Genres: Eighties Metal

Ex-Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale formed Whitesnake in 1977 as an outlet for his creative drive. He had been told after leaving Deep Purple that nobody was interested in hard rock anymore, as the atmosphere of the late 70’s in England was overrun with punk rock wannabes. The band released the songs “Fool For Your Lovin’” and they became a hit in Europe and Japan. The band seemed to always be going through lineup changes, however, and it wouldn’t stabilize until 1984. Coverdale had taken some time off to help care for his daughter who was ill, and by 1984 he managed to put together a new band with new material and a new attitude. The released Slide It In, which had a newer, more energetic sound than previous releases. The band now reflected the signs of the times, and they enjoyed a ride on the massive hair-metal wave throughout the rest of the 80’s. In 1987, they released the self-titled Whitesnake, which was their biggest selling album. It produced the hits “Still of the Night,” and “Here I Go Again.” The album would go multi-platinum in the United States, Europe and Japan. Whitesnake’s follow-up album featuring guitar god Steve Vai was somewhat of a disappointment, however, and rumors of the band breaking up were rampant. Coverdale also had been suffering from a sinus infection that endangered his singing career, and rumors of throat cancer abound. Since the Whitesnake follow-up album Slip of the Tongue, no new material has been released. Whitesnake has been on hiatus since 1990, and there are no plans in the future for a reunion.