David Coverdale is an icon of British hard rock, having fronted the band Deep Purple for several years during the 1970s before forming his own platinum-certified act, Whitesnake, in 1978. He was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England, on September 22, 1951, and raised by a family of artists. After singing with several local bands and attending art college for a handful of semesters, he joined Deep Purple's lineup in 1973, replacing previous frontman Ian Gillan. Burn, the band's first album featuring Coverdale's vocals, reached number 9 in the US and number 3 in the UK, eventually going gold in both countries. Stormbringer followed in 1974 and also went gold in the US. Coverdale left the band after the release of 1975's Come Taste the Band and released a bluesy solo album, White Snake, two years later. Northwinds followed in 1978 and was moderately successful in the UK, where it reached number 78. Later that year, Coverdale formed the band Whitesnake and released Trouble. Although Trouble only reached number 50 in the UK, Whitesnake proved to be a popular global act during the 1980s, releasing six consecutive Top 10 albums in the UK and cracking the Top 40 in America with 1984's Slide It In. The self-titled Whitesnake from 1987 was even more successful, earning a Number 1 single on the Billboard 200 with the power ballad "Here I Go Again." The follow-up single "Is This Love" reached Number 2 in America, as did the album itself. Whitesnake sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and established Coverdale as one of the era's most popular singers. After releasing 1989's Slip of the Tongue, Coverdale took a break from the band and partnered with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page on the 1993 album Coverdale–Page, which went platinum in the US and featured the single "Pride and Joy," which reached Number 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. He reformed Whitesnake the following year and continued touring with the band for decades, releasing new albums like 2011's Forevermore and 2019's Flesh & Blood along the way.
