“There’s no point trying to compete withSteve Morse or Ritchie Blackmore… One of the things that the guys in the band like about me as a player is I do my own thing”: How Simon McBride brought new color to Deep Purple's iconic sound

Simon McBride of Deep Purple plays his PRS singlecut onstage.

Simon McBride is living the dream. “When I was growing up,” he says, “there were three giants – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. If you’d said to a 13-year-old version of me that one day I’d be in Deep Purple, I’d have laughed.” But 30 years later, that’s exactly where the Irish guitarist has ended up.

“I’m honoured and privileged,” he smiles, “because every guitarist under the sun has a dream goal to be in a legendary rock band, and here I am doing it. I’m loving every minute of it. And to have my name attached to such a legacy is amazing.”