About Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician who is the drummer and an original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He remains the only member of Deep Purple who has served in every line-up since the band's inception in 1968, as well as having played on every album and at every live appearance. He is considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple in 2016. Deep Purple were broken up for eight years from 1976 to 1984, during which time Paice was a member of two bands that also involved other Deep Purple members, Paice Ashton Lord (also featuring Jon Lord) during 1976–1978, and Whitesnake (also featuring Jon Lord and David Coverdale) during 1979–1982. He was then Gary Moore's drummer from 1982 until Deep Purple's reformation in 1984. He has also played drums as a touring and/or session musician for other artists, including the Velvet Underground, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney. The first band he was in was called Georgie & the Rave-Ons, which after being renamed the Shindigs released their first single featuring the 17-year-old Paice and George Adams. Given that Deep Purple's first choice as drummer, Bobby Woodman, had expressed dislike for the band's musical direction, the group hastily arranged an audition for Paice, with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore leading the charge.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.