The Whitesnake Album Saved David Coverdale From $3 Million Debt

Between 1973 and 1976, David Coverdale was working with Deep Purple as their lead singer. Following his departure from the band in 1976, he focused on making solo efforts. In 1978, he founded Whitesnake as his backing band. Afterward, the band became an entity of their own and started climbing the ladder of fame.

Whitesnake enjoyed commercial success in the U.K., Europe, and Japan during their early years. The band’s albums ‘Ready An’ Willing,’ ‘Come An’ Get It,’ and ‘Saints & Sinners’ achieved chart success and reached the top ten on the U.K. Albums Chart. However, by the mid-1980s, Coverdale decided to reach out to North America.

In North America, Whitesnake wasn’t that popular. In fact, the band mainly remained unknown. Back in 1987, with the support of American label Geffen Records, Whitesnake released their self-titled album and achieved unexpected success. The album became their most successful record and sold over 8 million copies in the U.S.

As it turned out, Coverdale was on the edge of a financial crisis back in those days. However, one of Whitesnake’s albums helped him get on his feet financially and saved him from $3 million debt. Let’s learn which one of the band’s albums changed everything for Coverdale.

Which Record Freed David Coverdale From His $3 Million Debt?

When David Coverdale had plans for Whitesnake to expand to North America, he was in $3 million debt. However, when the band released their seventh album, ‘Whitesnake,’ in 1987, things started looking up for the musician.

After the release of the album, Whitesnake achieved remarkable commercial success. The album achieved critical acclaim and sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone. Besides, it peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 for ten weeks and stayed in the Top 5 more weeks than any other album.

In a past interview by Rock Candy Magazine, David Coverdale talked about ‘Whitesnake’s unexpected success and recalled those times. He said that he was prepared for this level of success because they had worked really hard on it, and it felt like a validation for them.

Moreover, Coverdale stated that in the earlier versions of Whitesnake, they took six steps forward and four steps back due to management decisions. He then said he didn’t blame them, but everything changed when he took over. According to the musician, he went from being $3 million in debt to being richer than ever.

As reported by BraveWorlds, David Coverdale told Rock Candy Magazine that:

“Was I prepared for the level of success the 1987 album had? Professionally, yes. It was such a validation of the really hard work that went into that album. It wasn’t entirely the guys’ fault in earlier versions of Whitesnake that we often took six steps forward and four back.

Management decisions were made that didn’t serve us well, and it became incredibly frustrating. But once I took over the running of the operation myself, everything changed… and to go from almost three million in debt and within three months be richer than I ever was with Purple was very reassuring.”

‘Whitesnake’s success boosted the band’s previous albums as well. Besides, it helped Whitesnake receive a nomination at the 1988 Brit Awards for Best British Group and the 1988 American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock album. Apparently, it saved Coverdale from a huge debt as well.

You can listen to the iconic record through Spotify below.