Did Steve Morse 'Sell Out' by joining Deep Purple?

Just watching the Deep Purple In Concert (2017) Show.

I'm not a huge fan of Steve's or the new Purple..but can't help thinking he gave up a respectable career (along with Don Airey) to just end up playing in a covers band.

Surely it must have been a hard decision but perhaps he was at that stage where he was happy to give up his goals and dreams.

Incidentally, this isn't a veiled rant about the current Purple or how Morse/Airey are not the real Purple. It is a genuine enquiry. Not knowing much about the Dixie Dregs or Morse solo. I don't think he is too good for Purple but think he gave a lot up for this gig, as he had a lot of options and potential.
So, interested in your opinions.

Afterall...its now 20 years

 

"Selling out." What a quaint notion.

 

Gee whiz, I always looked at replacing Blackmore and Lord as Deep Purple selling out.
(obligatory old geezer post, sorry)

 

A covers band?????

I'm not a purple fan but even I know they have half a dozen albums of original material with Morse on board.

And he must be doing a good job...cause you never hear Purple fans moaning about lack of a Blackmore.

 

Join a high profile band like Deep Purple and get your name out there more. More people aware of who you are and spike interest in your solo albums and other projects. Increase awareness of your guitar playing to larger audiences. Get paid handsomely and tour the world with a A-list band.

Yeah, big mistake Steve Morse.

 

I wish more cover bands had singers and instrumentalists the caliber of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice.

 

Did Rod Morgenstein sell out by joining Winger?

 

I have tickets for the dregs reunion show in my area next year. It's selling very well. I wonder how many attendees have never heard the dregs but are going because they heard morse with purple. I wasn't sure what the original post meant about him being too good for purple. Is it a reference to his musicianship, which is amazing, or being good for the group as a whole?

 

I don't see the situation as Morse "selling out". The band selected him/offered him the job and he took it. Did Steve have a bigger payday? Maybe, but hey, I'm sure he has a family to support too.

I understand that some don't like the band without Richie. As far as I am concerned, the band were dying with Richie, and Steve brought new life into the band. Purpendicular is a really good album, with the Live At The Olympia set a perfect companion.

 

The "sell out" thing was kinda how I felt when Steve joined Kansas way back in the 80's. But I imagine he went up several tax brackets in terms of his earnings, so who could blame him?

I'm a big fan of Steve's work with the Dixie Dregs and The Steve Morse Band, but if one of the goals of a musician is to earn a comfortable living, and to play to as many people as possible, then joining Purple was a no-brainer. And as @Musician95616 already stated, it increases his profile, so that when he does do his own thing, way more people are aware of it. It's hard to fault him for that.

Though I haven't really followed Purple's career post-Blackmore, fans seem to really enjoy the albums they've made over the past 15-20 years, so it appears that both he, and the band, made a good decision. Still, I'm way more excited about the Dregs doing some reunion shows next year than I am about seeing Deep Purple at this point in time.

 

To clarify, I said that I didn't think he was 'too good for Purple' but he seemed to have his own career and was a high profile, award winning, guitarist.

Maybe, Joe Satriani understood what his role would be in the band and what he was expected to give up and that's why he passed?

 

Playing in a band v. flying commercial aircraft for a living...
I'm glad he's behind his stringed instruments.

 

Thank you. That's exactly what I thought, that people want to see the Dregs reunion as that's more interesting..at least to a U.S. audience. Different matter for U.K. fans, I suspect.

 

Steve Morse has been Deep Purple's guitarist for a longer period of time than all of their other guitarists put together.

 

how long are people gonna beat this dead argument enough already lord and blackmore are long gone in the band get over it

 

How do you know what Steve's "goals and dreams" are that you assume he gave them up?

And how do you define a "respectable career"? Steve doing what you want? Any career where you do what you love and get paid for it is a "respectable career", IMO.

 

Didn't he exit around 45 years ago? They've had to time to get adjusted.

That thought occurred to me as well, when first viewing this topic. Then the next though was that being a member of Kansas couldn't have been that lucrative a gig since around 1978.

To answer the query, yeah probably. Like others have said, he had to earn a living. So no faulting him for keeping active. Loved Industry Standard, but there wasn't much future for The Dregs after it.

 

Well, Richie left in 75...and again in 93

 

I really don't care what Steve does or doesn't do. But he seemed to be doing ok with his own band and had a high enough profile as a guitar player's guitarist.

Watching the concert, it seemed to me, that Purple have a guy who is clearly competent, maybe exceptional..but did they need such a high profile guy just to play Blackmore by numbers?
Same goes for Airey. He's workmanlike and competent at mimicking Lord, but thats all it is...an impersonation.

As for his goals and dreams...I'd guess Steve wanted his own band to be world famous on their own merits, just like anyone else...but that didnt happen. Perhaps you're right, a respectable career is just getting paid.

 

Selling out is a myth for teenagers

 

Ha ha...we have one of those in the office.

 

Of course not. Tommy Bolin would make a better case, IMHO.

 

Why?

 

Bolin joined Purple in the glory days (and probably saw it as a climb up the ladder) and he was very unprofessional about his time with Deep Purple.
Morse rebuilt the band, probably saved them from slaughtering their legacy with a revolving door approach (ie. YES). Morse kept it professional/creative for more than 20+ years.

I watched the same concert, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Very proud of this band/lineup.

 

Well, Bolin had his own career and special dispensation to promote it with Purple. Teaser and CTTB came out the same week.

Not sure its the same. Completely different times, but theres an obvious similarity. Both were American guitarists in an English band. Though I suspect Bolin had a much tougher time of it...especially with the UK fans.

Not sure Morse single handedly saved Purple..but he kept them going as a valid outfit. Probably more to do with the other band members determination not to succumb to Blackmore's kamikaze attitude. Morse and Airey certainly seem to be 'yes men' playing 'note for note'.