Mickey Lee Soule | |
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Also known as | Michael William Soule |
Born | Cortland, New York, U.S. | June 6, 1946
Instruments |
Mickey Lee Soule (June 6, 1946 in Cortland, New York) is an American musician. He was the keyboard player for New York hard rock band Elf and a founding member of Rainbow. [1]
Soule had a band in the mid-1960s until he was drafted into the army. After his honorable discharge he joined The Elves after the band's original keyboardist, Doug Thaler, was severely injured in a car accident that killed guitarist Nick Pantas. In the first years of the 1970s, The Elves (after 1972 known simply as Elf) enjoyed minor success as a consistent opening act for Deep Purple. That connection to Deep Purple opened up the opportunity for Soule (and vocalist Ronnie James Dio) to participate in Roger Glover's 1974 concept album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast . In addition to co-writing credits on two songs, Soule also sang the lead vocals on the song "No Solution". Soule and Glover would work together sporadically in the years following.
In early 1975, Soule and the rest of Elf (minus guitarist Steve Edwards) transformed into Rainbow, featuring Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. During this time the third and final Elf album, Trying to Burn the Sun , was recorded when the former Elf were not in the studio recording Rainbow's debut album. Elf had effectively dissolved by the time that album was released as the members hoped to continue with Blackmore. However, following the recording of the Rainbow album, Blackmore gradually fired the entire line up with the exception of Dio before Rainbow had begun to tour.
In 1976 Soule toured France with the Ian Gillan Band. [2]
Soule continues to play locally in New York. In 1996, Mickey Lee Soule started working as a keyboard tech for Deep Purple's Jon Lord, [3] later he became bass tech for Roger Glover until he retired from touring in 2014. [4] He began working for Roger Glover and Deep Purple again in 2016. [5]
With Elf
With Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
With Ian Gillan Band
Other
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". Listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, they have sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Rainbow are a British-American rock band formed in London and Los Angeles in 1975 by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Established in the aftermath of Blackmore's first departure from Deep Purple, they originally featured four members of the band Elf, including their singer Ronnie James Dio, but after their self-titled debut album, Blackmore fired these members, except Dio, recruiting drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey. This line-up recorded the band's second album Rising (1976), while Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) saw Bob Daisley and David Stone replace Bain and Carey, respectively. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll was also the last album with Dio before he left the band to join Black Sabbath in 1979.
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is the debut studio album by American/British rock band Rainbow, released in 1975.
Roger David Glover is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2016.
Elf was an American rock band founded in 1967 by singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein. The band was originally called the Electric Elves, but was shortened to the Elves in 1968 and finally Elf in 1972. Elf disbanded in 1975 after recording three albums and after most of the lineup had been absorbed into the newly formed Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.
John Gary Driscoll was an American R&B-style rock drummer who performed in a number of successful bands from the 1960s until his unsolved murder.
The Ian Gillan Band were an English progressive jazz-rock band formed by singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple in 1975. Their sound is a departure from the heavy metal of Deep Purple by featuring a progressive jazz fusion sound, more similar to bands such as Brand X.
Gillan's Inn is the fourth solo album by Ian Gillan in celebration of his 40 years as a singer. The first release was a DualDisc composed of both a CD and a DVD side. The CD featured re-recorded tracks from all eras of Ian Gillan's singing career. In a recent interview Gillan observed that, despite the number of participants and guest appearances, this was the easiest project he ever put together.
Elf is the first studio album by Ronnie James Dio's blues rock band called Elf. Produced by Ian Paice and Roger Glover of Deep Purple, the record was released in 1972.
Richard Hugh Blackmore is an English guitarist. He was a founding member and the lead guitarist of Deep Purple, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar riffs and has been known for playing both classically influenced and blues-based solos.
Ian Gillan is an English singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice.
The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast is a concept album and subsequent live rock opera written by Roger Glover. It appeared in 1974 and 1975 respectively, and was based on the children's poem of a similar title. The album cover design is from Alan Aldridge's design for a 1973 book based on the poem.
"Space Truckin'" is a song by English hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the seventh and final track on the Machine Head album and its lyrics talk of space travel.
Purple Records was a record label established in 1971 by Deep Purple's management. Their releases were distributed by EMI and now by Universal Music Group after the EMI acquisition. The label was run until 1979. Until 1974 the label was used for Deep Purple releases, band members' solo work and releases by other artists signed to the label. From 1974 a decision was made to release only Deep Purple and members' solo work on the imprint and a subsidiary label, Oyster, was established for other work. In 1997 Simon Robinson, from RPM Records, established a second label, releasing rare and previously unissued recordings. Although Universal continues to use the original logo, Robinson designed a new logo for his label.
Live in Paris 1975 is a live album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, recorded in 1975 at the Palais des Sports in Paris. It was meant to be released before the 1975 Come Taste the Band album, but was not released until 2001 by Purple Records.
John Frederick "Johnny" Gustafson was an English bass guitar player and singer, who had a lengthy recording and live performance career. During his career, he was a member of the bands The Big Three, The Merseybeats, Quatermass, Roxy Music, The Pirates and Ian Gillan Band.
Craig M. Gruber was an American rock bassist, best known as the original bassist in Rainbow. He also played in Elf, consisting of vocalist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarist David Feinstein.
"Love Is All" is a 1974 pop song, credited to Roger Glover & Guests in the credits, but in reality sung by American heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio. It was featured on Glover's solo album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast and the single – released in the UK on 8 November 1974 – was a number one-hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It also reached number 10 in Australia. The song was notable for its music video, which featured an animated cartoon starring a lute-playing frog.