New Deep Purple guitarist Simon McBride recently joined a conversation with VWMusic and revealed that Gary Moore and Steve Lukather are his two big inspirations.
Simon McBride is one of the names whose passion for guitar started at a very early age when he was just nine years old. At the age of 16, McBride initially made an impression on the public when he joined Sweet Savage. He then spent six years with Andrew Strong. In the following period, he shared the stage with notable names such as Joe Satriani and Jeff Beck.
The recent turning point in McBride’s career, who has been playing the guitar for many years and has proven his playing skills in different genres with many names, is undoubtedly Deep Purple’s offer to replace Steve Morse. They toured together this summer, and Deep Purple announced that McBride would become a permanent member on September 16.
While his career with Deep Purple was just the beginning, the 43-year-old guitarist participated in an interview with VWMusic and looked back on his prolific music career. He also talked about the influence of many other musicians on his guitar playing, from the metal tones of Mötley Crüe to Michael Bolton and Richard Marx.
However, McBride revealed that Gary Moore and Steve Lukather were the two most important names that influenced and shaped his approach to the guitar. He stated that their playing styles have always impressed him, and he found his original tune by replicating their tones and giving it a new form.
Here is what McBride said about his musical inspirations:
“I grew up in the ’80s, so Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani; all those guys were big for me early on. And even the hair metal stuff like Mötley Crüe also influenced me because I grew up listening to it. Even the cheesy stuff like Michael Bolton and Richard Marx; I loved all that stuff because they had such great musicians on the records playing these amazing parts.
But if I were to narrow it down to two significant influences guitar-wise, I would say it’s probably Gary Moore and Steve Lukather who are my two biggest influences. I’ve always been drawn to what they play, and I would try to replicate it and then make it my own in some shape or form.”
McBride wrote his name to the music scene as the fourth permanent guitarist of Deep Purple after Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, and Steve Morse. The musician will continue to tour with the band at different destinations in Europe and the UK throughout October.
