Farewells: Jon Lord and Bob Babbitt

Lord played keyboard for Deep Purple and co-wrote some of their best-known songs, including "Smoke on the Water." He was 71. He died of a pulmonary embolism; he'd been suffering from pancreatic cancer. Babbitt was the bassist in the legendary Motown studio band the Funk Brothers. He died in hospice in Nashville. He was 74.

Comments

[Papoon]

RIP Jon Lord. "Made In Japan" remains one of the greatest live albums ever, and his keyboard work was key to their sound.

[Reacher]

Pictures of Home off of the Machine Head album is some the best rock keyboard work you will find. Classic.

[Vandelay]

Babbitt was amazing. "Midnight Train to Georgia" has the one of the slickest bass lines ever.

[wadkc]

While Machine Head is one of my all time favorite discs, Jon Lord was a big part of it. "Lazy" to me was a perfect example of what made it so good. Every song on it a classic and all interesting.

[Corky]

Folks, sorry to show my ignorance here. But, did he play a B3 organ?

Always sad to hear of anyone passing, & this gent was a killer player.

I saw a Deep Purple reunion tour a few years back. Municipal? Kemper?

Took a former Brother in law. Had fun!

We were knocked out watching this band firing on all cylinders.

Seems like Jon was wearing aviator-type sunglasses, rocking that massive old keyboard up on edge as he played it. Heavy item, so I'm told. Collector piece right, the B3?

Pretty sure it was the original line-up. Am I correct, panel?

Anyway. RIP, Jon Lord.

Thanks for the music brother!

Corky

[40wnks]

Yes, at least with Deep Purple, he played a Hammond B3. Google it.

[Stormin' Norman]

Steve Morse plays guitar for DP nowadays.....

[Bubba]

Yeah, I sort of figured that it was just a matter of time before JON LORD would depart. So glad that I got to see him before he retired with DEEP PURPLE at Sandstone with SKYNYRD and TED NUGENT as opener in 2001. If you want to hear some of LORD'S early work, check out some pre-PURPLE bands that he was in, like EPISODE SIX and the ARTWOODS. Rest In Peace, Jon. You will be missed but more than that your work will always be an inspiration to future keyboard and organ players.

[913KCKKID]

The house band up in heaven just got a huge upgrade. God bless and Rest in Peace Jon and Bob. Thanks for the grooves. Thanks for the memories!

[pellboy]

Sad news as this sort of puts the final nail in Deep Purple. Not that it probably matters all that much, but it would have been nice for him to see himself and band get inducted into the HOF as their exclusion is by far the biggest travesty of them all concerning that place. The perfect mix of prog and hard rock/metal, they set the standard for that type of sound and produced what is arguably the greatest, most copied riff in rock history.

And Babbitt was amazing. Glad the Funk Brothers finally got their due a few years ago with the release of the Standing In The Shadows of Motown concert/doc.

RIP Jon and Bob.

[Geordan]

Was just listening to MACHINE HEAD a week or so ago. I found it and a couple of other Classic Rock gems in the bargain bin at Walmart. Hey, you take your pleasures where you can find them. Sad to hear about Jon Lord and Bob Babbit.

[MetalHEAD]

We are all getting so old Folks....losing a great one every week now it seems.

[LAZY]

RIP JON LORD...
THE ROCKINGEST ORGAN PLAYER OF ALL TIME

[The Truth]

It amazes me how criminally underrated Deep Purple (and Jon Lord) are. Perhaps this is the burden of having a major(ish) classic rock hit - no one knows them for anything else. If you listen to much DP, you know that's not their best track. That honor might belong to "Speed King" or "Child in Time" or several others. Why they aren't revered by the public and considered to be in the upper echelon of classic rock/metal acts (Sabbath, Zep, etc...) is beyond me. R.I.P., Jon Lord.

[pellboy]

Totally agree, Truth. A band that even beyond the original lineup, still made some badass records (Burn, Come Taste The Band come to mind) with stellar replacements, young studs like David Coverdale and Tommy Bolin. Sadly, Lord was one of the constants and with him passes one of the greatest yet underappreciated bands in rock.

[Stormin' Norman]

Don Airey has been playing keyboards for DP for about the last ten years....they are HUGE worldwide and pretty much always have been. With guitarists like Blackmore,Bolin and now Morse- how couldn't they be? Lord was a wonderful member who did his own thing- and it fit in perfectly .....

[pellboy]

Didn't realize Lord had been away that long. Come to think of it, did see Airey playing on a DP TV concert that I saw. That dude has played with EVERYBODY!

Who's the vocalist, is it Gillan still? I know he was on that concert and also part of that "Rapture of the Deep" album from a few years back and I liked what I heard from that record. Can't scream quite like he used to but still the perfect vocalist for their stuff. Still kick myself that I passed on a chance to see his solo band for just $15 at the Voodoo Lounge several years ago. Wonder why Deep Purple never comes around here anymore? I recall a Perfect Strangers tour, but surely they played here after that, just don't recall.

[Stormin' Norman]

Yes,Gillan is still the vocalist and believe or not I was front row for that solo gig at Harrah's...he was very cool and even signed autographs at the edge of the stage after the show...

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