Don Airey

Don Airey
Don Airey performing with Deep Purple in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Donald Airey
Born	(1950-06-21) 21 June 1950 Sunderland, England
Genres	Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Keyboards, organ, synthesizer, vocals
Years active	1971–present

Donald (Don) Airey (born 21 June 1950 in Sunderland, England) has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, succeeding Jon Lord. He has had a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Whitesnake, Colosseum II, Sinner, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Rainbow, Ten, Divlje jagode and Living Loud. He has also worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Early life

Inspired by his father, Norman Airey, Don Airey took a love for music at a young age and was trained in classical piano from the age of seven. He continued his love for music by earning a degree at the University of Nottingham and a diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Music career

1970s work

In 1971 he moved to London and joined Cozy Powell's band Hammer. Don worked on several albums with solo artists and was a session musician on the 1978 Black Sabbath album Never Say Die! Soon after, he joined guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's band, Rainbow, and featured on Gary Moore's solo debut Back on the Streets. With Rainbow he contributed to two hit albums, Down to Earth and Difficult to Cure. He was also part of the very influential jazz rock band Colosseum II with Jon Hiseman, Gary Moore and John Mole which also formed the core band that recorded Andrew Lloyd Webber's variations on a theme of Paganini, simply called Variations.

1980s work

After leaving Rainbow in 1981, Airey joined with Ozzy Osbourne for a three year stint where he helped with the albums Bark at the Moon and Speak of the Devil. He did play on the Diary of a Madman Tour from 1981–82 and appears on Blizzard of Ozz. Airey joined Jethro Tull in 1987 for their tour in support of Crest of a Knave. The same year also saw the release of Whitesnake's multi-platinum Whitesnake, on which Airey played keyboards. (The album is known as 1987 in Europe). Soon after he quit the band to record the solo album K2 - Tales of Triumph and Tragedy. In it he plays with Gary Moore, Keith Airey - guitars, Cozy Powell - drums, Laurence Cottle - bass, Chris (Hamlet) Thompson, Colin Blunstone, Mel Galley, Genki Hitomi - vocals.

1990s onwards

Airey performing with Deep Purple, 2008

In 1990 Don Airey played keyboards on Judas Priest's Painkiller Album. Originally Airey played on all Painkiller tracks but they were cut out to make the album more brutal-like.

In 1997 he arranged and played on "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina And The Waves, conducting the accompanying orchestra at The Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the contest.

In 1999 he joined Manchester-based melodic hard rock band Ten where he played keyboards on the album Babylon which was released in 2000. He also toured with the band in support of the new album.

He also worked with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson on one of Dickinson's solo albums, playing keyboards on "Darkness Be My Friend". Airey also played keyboards on At Vance's mastermind Olaf Lenk's first solo album Sunset Cruise. In 2006 Airey featured on Gary Moore's release Old New Ballads Blues contributing to all tracks.

In 2008 Airey released his second solo album, A Light In The Sky and recently it has been announced that another solo album from Airey is set to premiere in 2011.

Deep Purple

Airey went in semi-retirement until 2001, when he joined Deep Purple to fill in for an injured Jon Lord, who subsequently retired from the band. Airey joined the band as a full time keyboardist in March 2002. He has recorded two studio albums with the band, Bananas and Rapture of the Deep.

Personal life

Airey lives with his wife, Doris, and their three children in South West Cambridgeshire. The first half of the 1990s saw Airey's son suffer from a serious illness, so his musical activity was largely on hiatus during this time.

He has a brother, Keith Airey, who played guitar for the reformed version of The Zombies from 2001 to 2010.

He also has another brother, Paul Airey, who played piano for SlowBone and Rollups. He works with Robbie Gladwell at the moment.

He is currently writing a book about his experiences in the music business.

