Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

United Kingdom

Birth

:

June 9, 1941 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England

Death

:

July 16, 2012 in London, England

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Vocal

 

Jon Lord was a British composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player who was born on June 9, 1941, in Leicester, England. He was the eldest son of Reginald Lord, a factory worker, and Miriam Lord, a nurse. Lord grew up in a musical family, and his father played the saxophone in a local band. Lord started playing the piano at the age of five and showed a natural talent for music. He attended Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester, where he studied music and played in the school orchestra. In 1959, Lord moved to London to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He played in various jazz and blues bands in his spare time and became interested in the Hammond organ, which he saw as a versatile instrument that could be used in a variety of musical genres. In 1964, Lord joined the band The Artwoods, which was fronted by his brother, Art. The band played a mix of blues and rock music and gained a following in the UK. In 1968, Lord co-founded the band Deep Purple, which became one of the most successful and influential rock bands of the 1970s. Lord's keyboard playing was a key element of the band's sound, and he wrote many of their most famous songs, including "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star," and "Child in Time." Lord's playing was characterized by his use of the Hammond organ's distinctive sound, which he combined with classical and jazz influences to create a unique style. In addition to his work with Deep Purple, Lord was also a prolific composer of classical music. He wrote several works for orchestra, including "Sarabande," which was inspired by the music of Bach, and "Concerto for Group and Orchestra," which was performed by Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969. Lord also wrote music for film and television, including the score for the 1974 film "The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast." In the 1980s, Lord left Deep Purple to pursue a solo career and to focus on his classical music. He wrote several works for orchestra, including "Boom of the Tingling Strings," which was commissioned by the Halle Orchestra in Manchester, and "To Notice Such Things," which was written in memory of Lord's friend and fellow musician, Sir John Mortimer. Lord also collaborated with other musicians, including the German composer and conductor Eberhard Schoener, with whom he recorded the album "Windows" in 1978. In the 1990s, Lord reunited with Deep Purple and continued to tour and record with the band until his retirement in 2002. He also continued to compose classical music and wrote several works for orchestra, including "Durham Concerto," which was commissioned by the Durham University Music Society and premiered in 2007. Lord was also involved in charity work and was a patron of the Sunflower Jam, a charity that raises money for cancer research. Lord was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011 and died on July 16, 2012, at the age of 71. He was remembered as a pioneering musician who bridged the worlds of rock and classical music and who inspired generations of musicians with his innovative keyboard playing and his compositions. Lord's legacy continues to be celebrated by fans of both rock and classical music, and his influence can be heard in the work of many contemporary musicians.

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