Steve Morse enjoyed a 28 year stint with Deep Purple, making him their longest serving guitarist. Morse played on eight studio albums during his time with the band, including 2021's Turning to Crime, and cemented his name as an integral part of the group’s legacy.
Morse stepped down in July 2022 to care for his late wife, Janine, who was diagnosed with cancer. However, those hoping for Morse-Deep Purple reunion anytime soon shouldn't hold their breath.
“There's a couple guys in the band that were really glad for me to be gone,” he explains in an interview with Guitar Interactive Magazine. “They were sort of heading back to their roots and wanted just to be a rock band – ‘Don't give me any of that fancy crap.’
“And when you look at me as a writer, I definitely give you that fancy crap – I can't help it. So I think the band's happier the way they are. And it would be kind of a step back for them to want to do something like that.”
However, Morse does divulge that there were plans for him to “play on something and actually do another gig,” but that didn’t end up happening.
“That was when my wife was in remission. Everybody knew it was a wild card whether I was going to be able to be around or not, but we could schedule that boat [referring to Rock Legends Cruise] thing, and we were looking forward to it.
“We were on that tour – that boat – the year before when it got cancelled from COVID. The whole band got bumped off anyway. They're happier and better off… and I think, ