Ian Paice

BORN: 29 June 1948 in Nottingham, England.

PLAYS: Drums with Deep Purple.

BACKGROUND
Ian's father was a musician and Ian inherited the gift for music. He initially started to learn the violin, but after seeing drummers such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich in action in films he realised drums were cooler.

He built his own drums out of old tins, but by the time he was 15, his father, realising he was serious, bought him his first kit real kit.

His first professional job as a drummer was at the age of 17 with a band called MI5 (later to become The Maze). Ian became friends with Rod Evans, the lead singer.

In 1968 Rod Evans auditioned for a band called Roundabout, whose guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, remembered Ian Paice from a tour in Germany and asked Evans to bring him along. Shortly after Evans and Paice joined Roundabout, they changed their name to Deep Purple, a rock-monster was born and the rest, as they say, is history.

OTHER FACTS
Ian likes to see the Reds in action as often as his work commitments allow. Which, considering he is currently in the middle of a two-year world tour is not that often. When he does get to the City Ground he is usually accompanied by his brother who lives in West Bridgford.

Ian is one of less than a handful of left-handed professional drummers who actually play left-handed (Phil Collins is another), most find it easier to adapt to a right handed kit.

Ian is the only original member of Deep Purple to have played in all of its various line-ups so far - it is now in its eighth incarnation.

Ian has also played for; Whitesnake (1980-1982), Gary Moore (1982-1986) as well as doing session work for George Harrison (1989) and Paul McCartney (1999's Run Devil Run).