Discography

• 1974 – Cozy Powell – "Na Na Na" (single)
• 1976 – Babe Ruth – Kid's Stuff
• 1976 – Colosseum II – Strange New Flesh
• 1977 – Colosseum II – Electric Savage
• 1977 – Colosseum II – War Dance
• 1977 – Andrew Lloyd Webber – Variations
• 1978 – Jim Rafferty – Don't Talk Back
• 1978 – Strife – Back to Thunder
• 1978 – Black Sabbath – Never Say Die!
• 1979 – Gary Moore – Back on the Streets
• 1979 – Rainbow – Down to Earth
• 1979 – Cozy Powell – Over the Top
• 1980 - Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz
• 1980 – Michael Schenker Group – The Michael Schenker Group
• 1980 – Bernie Marsden – And About Time Too
• 1981 – Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman
• 1981 – Cozy Powell – Tilt
• 1981 – Rainbow – Difficult to Cure
• 1981 – Rainbow – Finyl Vinyl (compilation album – 1986)
• 1982 - Gary Moore - Corridors of Power
• 1983 – Gary Moore – Dirty Fingers
• 1983 – Gary Moore – Rockin' Every Night - Live in Japan
• 1983 – Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
• 1985 – Alaska – The Pack
• 1985 – Phenomena – Phenomena
• 1985 – Gary Moore – Run For Cover
• 1986 – Zeno – Zeno,
• 1987 – Thin Lizzy – Soldier of Fortune (compilation)
• 1987 – Whitesnake – Whitesnake
• 1987 – Wild Strawberries – Wild Strawberries
• 1987 - Helix - Wild in the Streets
• 1988 – Fastway – Bad Bad Girls
• 1988 – Jethro Tull – 20 Years of Jethro Tull
• 1989 – Don Airey – K2
• 1989 – Gary Moore – After the War
• 1989 – Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
• 1989 – Crossbones – Crossbones
• 1990 – Perfect Crime – Blond on Blonde
• 1990 – Jagged Edge – You Don't Love Me
• 1990 – Judas Priest – Painkiller
• 1990 – Bruce Dickinson – Tattooed Millionaire
• 1990 – Forcefield – IV – Let the Wild Run Free
• 1990 – Gary Moore – Still Got the Blues
• 1990 – Tigertailz – Bezerk
• 1992 – Cozy Powell – Let the Wild Run Free
• 1992 – UFO – High Stakes & Dangerous Men
• 1992 – Anthem – Domestic Booty
• 1992 – Kaizoku – Kaizoku
• 1993 – Brian May – Back to the Light
• 1994 – Graham Bonnet – Here Comes the Night
• 1994 – The Kick – Tough Trip Thru Paradise
• 1994 – Katrina and the Waves – Turnaround
• 1997 – Quatarmass II – Long Road
• 1997 – Glenn Tipton – Baptizm of Fire
• 1998 – Colin Blunstone – The Light
• 1998 – The Cage – The Cage
• 1998 – Olaf Lenk – Sunset Cruise
• 1998 – Eddie Hardin – Wind in the Willows (live)
• 1998 – The Snakes – Live in Europe
• 1999 – Millennium – Millennium
• 2000 – Micky Moody – I Eat Them for Breakfast
• 2000 – Silver – Silver
• 2000 – Uli Jon Roth – Transcendental Sky Guitar
• 2000 – Olaf Lenk's F.O.O.D. – Fun Stuff
• 2000 – Ten – Babylon
• 2002 – Company of Snakes – Burst The Bubble
• 2001 – Mario Fasciano – E-Thnic
• 2001 – Judas Priest – Demolition
• 2001 – Silver – Dream Machines
• 2001 – Rolf Munkes' Empire – Hypnotica
• 2001 – Company of Snakes – Here They Go Again
• 2002 – Metalium – Hero Nation – Chapter Three
• 2002 – Bernie Marsden – Big Boy Blue
• 2002 – Rolf Munkes' Empire – Trading Souls
• 2003 – Deep Purple – Bananas
• 2003 – Living Loud – Living Loud
• 2003 – Silver – Intruder
• 2005 – Kimberley Rew – Essex Hideaway
• 2005 – Deep Purple – Rapture of the Deep
• 2006 - Gwyn Ashton - Prohibition
• 2006 – Gary Moore – Old New Ballads Blues
• 2006 - Glenn Tipton - Edge of the World
• 2008 – Don Airey – A Light In The Sky
• 2008 – Judas Priest – Nostradamus
• 2011 – Saxon – Call to Arms
• 2011 - Wishbone Ash - Elegant Stealth
• 2011 – Don Airey – All Out
• 2012 – Deep Purple's new album

External links

• Official website