David Coverdale defends Whitesnake's 'ever-revolving door'

Whitesnake founder and frontman David Coverdale has defended the legendary hard rock act’s ‘ever-revolving door’ of band members.

Since their inception in 1978, there have been more than 30 members of Whitesnake, with leader David Coverdale the band’s sole constant member.

Speaking to Planet Rock’s Wyatt last month to accept the first ever Rocks Honours Award, David Coverdale said it was never his intention to have so many members of Whitesnake – in fact, he used to laugh at Rainbow’s ever-changing line-up.

When Wyatt mentioned that possibly only Ann and Nancy Wilson in Heart and late-great Yes legend Chris Squire have been through more band members, David replied: “Ah yeah, the ever-revolving door!

“In the early days with the band, we were really sniggering when Rainbow (members) would be flying left right and centre. That was never really the plan. But the circumstances… I do have a clear vision of where I want to go. I invite people in who I feel can help take Whitesnake further, can indeed help them grow more (and) hopefully learn from me, I can learn from them, a mutual exchange.

“But some birds tend to s--- in their own nest. I’d rather encourage them to spread the wings and fly. So, I'm not interested in soap operas, I'm not interested in dramas. There's enough to deal with in a band and enough to deal with on the road, and I've got amazing guys (right now); mature guys who are superb musicians - live and in the studio - and great singers too.”

Wyatt added that despite the “mythology” around David that he may be “difficult” to work with, all former members of Whitesnake he’s spoken to, including Doug Aldrich and Bernie Marsden, have been lovely about him.

“This is interesting,” David said. “For such a challenging reputation at times, the amount of people who… when people hear that there's a vacancy in Whitesnake, you'd be surprised who volunteers their work.”

Praising the current incarnation of Whitesnake, David continued: “We treat people like human beings. It's a band. You've got Joel (Hoekstra) who is just an extraordinary (player) - as I call him ‘the incendiary Joel Hoekstra’. You’ve got screaming fury rock of Reb Beach, Michael Devin’s kicking ass, Michele Luppi has decorated his apartment like the Whitesnake ‘87 album, I mean ‘come on!’ and then he gets the gig. He’s great. He’s a vocal coach, so he gives us all vocal warm-ups before the shows and stuff. And, of course, (the band is) driven by the inimitable, ageless Tommy Aldridge.

“Standing in front of these guys when they're in full flight is an extraordinarily inspiring and motivating experience.”

For the first time since Planet Rock's The Rocks ceremony, you can watch Wyatt’s full 28-minute interview with David Coverdale below.

David also discusses the “messy time” he had leaving Deep Purple in 1976, why Glenn Hughes never joined Whitesnake like Jon Lord and Ian Paice, the untimely death of Tawny Kitaen, his working relationship with Adrian Vandenberg and Jimmy Page, and why he’s 100% definitely retiring after Whitesnake’s final tour.

Watch David Coverdale's full Planet Rock interview:

Planet Rock Premium:

Planet Rock Premium is our new subscription service. Listen live with no ad breaks, skip up to 6 tracks per hour and access exclusive on-demand music, shows and specials. Start your 30 day free trial. Find out more here.

The Rocks 2021 full winners list:

Listen to Planet Rock on DAB nationwide, on our free app, online, via your smart speaker (“Play Planet Rock”) and on Freesat.

• whitesnake
• david coverdale