I have played guitar in Taste of Purple for many years now and enjoyed being part of the band and playing all the gigs we have, in all kinds of places!     However after much consideration, I feel my time in the band has come to an end.     Deep Purple’s great songs allowed me to express myself and grow as a guitarist.     I was never going to be a guitar player who would copy Richie Blackmore’s every solo note for note, he never played them the same twice anyway and there is only one Blackmore!     I do hope though that I did the songs justice with my own style and ideas.     I played how I felt on the night, this hopefully keeping each performance individual and exciting.     However, I did keep to certain parts which obviously should not be touched (i.e. Highway Star!).     I know there are an awful lot of tribute bands around nowadays, but I think you’d be hard pushed to find one as great as Taste Of Purple.

One of the reasons for my decision is that I always wanted my time in Taste Of Purple to end on a high and due to the ever changing tribute scene, I think this is the best time for me.     With us recently having played two great gigs (2 of the best in my opinion) I think this is what I want to remember it for.     I wish Taste of Purple all the best in the future and look forward to seeing them perform again, this time as a fan, rather than a member.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who gave their time to come out and support the band; and Kelly and Rose-Faith for their love and support as always with all my musical adventures!

Keep on Moving!

Paul