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Artist
Glenn Hughes
12+ albums
hard rockclassic rockrockheavy metalDeep Purple family
about
Glenn Hughes (sometimes known as The Voice of Rock) is an English rock bassist and vocalist, best known for playing bass and performing vocals for funk rock pioneers Trapeze, the Mk. III and IV line-ups of Deep Purple, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s. Hughes has carved a distinctive vocal style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is Hughes' calling card. He's known as a singer's singer: in fact, Stevie Wonder once called Hughes his favorite white singer. Hughes, a native of Cannock, England, absorbed all kinds of influences, including early British hard rock, the Beatles and, most importantly, American soul and R&B. The sleek Motown sound from Detroit and the gritty Stax/Volt sound from Memphis left their mark on him. The first important band Hughes was a member of that achieved notable success was Trapeze, while in 1973 he joined one of the most popular bands in the world, Deep Purple. The trailblazing hard-rock legends had just weathered the departure of vocalist Ian Gillan and bass guitarist Roger Glover, but guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice continued with the addition of Hughes and David Coverdale. Any skepticism was squelched with the 1974 release of Burn. This stunning album rejuvenated the band and stands tall among Deep Purple classics. In the halcyon days, Purple headlined at the famous California Jam in 1974 in front of quarter of a million people. Worl
