Hi Nick Simper, For many years I Have been a great fan of The Sixties Music and when you joined Johnny Kidd & The Pirates since 1966 as the wonderful bass player with the famous hit's includes Send For That Girl-The Fool on HMV POP 1559 and two years later when you joined Deep Purple in 1968. Thank you Nick for doing a great job as the famous bass player from Johnny Kidd & The Pirates to Deep Purple. Keep up the great work Nick. Terry Christie, A Fabulous Fifties & The Swinging Sixties Music from Sunderland,Tyne & Wear.

Nick,i’m Looking for an old friend Adrian Connery,used to stay with me in Norway.Can you help.

G’day Nick, Awesome post re the first gig in Denmark etc. thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Thanks & Regards, Simon

Dear Nick We are the current owners of Deeves Hall (having moved here in March) and I am getting an extract of your book (chapter 18!!) framed for my husband’s birthday. It will hopefully go on the wall in what I suspect you used as the music room...! I was wondering if there was any possibility at all of getting a signature on the text before I get it framed? It’s such an important bit of the house’s history that we’d love to commemorate the band here. You should have my email address above. With very best wishes from the Spendlove family

In response to Smudge Smith's guestbook post below: Scott Yangtse replaced Bobby Woodman on drums with CHAS MCDEVITT & SHIRLEY DOUGLAS in 1959. Scott Yangtse was a young upstart with shades, who liked to pretend he was a junkie. He only lasted one week - and that was touch and go. The piano player Roy Powell threatened to punch his head in if he didn't stop behaving like some spoilt brat... and he took to his heels (vanished). Yangtse was replaced on drums by Tommy Brown. Woodman and Brown were both noteworthy drummers in musician's circles in 1960's British music industry (Woodman was involved in the group that would become Deep Purple; Brown did a lot of work alongside Mick Jones before Jones broke through with Foreigner), so Yangtse can say that he both replaced and was replaced by notable drummers. Shirley Douglas is dead now, but Chas McDevitt is still around, perhaps he can tell you a bit more about Yangtse, although considering that Yangtse was only with him for a week, and that was 60 years ago, there's probably not a lot more he can add to the above. If the webmaster would pass along my email address to Smudge, I'd like to correspond with him. I'll also tell him where I got the above information. Just to add something about Nick Simper, I think Simper is the best bassist Deep Purple EVER had, and for the R&R Hall of Fame to arbitrarily exclude him from induction is absolutely inexcusable! Simper and Doogie White toured Brazil not too long ago -- wish he'd do something like that for the USA!

Hey. Born in '63, I fell for the band Deep Purple, like many. After all those years, all those abums and so many many spinoff bands, i must admit that 3 albums kept me goin' : one of them is Slipstreaming. (The others are Glenn Hughes' Play me out' and Tommy Bolin's 'Teaser'.) "I can play as well as you but the chances got you through". A legacy in one phrase. Just remember that your music got me through. If ever you bring out that album on vinyl again,... let me know. It's a masterpiece.

Hello Mr Simper. I have recently seen the Jim Marshall documentary of which you are featured. Being a classic rock fan and a Purple fan your name didnt sound familiar to me so I researched the internet amd YouTube. All I can say is YOU can PLAY the hell out of a BASS. You are a seasoned melodic and fluid player. Purple didnt know what they had in you. I am a big fan of yours and now know your story. Best wishes to you Sir keep playing

Artworks of Nick Simper to see and to buy in our exhibition www.deeppurple-artandhistory.com

Hi Nick Was looking through Brighton’s Evening Argus from November 64. It advertises the Whitehall in East Grinstead. The date guy after is Saturday 21 November when Buddy Britten was supported by the Musksteers