In a new interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility, Steve Morse said he probably wouldn’t leave Deep Purple if things weren’t like this.
The guitarist realized his musical style went better with other projects he later worked on. But he didn’t plan to quit Deep Purple right away:
“However, I don’t think I would have just quit because I thought we were going to go a little more, maybe one more album project and tour and be done. So I wanted to finish with the band. That was my mantra. And I thought by being part of the band for so long that I’d be able to, and welcome to be part of things, future events involving Deep Purple, whether they be a celebration of all the little splinter groups that were associated with Deep Purple — you know, family tree kind of thing.”
Morse Thinks He Is In A Better Place Musically
He shared he wasn’t glad that he departed from the band:
“So, yeah, I wasn’t saying, ‘No, I’m glad I’m out of here.’ But the situation happened the way it did, and having stepped back, I think I’m in a better place musically that fits me. And I think Simon [McBride], he’s fitting them better than I was, as far as… They’re churning out gigs. And I was always the guy that said, ‘This is a really long tour. There’s a point where tour fatigue comes in. We could make shorter legs. ‘And nobody wanted to hear that, especially not management.”
The Reason Behind Steve’s Departure
Morse decided to leave Deep Purple in 2022 due to his wife, Janine’s cancer treatment. He previously took a temporary hiatus from live shows but later permanently quit. Simon McBride replaced him as Deep Purple’s new guitarist. In his statement, Morse told the following to Deep Purple fans about his departure:
“I’ve already played my last show with Purple in Florida on the Rock Legends Cruise. I wish to thank the listeners who so strongly supported live music and turned every performance from a dress rehearsal to a thundering, exciting experience. I’ll miss everybody in the band and crew, but being Janine’s helper and advocate has made a real difference at many key points.”
The musician moved on to solo projects and reformed his Steve Morse Band. His first project after leaving Deep Purple was Joe Satriani’s G4 experience. It took place in Las Vegas and saw Steve give a masterclass and a concert.
You can watch the rest of his interview below.
