Gillan

Distinguished from both the Ian Gillan Band and Ian Gillan’s solo projects, the ensemble called Gillan served as an outlet for the ex-Deep Purple vocalist to explore straightforward hard rock rather than the progressive explorations of his prior group or the smoother solo work he would release in the 1990s. In 1978 the singer formed the first lineup by enlisting guitarist Steve Byrd, bassist John McCoy, keyboardist Colin Towns formerly of the Ian Gillan Band, and drummer Pete Barnacle. This configuration lasted only a short time, issuing a self-titled album available solely in Japan before breaking apart. Bernie Torme took Byrd’s place on guitar and Mick Underwood replaced Barnacle behind the drums, resulting in the 1979 album Mr. Universe that became an unexpected hit in the U.K. Additional releases followed with Glory Road in 1980 and, in 1981, both Future Shock and Double Trouble, the latter containing one live disc alongside a set of new studio recordings. Janick Gers, later Iron Maiden’s guitarist, succeeded Torme in 1981 and appeared on the final Gillan studio album, Magic, released in 1982 shortly before Ian Gillan joined Black Sabbath. After his 1990 solo effort Naked Thunder, Ian Gillan revived the Gillan name with guitarist Steve Morris for the 1991 album Toolbox, yet the more refined approach diverged from the earlier band’s lean and gritty hard rock style. Live albums and unreleased material continued to surface through the 1990s while the vocalist concentrated again on solo recordings.