Don Airey
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Don Airey | |
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![]() Don Airey performing with Deep Purple in 2005 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Donald Smith Airey |
Born | Sunderland, England | 21 June 1948
Genres | Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
Instrument | Keyboards |
Years active | 1969–present |
Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English keyboardist who has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, after the retirement of Jon Lord. He has had a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Whitesnake, Saxon, Wishbone Ash, Steve Vai, Colosseum II, Ten, Sinner, Michael Schenker, Rainbow, Empire, Thin Lizzy, Brian May, Divlje jagode and Living Loud. He has also worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Early life
Inspired by his father, Norman Airey, Don Airey took a love for music at a young age and was trained in classical piano from the age of seven.[1] He continued his love for music by earning a degree at the University of Nottingham and a diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music (where he studied under Ryszard Bakst).[2]
Music career
1970s work
In 1971 he moved to London and joined Cozy Powell's band Hammer. In 1975 he joined Jon Hiseman's highly influential jazz rock band Colosseum II, along with Gary Moore, Neil Murray, Mike Starrs and later John Mole. They made three albums and also formed the core band for Andrew Lloyd Webber's album Variations, based on variations on a theme by Paganini. Don worked on several albums with solo artists and was a session musician on the 1978 Black Sabbath album Never Say Die! Soon after, he joined guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's band, Rainbow, and featured on Gary Moore's solo debut Back on the Streets. With Rainbow he contributed to two hit albums, Down to Earth and Difficult to Cure.
1980s work
After leaving Rainbow in 1981, Airey joined with Ozzy Osbourne for a three-year stint where he helped with the albums Bark at the Moon and Speak of the Devil. He also played on the Diary of a Madman Tour from 1981 to 1982 and appears on Blizzard of Ozz and was also the only witness to Randy Rhoads's death. Airey joined Jethro Tull in 1987 for their tour in support of Crest of a Knave. The same year also saw the release of Whitesnake's multi-platinum Whitesnake, on which Airey played keyboards. Soon after he quit the band to record the solo album K2 – Tales of Triumph and Tragedy. In it he plays with Gary Moore and Keith Airey – guitars, Cozy Powell – drums, Laurence Cottle – bass, Chris (Hamlet) Thompson, Colin Blunstone, Mel Galley, and Genki Hitomi – vocals.[3]
1990s onwards
In 1990, Airey recorded keyboard parts for several songs on Judas Priest's album Painkiller. However, because Judas Priest wanted the album to have a heavier sound than their previous work, it ultimately featured Airey on only one song, "A Touch of Evil". [citation needed]
In 1997 he arranged and played on "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves, conducting the accompanying orchestra at the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the contest.
In 1999 he joined Manchester-based melodic hard rock band Ten where he played keyboards on the album Babylon which was released in 2000. He also toured with the band in support of the new album.
He also worked with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson on one of Dickinson's solo albums, playing keyboards on "Darkness Be My Friend". Airey also played keyboards on At Vance's mastermind Olaf Lenk's first solo album Sunset Cruise. In 2006 Airey featured on Gary Moore's release Old New Ballads Blues contributing to all tracks.
In 2008 Airey released his second solo album, A Light in the Sky and recently it has been announced that another solo album from Airey is set to premiere in 2011.
In early 2014 Airey joined hard rock band Hollywood Monsters where he played keyboards (Hammond B3 organ) on the track "Move On" on the album "Big Trouble" which was released in 2014 on Mausoleum Records. The album features Steph Honde on vocals and guitars, Vinny Appice on drums, Tim Bogert on bass and Paul Di'Anno on lead vocals on the bonus track.[4]
On 18 January 2017 Airey was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History.[5]
Deep Purple
Airey joined Deep Purple in 2001 to fill in for an injured Jon Lord, who subsequently retired from the band. Airey joined the band as a full-time keyboardist in March 2002. He has recorded five studio albums with the band, Bananas, Rapture of the Deep, Now What?!, Infinite and Whoosh!.
