Evans left Captain Beyond and the music business after their first two albums. He then became a director of respiratory therapy at a western American hospital until 1980.[7]

Deep Purple controversy and lawsuit

In 1980, Evans was approached by a management company which specialised in questionably-reformed bands with well-known names, and he began to tour under the Deep Purple name accompanied by former members of Steppenwolf and unknown session musicians. The line up was Rod Evans (vocals), Tony Flynn (guitar), Tom de Rivera (bass), Geoff Emery (keyboards), and Dick Jurgens III (drums), son of famous big band leader Dick Henrey Jurgens.[8]

After several shows ended in near riots,[9] Evans was sued by the management of the genuine Deep Purple and they were awarded damages of US $672,000 (US$1,995,916 in 2017 dollars[10]). As a result of the lawsuit, Evans no longer receives royalties from the band's first three albums.

Later life

He has not appeared publicly since the court case and his current whereabouts are of considerable interest to fans of early Deep Purple.[9] In 2015, Ian Paice said, "If anyone knows where Rod is or even if he is still on the planet, that would be good news. We haven't had contact with him since the late 1970s. Nobody seems to know where the hell he is, or even if he is still alive. Not a clue."[11]

In a 2015 interview, Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell mentioned that he was in touch with Evans and that Evans is "just doing fine these days" and had worked in the medical profession for a long time.[12]

On 8 April 2016, Evans was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple. He did not attend the ceremony.

Discography

Solo

  • It's Hard To Be Without You / You Can't Love A Child Like A Woman (1971), Promo only

with Deep Purple

Studio Albums
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
DVDs

with Captain Beyond

Studio albums
Live Albums

References

  1. ↑ "Find My Past". Search.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  2. ↑ "Anthem - BMI Work #12721182". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  3. 1 2 "Music - 7 Ages of Rock - Deep Purple". BBC. 2004-10-19. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  4. ↑ ""The Billboard Albums: Includes Every Album That Made the Billboard 200 Chart". Joel Whitburn. p.227". Record Research Inc. 2007. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ↑ Steve Rosen Interview with Ritchie Blackmore, 1974 on YouTube Retrieved "Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar God|Part 1/5" on 14 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Rod Evans. Captain Beyond History". Deep-purple.net. 1972-04-30. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  7. ↑ "Bogus Deep Purple in Sounds 80". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  8. ↑ "Bogus Deep Purple". Thehighwaystar.com. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  9. 1 2 "Captain Beyond: Band Member Info on ROD EVANS". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  10. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Will Ritchie Blackmore Attend Deep Purple’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction? - 93XRT. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Blowin’ Wind with Captain Beyond’s Bobby Caldwell - The Great Southern Brain Fart. Retrieved 30-Jan-2016.
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