It’s not every day that you get to speak with a living legend, but that’s exactly what we did in an  interview with the one and only Glenn Hughes.

As the “Voice of Rock” and former bassist and vocalist for the iconic Deep Purple, Hughes is set to return to Australia for a series of unforgettable performances. This time, he’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Burn, one of Deep Purple‘s most influential albums, by bringing Classic Deep Purple Live to life for fans across the country.

Check Glenn’s reflections on the album, his musical legacy, and what fans can expect from this monumental tour.

SR. It’s absolutely an honor to speak with you. How are you feeling? What’s happening in your life at the moment?

GH. I feel good. I’m just about to finish the USA tour tomorrow, and then I have a day free, I fly to Australia on Monday. I’m looking forward to coming back.

SR. Now that you are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Burn, how does it feel to look back on such a landmark album?

GH. Look, it was a moment for all of us where we were at a castle writing that album, having fun, not really knowing how it was going to be received. I just knew at that time we all felt it was a strong piece of work. All these years later, reminiscing about it, playing these songs for myself and people that want to come and hear it is a very feeling to me.

SR. That’s incredible. What inspired you to embark on this anniversary tour?

GH. I may be the only one that is doing this, you know. I think Coverdale did something like this about 12 years ago, but for me to say goodbye to that era is an opportunity I just wanted to make sure was going to exist. Because I can’t keep doing this. So, it’s important for me to close the door on this particular show, which I will do in Dubai.

SR. We are really excited to see you playing in Australia. But I would like to go back to 1973 when you joined Deep Purple. What are the most vivid memories from the recording sessions of Burn?

GH. Well, again, we were we went from the castle into Montreux in Switzerland, and we made the album with the Rolling Stones mobile unit. And it was a fun trip because we were so, so, you know, I wouldn’t call Deep Purple a family kind of band. There was some, you know, it wasn’t really a, it was not really a family. It sounded like it was, but it wasn’t. But we had fun making that album.

SR. Really interesting. What did you learn from that album? Is there anything?

GH. I learned how to play simpler. The music in Deep Purple was straight down the middle classic, you know. My influences were different, coming from an R&B angle. But for me it was more straight ahead.

SR. That was going to be one of my questions. What were your influences at that time?

GH. My influence has always been R&B from a very, very early age. From when I was 14 years old, I found out about Tumblr Motown and Detroit, and later on I became friends with Stevie Wonder. So, for me, my heritage, my legacy has always been R&B.

SR. How do you believe Burn has influenced the rock genre over the past 50 years?

GH. Well, I hear it all the time, how an important album is to a lot of my friends, you know, famous colleagues, you know, that really love the album. You know, each song is something special to them. I am so close to the album as a writer and singer that it’s difficult for me to comment.

SR. Do you have any favourite track from that album that you’re particularly excited to perform?

GH. I love “Burn”, of course, you know, and “Say the Way”. I love those two songs. I like singing “Mistreated”. I think it’s a great song.

“…the first time I played this particular show was in Australia in 2017. So, it started for me in Australia…”

SR. Now that you’ve got more experience as a musician, has your approach to perform those songs changed over the years?

GH. No, I’ve always enjoyed playing those songs. There was a time when I wasn’t playing them. Listen, the first time I played this particular show was in Australia in 2017. So, it started for me in Australia and it will pretty much end in Australia for me.

SR. Well, it’s full circle. That’s beautiful.

GH. Sure, it is.

SR. I was born in 1976, so I always got that feeling that I missed that train. So, I don’t know, it’s like, how were like the 70s and 80s? Was it that wild or that’s something that the media has created over the years?

GH. No, because if you ask your father about the 70s, because it was jeans and t-shirt, you know, no lasers, no nothing simple. And it was real. It was very, very raw and very, very real. And that has never happened since the 70s. I’m not saying it’s been bad, it’s just different.

SR. Yeah, that’s different for sure. I’ve seen you several times with different projects and it’s been always a show full of energy, like really, really vibrant. How do you do it? How do you keep your motivation?

GH. I get a lot in the moment on stage. I am very much a live performer and live singer, so for me I like to experiment with my voice and I like to do things that I like. Look, I like to take risks, you know, I think and I think the audience appreciates that.

SR. So what can we expect from the tour in terms of set-list and production?

GH. Setlist is going to be what it’s been for the last few months. I know what I’m going to be playing. I know how I’m going to do it.

For me, it’s a show. It’s a big show of these particular songs. I’m in character, if you will, to do this. I’ve chosen to go back to the 70s and kind of recreate that, you know, that look and the sound. So it’s an interesting moment.

SR. You are a talented musician capable to navigate between different genres without any problem. When you’re writing new music, how do you do it? Do you just write and then you use it? It depends when or to just focus on the project you are working on?

GH. I have to be careful because as much as I love R&B music, I have made a name for myself as a hard rock musician and vocalist, as you know. So, for me, when I’m writing a piece of music, I’m saying to myself, well, this may be too light, this may be too groovy, this is too heavy. So, I have to be as a producer I have to be very easy to stay on course to know what I’m gonna do. So, I do like to use certain chords like minor nines and major sevens they’re in all of my songs and if they’re played with you know, it’s a plate really hard those two colors can sound great Okay.

SR. I remember the first time that I heard “Burn”. I loved the way your voice and David’s worked together. That was absolutely beautiful. And something that I love about you is that you don’t have any problem sharing the stage, singing with more singers. Is there anybody that you that you want sing with that you haven’t done already?

GH. Oh god, that’s a good question my friend. Right now I can’t think of, I know I like certain singers you know, but I’m friends with a lot of famous singers, but for me and I do really enjoy singing with other people, you know, I think you should know that.

But for me, I’m out here alone in this world of Glenn Hughes, you know, doing what I do. And yeah, it would be great to sing these songs to David, you know, but he’s not able to do it. I think he may have done his last show. I don’t know. I’d love to do these. I’d love to sing with David these songs, but unfortunately it won’t happen…It’s going to be great for Australians, I promise them this.

“…it would be great to sing these songs to David, you know, but he’s not able to do it….”

SR. Apart of celebrating this 50th anniversary, are you working on something else?

GH. The album, I just made an album in June in Copenhagen, it’s coming in March. So next year will be a new Glenn album. I’m looking forward to releasing it.

SR. And coming back to Australia to play it?

GH. I hope so. I really do.

SR I’m sure you get a lot of questions about Deep Purple, especially now that you’re celebrating Deep Purple’s 50th anniversary and you are also playing the songs, but do you think that affects the way you are writing new music or you can distance yourself from Deep Purple when you are writing new music?

GH. I absolutely distance myself. When you hear my new album… I completely distance myself from Deep Purple with my music. If you have music, you can go to any Glenn Hughes album and it doesn’t sound like any deep Purple album.

SR. Lastly, any message for the Australian fans?

GH. I was there in 2017. I had the most amazing audiences. They were so great, and they were so loud and so friendly. I’m looking forward to doing the same all over again next week when I come back. I can’t wait to see all my fans and friends in Australia.

 GLENN HUGHES Australian Tour Dates