The Lord of the Hammond is Dead.
Yes, Jon Lord, Deep Purple's legendary keyboard player, "suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism today, Monday 16th July at the London Clinic, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer."
Jon Lord was one of the driving forces behind the success of British supergroup Deep Purple. He co-wrote many of the band's hits, including the seminal "Smoke on the Water." Although he played with other bands (Whitesnake) and musicians, he will always be remembered for his days with Deep Purple.
To rock and roll fans, he was the 'master of the keys' who in his heyday made his presence felt with his legendary 'duets and duels' with Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple's guitar god and legend on many of their hits, wherein their instruments competed for attention and dominance -- riff by riff, keyboard versus guitar, Hammond and Stratocaster that made their music click and unique.
Jon Lord made the keyboard a major part, if not the centerpiece of the relevant Deep Purple songs. Jon Lord can speak with you, play with you and travel with you to parts unknown with the sound coming from his keyboard. Yes, he can tell a story with the tips of his fingers and help you explore the hidden universe with the power of his music. Who can forget the intense and explosive playing that he did in Child in Time or the fast and furious waves on Highway Star or the soaring, hard-driven riffs on Burn?
I have been a life-long Deep Purple fan ever since I bought their Machine Head album in the early 80s, and I now own every single album and record of the band. And just like many rock music fans, I lament the fact that Deep Purple is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but the likes of Madonna and other rap stars are in. It is really a shame that one of the pioneers of hard rock, an influence on many of today's best rock groups (including Hall of Famers Metallica (2009) and Aerosmith (2001)), and considered to be among the best musicians in rock and roll history, is being snubbed by the people in Cleveland, Ohio for whatever strange reasons that they have against the band.
But with or without the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enshrinement, Deep Purple and Jon Lord's legacy is secure. Their music will live in the hearts and minds of true rock and roll fans. As long as there are people who love quality rock music, rock and roll will never die and Deep Purple and in essence Jon Lord's music will live forever.
It was really unfortunate that I have not seen Jon Lord play live since he retired from touring with the band in 2002. I have been to two Deep Purple concerts since 2008 with Jon Lord's very talented and very capable replacement, Don Airey, but still, his performance of the classic Deep Purple hits was not the same and will never be the same.
Jon Lord's death is not the end but only the beginning of another chapter in his musical journey. His website says it best, "Jon passes from Darkness to Light."
Goodbye and Goodnight, Mr. Jon Lord.
photo credit: Jon Lord The Official Website
Note: This article was previously published on Yahoo! Voices
