Ian Gillian

I

an Gillian (the band) was formed in 1976, three years after veteran rocker Ian Gillian (born 19 August 1945 - London, UK; vocals) left Deep Purple. He would merge with Ray Fenwick (ex-Spencer Davis Group/ex-After Tea; guitar), Mike Moran (keyboard), John Gustafson (ex-Big Three/ex-Episode Six/ex-Quartermass; bass) and Mark Nauseef (ex-Elf; drums) to pursue his self-named band with Child In Time (1976), an album that secured him a UK 55; sweet revenge since his release from Deep Purple.

Colin Towns replaced the brief tenure of Mickey Dee Soule who had replaced Mike Towns and Mike Moran on keyboards for the release of several more experimental albums on the 'Island' label titled Clear Air Turbulence (1977) and Scarabus (1977). The two albums that failed to make the grade on the charts so a line-up change ensued with himself retaining only Towns and bringing in Steve Byrd (guitar), John McCoy (bass) and Pete Barnacle (drums) to release the Japan-only album Gillian - The Japanese Album (1978). It would prove to be the band's namesake for Gillian was now assumed by the band as a whole. His international debut proper was Mr. Universe (1979) with Bernie Trome (drums) and Mick Underwood (ex-Episode Six/ex-Quartermass/ex-Strapps) replacing Barnacle. The album managed 11 in the UK But Gillian managed to benefit at the turn of the decade with the arrival of the NWOBHM movement managing to attract many fans to his compatible sound and the resulting Glory Road (1980) managed a 3 UK Future Shock (1981) managed to top it's predecessor by making a 2 on the same chart but the love-affair was wearing out by the time his Double Trouble (1981) live album was released. He was pushed farther down the slide with 1982's Magic album making only 17 after which he joined Black Sabbath, then the revamped the Deep Purple line-up and closed his solo operation. Not surprisingly these relationships fell apart and after his brief collaboration with Roger Glover (of Deep Purple) resulting in the one-off album Accidentally On Purpose (1988), released only in the UK, by 1990 he was cruising the solo circuit again.