Interviewed by Jeb Wright, for Classic Rock Revisited, about the album Now What?!, he said "Well, it’s Deep Purple and there is a Hammond there. There is only one way to go, really. Over the years, I have really worked on my sound, it didn’t just happen overnight. The first two, or three, years I was with the band, I was using Jon’s C3 and it was pretty knackered. I had it refurbished. It’s been put in mothballs now... I much prefer Hammond A-100’s, that’s my choice."[6]
Instruments and gear
Airey has employed many instruments and effect processors to aid him in the creation of his music and is well known for the use of his Hammond A100. In an interview with Keyboard Magazine Don Airey explained that he preferred the Hammond A-100 over other organs (including the Hammond B-3) for their "purer tone" in live settings. He also uses Leslie 122 speakers and a Hughes and Kettner Puretone amplifier. For piano sounds, Airey uses a Kurzweil PC3K8 and also uses a MOOG Voyager. He also uses several rack and pedal based units such as a Roland Fantom.[7]
Airey is also an endorsing artist for several effects companies including Neunaber Audio and TC Electronic and currently uses a Neunaber Seraphim Shimmer as well as a TC Hall of Fame Reverb and a TC Flashback Delay.[8][9]
Personal life
Airey lives with his wife, Doris, and their three children in South West Cambridgeshire. In 1992, Airey's son suffered from a serious illness, causing him to slow down his musical activity until 1995.[10] Airey is an ardent Sunderland A.F.C. fan.
He has a brother, Keith Airey, who played guitar for the reformed version of The Zombies from 2001 to 2010 and is currently lead guitarist for the London stage show Mamma Mia!
His other brother, Paul Airey, played piano for SlowBone and Rollups and currently works with Robbie Gladwell.
He is currently writing a book about his experiences in the music business.[1][needs update]
Discography
Year | Band | Title |
---|---|---|
1974 | Cozy Powell's Hammer | "Na Na Na" (single) |
1976 | Colosseum II | Strange New Flesh |
1977 | Colosseum II | Electric Savage |
1977 | Colosseum II | War Dance |
1978 | Strife | Back to Thunder |
1978 | Gary Moore | Back on the Streets |
1979 | Rainbow | Down to Earth |
1979 | Cozy Powell | Over the Top |
1980 | Rainbow | Monsters of Rock |
2015 | Rainbow | Denver 1979 |
2015 | Rainbow | Long Island 1979 |
2015 | Rainbow | Down to Earth Tour 1979 (box set) |
2016 | Rainbow | Monsters of Rock - Live at Donnington 1980 |
1980 | Michael Schenker Group | The Michael Schenker Group |
1980 | Ozzy Osbourne | Blizzard of Ozz |
1981 | Rainbow | Difficult to Cure |
2016 | Rainbow | Boston 1981 |
1986 | Rainbow | Finyl Vinyl |
1981 | Cozy Powell | Tilt |
1982 | Gary Moore | Corridors of Power |
1983 | Gary Moore | Dirty Fingers |
1983 | Gary Moore | Rockin' Every Night – Live in Japan |
1983 | Cozy Powell | Octopuss |
1983 | Ozzy Osbourne | Bark at the Moon |
1985 | Gary Moore | Run for Cover |
1988 | Don Airey | K2 |
1989 | Gary Moore | After the War |
1990 | Gary Moore | Still Got the Blues |
1997 | Quatermass II | Quatermass II: Long Road |
1998 | The Snakes | Live in Europe |
2001 | The Company of Snakes | Here They Go Again |
2001 | Empire | Hypnotica |
2002 | The Company of Snakes | Burst the Bubble |
2003 | Empire | Trading Souls |
2003 | Deep Purple | Bananas |
2003 | Living Loud | Living Loud |
2005 | Mario Fasciano, Steve Morse, Ian Paice, Don Airey | E-Thnik |
2005 | Deep Purple | Rapture of the Deep |
2005 | Living Loud | Live in Sydney 2004 (2CD/DVD) |
2006 | Gary Moore | Old New Ballads Blues |
2007 | Deep Purple | They All Came Down to Montreux (CD) / Live at Montreux 2006 (DVD) |
2007 | Deep Purple | Over Zurich (DVD) |
2008 | Don Airey | A Light in the Sky |
2008 | Michael Schenker Group | In the Midst of Beauty |
2008 | Deep Purple | Live at the NEC UK 2002 (DVD) |
2011 | Deep Purple | Live at Montreux 2011 (CD / DVD) |
2011 | Don Airey | All Out |
2011 | Michael Schenker | Temple of Rock |
2013 | Deep Purple | Now What?! |
2013 | Deep Purple | The Now What?! Live Tapes |
2014 | Deep Purple | Celebrating Jon Lord: The Rock Legend (CD / DVD) |
2014 | Deep Purple | Live in Verona (CD / DVD) |
2014 | Don Airey | Keyed Up |
2015 | Deep Purple | From the Setting Sun... (In Wacken) (CD / DVD) |
2015 | Deep Purple | ...To the Rising Sun (In Tokyo) (CD / DVD) |
2017 | Deep Purple | InFinite |
2017 | Deep Purple | The Infinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1 |
2018 | Don Airey | One of a Kind |
2019 | Deep Purple | Live in Rome 2013 |
2020 | Deep Purple | Whoosh! |
Guest appearances and sessions
- 1976 – Babe Ruth – Kid's Stuff
- 1977 – Andrew Lloyd Webber – Variations
- 1978 – Jim Rafferty – Don't Talk Back
- 1978 – Strife – Back to Thunder
- 1978 – Black Sabbath – Never Say Die!
