Some consider Deep Purple's Ian Paice to be the forefather of today's rock drumming. Such hits as Space Truckin', Hush, Fireball, and Smoke On The Water prove that Ian was helping create a genre that would last many years to come.

In fact, throughout Deep Purple's long career, which has seen numerous changes among the other personnel, he is the only drummer the band has ever had. When the group dissolved in 1976, Ian joined then Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale to form Whitesnake. After a short hiatus, Deep Purple reunited in 1984 for The Perfect Strangers release and have not stopped performing since.

Born in 1948 in Nottingham, Great Britain, Ian started with the violin but chose later, at age 15, to play the drums. He subsequently joined his father's dance band before turning to heavier stuff. "Eventually I bought a kit for 32 pound and went round accompanying my father who was a pianist playing waltzes and quicksteps. It was a wee bit insipid but it was a start." His early influences included Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Bobby Elliot (The Hollies), Ringo Starr, Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge), and Charles Connors (Little Richard Band). Ian brought forward from a previous generation of rock drummers the tight, precise playing and crisp, clean sound of his predecessors but added power, formidable speed and technique to create a unique style and sound giving the best of both worlds.

Ian can also be found on releases by such artists as Paul McCartney, Gary Moore, George Harrison, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Jim Capaldi. He is an accomplished clinician and performed at 1999's Modern Drummer Festival.

Ian has played with Deep Purple since their inception in 1968 which translates to 50+ years of unrelenting rock drumming. "Purple is a very demanding band to drum for. They are a loud band and it makes you play hard all the time. It's no good turning down at all."