The True Masterminds Behind David Coverdale’s Vision For Whitesnake

After quitting Deep Purple around ’78, David Coverdale formed a new band that entered the commercial rock world with their costumes, sync, and sounds. Whitesnake was founded in 1978, and with Coverdale’s talent and band’s energy, they developed success in the UK, Europe, and Japan. They released 13 studio albums that mostly made it to the top 10 on the charts.

They went through several splits and reunions and are still active in 2022. In 1981, Whitesnake released their fourth album, ‘Come and Get It,’ which was very successful and gave the band their highest UK chart position, debuting at number two. The band went to Portugal to record their fifth album the same year. That is when some tensions, financial issues, and struggles began to start.

What Was Dragging Whitesnake Down?

The band members started to complain about where the money they earned went because they constantly struggled financially. The band was always in debt, and the guitarist Moody quit the band, not being able to take the struggles. The members also blamed the band’s management for not keeping money on hold. Hence, they decided to fire manager John Coletta.

The band’s plan to fire Coletta didn’t work. Instead, Whitesnake went on a hiatus. Coverdale also needed a break because his daughter was sick. Her illness also gave him the courage to fire his manager and rebuild the band again. Coverdale’s fan and an A&R executive, John Kalodner, convinced Asylum Records owner David Geffen to sign them.

What Were The Masterminds Of Whitesnake’s Future?

After going through a stressful period with the finances, quitting band members, and managers dragging the band down, David Coverdale desired to bring his group back to life. His conversation with Kalodner and Geffen gave him a vision for Whitesnake and how to make a decent profit with their talents.

While Coverdale always lived by the rule of spending and enjoying the money at the moment, Geffen told him that he should be patient instead and let it grow. He made him understand the idea of investment and made their financial problems decrease.

Here is how Coverdale owed their success to Geffen:

“I’d been surrounded by a mentality if you make five pounds profit let’s go to the pub. Whereas David Geffen said to me, ‘If you can make five dollars profit, why not 50? If 50, why not 500? Why not 50,000, why not five million?'”

After this discussion, the band started their tour across Europe and Japan. Coverdale started to switch up their music and focus more on hard rock instead of blues. The band also had new member additions like Mel Galley and Cozy Powell, and their past experiences with Trapeze and Rainbow contributed to the band’s hard rock sound.