- 1979 – Bernie Marsden – And About Time Too
- 1985 – Alaska – The Pack
- 1985 – Phenomena – Phenomena
- 1986 – Zeno – Zeno[11]
- 1987 – Thin Lizzy – Soldier of Fortune (compilation)
- 1987 – Whitesnake – Whitesnake
- 1987 – Wild Strawberries – Wild Strawberries
- 1987 – Helix – Wild in the Streets
- 1988 – Fastway – Bad Bad Girls
- 1988 – Jethro Tull – 20 Years of Jethro Tull
- 1989 – Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
- 1989 – Crossbones – Crossbones
- 1990 – Perfect Crime – Blond on Blonde
- 1990 – Jagged Edge – You Don't Love Me
- 1990 – Judas Priest – Painkiller
- 1990 – Bruce Dickinson – Tattooed Millionaire
- 1990 – Forcefield – IV – Let the Wild Run Free
- 1990 – Tigertailz – Bezerk
- 1992 – UFO – High Stakes & Dangerous Men
- 1992 – Anthem – Domestic Booty
- 1992 – Cozy Powell – The drums are back
- 1992 – Kaizoku – Kaizoku
- 1993 – Brian May – Back to the Light
- 1994 – Graham Bonnet – Here Comes the Night
- 1994 – The Kick – Tough Trip Thru Paradise
- 1994 – Katrina and the Waves – Turnaround
- 1997 – Glenn Tipton – Baptizm of Fire
- 1998 – Colin Blunstone – The Light
- 1998 – The Cage – The Cage
- 1998 – Olaf Lenk – Sunset Cruise
- 1998 – Eddie Hardin – Wind in the Willows (live)
- 1999 – Millennium – Millennium
- 2000 – Micky Moody – I Eat Them for Breakfast
- 2000 – Silver – Silver
- 2000 – Uli Jon Roth – Transcendental Sky Guitar
- 2000 – Olaf Lenk's F.O.O.D. – Fun Stuff
- 2000 – Ten – Babylon
- 2001 – Mario Fasciano – E-Thnic
- 2001 – Judas Priest – Demolition
- 2001 – Silver – Dream Machines
- 2001 – Rolf Munkes' Empire – Hypnotica
- 2002 – Metalium – Hero Nation – Chapter Three
- 2002 – Bernie Marsden – Big Boy Blue
- 2002 – Rolf Munkes' Empire – Trading Souls
- 2003 – Silver – Intruder
- 2004 – Iommi – The 1996 DEP Sessions
- 2005 – Kimberley Rew – Essex Hideaway
- 2006 – Gwyn Ashton – Prohibition
- 2006 – Glenn Tipton – Edge of the World
- 2008 – Judas Priest – Nostradamus
- 2009 – Carl Sentance – Mind Doctor
- 2011 – Saxon – Call to Arms
- 2011 – Wishbone Ash – Elegant Stealth
- 2012 – Persian Risk – Once a King
- 2012 – Various artists – Help! For Japan
- 2013 – Schubert – In Rock
- 2014 - Hollywood Monsters - Big Trouble
- 2014 - AraPacis - A Disturbing Awakening
References
- ^ a b "Wear - The Don Airey interview". BBC. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ "Deep Purple's new album is "all recorded" — Don Airey". TASS.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who’s Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
- ^ "Hollywood Monsters Signs With Mausoleum". Rock N Growl Records. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (22 December 2016). "Scorpions Among Nominees for Hall of Heavy Metal History". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "CRR Interview - Don Airey: It's Deep Purple & There's a Hammond". Classicrockrevisited.com. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ "Don Airey, Master of Heavy Metal Keyboards". Keyboardmag.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Don Airey | TC Electronic". Tcelectronic.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Don Airey". Neunaber.net. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Don Airey". Deep Purple. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ "Peace Dogman -". Peacedogman.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018.
Further reading
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Don Airey Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2014)
- 1948 births
- Living people
- People educated at Bede Grammar School for Boys
- People from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
- English rock keyboardists
- English heavy metal keyboardists
- Deep Purple members
- Eurovision Song Contest conductors
- The Ozzy Osbourne Band members
- Rainbow (rock band) members
- The Gary Moore Band members
- Anthem (band) members
- Alumni of the University of Nottingham
- Strawbs members
- Michael Schenker Group members
- Colosseum (band) members
- 21st-century conductors (music)
- Living Loud members
- Quatermass (band) members
- Ten (band) members