Mt Rushmore and Deep Purple

Don't you think these granite sculptures simply look majestic? The Mt Rushmore national memorial in Dakota, USA, was carved to celebrate the 150 years of the history of the United States.


From left to right, the former US presidents featured are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

I learnt of Mt Rushmore in school. At that time, photos were still in black and white, so it was difficult to envision the grandeur of the monument. But I knew of its significance and its magnificence.

Then came Deep Purple. One of their seminal albums was called Deep Purple in Rock.

I loved that album - from the intro bars of Speed King (with its manic laughter) to the end of Hard Lovin' Man. And in between, one of Deep Purple's most famous songs, Child In Time, with its amazing crescendos.

And the first thing that fans saw was the cover, like this:


It was a depiction of the five musicians on Mt Rushmore. What could fans say? What could I say? You either loved the cover or you loved the songs. To me, they were both breath-taking!

In case you can't recognise the members of Deep Purple here, they are, from left to right, Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover and Ian Paice.