The keyboardist and composer Jon Douglas Lord was born on this day in 1941.
Born in Leicester, Lord came from a musical family, and was continuously exposed to music early on. He took classical piano from seven years old on and performed in jazz bands as a young man, while also working towards a career as an actor. An encounter with the music of Jerry Lee Lewis introduced him to the true potential of rock, the genre which he eventually fell into.
Lord is best known as a founding member of the rock band Deep Purple, the second longest-serving of that founding quintet. He also performed in the bands The Flowerpot Man, The Artwoods, and later Paice Ashton Lord and Whitesnake. Along with Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, he is often held up as one of the greatest keyboardists in rock ‘n roll. He was famous for the use of the Hammond B3 organ, which helped define Deep Purple’s sound.
Lord often attempted to fuse rock with classical, most famously with Concerto for Group and Orchestra in 1969. His solo career continued these experiments. While he passed away in 2012, his music has continued to delight fans to this day.
Today is a good day to check out the Concerto, The Gemini Suite, Windows, or other parts of his body of work. We here at this site wish his family the best.
Post Sources: