Steve Morse Says Some Deep Purple Members Were “Really Glad” When He Left the Band
Photo by Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Reflecting on a Possible Return
Former Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has spoken openly about his departure from the band and why a return now seems unlikely. In a new interview with Guitar Interactive magazine, Morse was asked whether he would consider rejoining Deep Purple for a one-off performance or something more permanent if the band reached out.
His response was measured but honest. “I think if the band felt differently, I would feel differently,” Morse said. “But I think that there’s a couple of guys in the band that were really glad for me to be gone, because they were sort of heading back to their roots and wanted just to be a rock band, and ‘don’t give me any of that fancy crap.’”
Morse added that his own writing style did not always match where the band wanted to go. “When you look at me as a writer, I definitely give you that fancy crap. I can’t help it. [Laughs] So I think the band’s happier the way they are, and it would be kind of a step back for them to wanna do something like that… Anyway, they’re happier and better off. And I think same here.”
Leaving the Band in 2022
In July 2022, Morse officially left Deep Purple in order to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He was replaced by guitarist Simon McBride. The announcement came several months after Morse first said he would step away temporarily, hoping to return once his wife’s health improved.
At the time, Morse had already been dealing with the physical and mental strain of long tours. His exit marked the end of a long chapter, as he had joined the band in 1994 and remained a core member for nearly three decades.
During an April 2024 interview with Pete Pardo of Sea Of Tranquility, Morse was asked whether it might have been time to leave the band regardless of his family situation. His answer showed careful reflection. “Well, that’s a really impossible question to know the answer to,” he said.
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A Better Musical Fit Elsewhere
Morse explained that distance had given him a clearer view of his place as a musician. “I think when you’re close to a situation, you don’t see it the same as when you’re away from the situation,” he said. Looking back, he felt his musical strengths were better matched with his other projects. “As I’ve been away for actually now a couple of years, I can see that my, I guess, natural inclination and talent and drawbacks and everything just fit the instrumental — well, the stuff I do with FLYING COLORS, [THE DIXIE] DREGS and STEVE MORSE BAND.”
He noted that these projects felt more natural. “It’s an easy fit, that’s what I’m saying,” he said. Still, Morse made clear that he had not planned to leave Deep Purple under normal circumstances. “However, I don’t think think I would have just quit because I thought we were going to go a little more, maybe one more album project and tour and be done.”
Morse said he wanted to finish his time with the band properly and hoped to remain involved in future events tied to the group’s wider history.
Touring Fatigue and Changing Priorities
Morse also spoke about the physical toll of touring. “I was always the guy that said, ‘This is a really long tour. There’s a point where tour fatigue comes in. We could make shorter legs.’ And nobody wanted to hear that, especially not management,” he said.
From his perspective, the band’s priorities had shifted. Deep Purple continued to tour heavily, while Morse felt his own limits more strongly. Even so, he expressed respect for the group’s current direction. “But I think they’re exactly where they wanna be. And they’re a great rock and roll band and will continue to make great music.”
When Pardo remarked that it felt strange not seeing Deep Purple with Morse, the guitarist reflected on the impact of his long run with the band. “Well, because the band decided to go everywhere they hadn’t been, as well as continue to play the places they had been, we met a lot of young people along the way that had never seen the band,” he said.
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Looking Back Without Regret
Morse said he was glad to have helped bring the band to new audiences at a time when access to live performances was limited. “But I guess with the Internet, now that that in itself does that job. But back then there wasn’t the instantaneous super access to full shows.”
In a May 2023 interview with the Beaver County Times, Morse was even more direct about his exit. “I quit PURPLE because the tours were too long and we had a health emergency in my family with my wife having Stage 4 cancer,” he said. “I told those guys ‘I can’t do this’ and they were upset for like three to four seconds and then moved on.”
He added, “That’s life, I and I wish them well and they’re doing great.”
A Long Legacy and a New Chapter
Morse had taken over Ritchie Blackmore’s role in 1994 and ultimately stayed with Deep Purple longer than Blackmore himself. During that time, he wrote and recorded eight studio albums with the band, including 2021’s covers collection Turning To Crime.
His replacement, Simon McBride, was already familiar with members of Deep Purple, having previously toured with singer Ian Gillan and keyboardist Don Airey. In an October 2022 interview with Andrew Daly of Vinyl Writer Music, McBride recalled how unexpected the call was.
“Well, there was talk of me stepping in for Steve temporarily towards the end of 2021, but I never really thought much of it,” McBride said. “But it just got to the stage where Steve decided enough was enough, and he needed to look after his wife.”
Watch full interview below:
