Whitesnake Biography first peek

Whitesnake / The Definitive Biography

UPDATE 2 • The publication date has been put back to around May 2011. I hope to be able to announce the reason for this shortly!

UPDATE • The publishers Rufus Stone are now taking orders. They have agreed a 5% discount for DTB readers and DPAS members. To get this discount you need to enter the special code into the form in the online shop on the publishers site. The code is DPAS1565. The publishers are also happy to accept payment by installment but this is not yet set up on the shop. If you want to pay this way, contact the publishers direct using the email address on the publisher’s contact page, and they will organise this with you direct.

STORY • A lavish publication which traces the history of Whitesnake and is due out Spring 2011. From the ashes of Deep Purple, David Coverdale re-emerged in 1977 first with a couple of solo albums and then fronting his own band Whitesnake. Before long Coverdale was joined by two other former Deep Purple musicians, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, and by 1979 – with the addition of Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray and Micky Moody – was starting to enjoy strong album sales and headlining tours.

Through the early eighties the group built on that foundation and had a number of hit singles. Problems within the band led to more line-up changes, until by the mid-eighties a move to America saw the group reinvented as a mega selling metal act, with the massive selling 1987, an album which set standards as far as rock production went.

1989’s Slip Of The Tongue confirmed them as one of the biggest metal acts in the world and although David Coverdale has remained the only constant throughout, the Whitesnake name is still enough to sell-out the big arenas. The Live In The Still Of The Night tour DVD issued in 2006 was one of the biggest selling rock titles of the year. Coverdale has recently signed to record a new Whitesnake album in 2011.

This 240+ page biography traces Coverdale’s early career in the Northern clubs around Redcar and Newcastle, and his fairy-tale promotion to the ranks of Deep Purple in late 1973. The formation of Whitesnake is explored, and the subsequent rise of the group in Europe and Japan. It is accompanied by a collection of rare and often unseen photographs, loads of rare memorabilia, a discography and concert list.

The original biography by Simon Robinson (which is the only detailed book on the band ever written, and is long out of print) has been totally updated and expanded by writer John Tucker, with a concert list by Nigel Young and new interviews.

publicity flyer for the book

The book is part of a new luxury range of rock books which aims to provide highly collectable editions which are both stylish and well designed, with an eye for detail and in-depth written content. 12″by12″, the hardback book is specially bound and comes inside a card slipcase, and will sit alongside your vinyl collection.

The book is available in a couple of editions. The ‘standard edition’ is £175 plus shipping. A more expensive edition in its own flight case is also planned. Signed versions (members of the group are involved in the project), a limited vinyl album, poster and other goodies will also be announced. We have been able to negotiate a discount for DPAS Members. The book will necessarily be a limited edition in this size and format.

The publishers are also offering an installment payment option. We have had the opportunity to see a pre-release mock-up and were suitably impressed by the quality of the production, which is the reason we agreed to get involved.  Because of the nature of the book it will only be available from the publishers, we are unable to stock it through our own store.

The publishers also have the more modestly priced Dio photo book on the go which can be pre-ordered from DTBmailorder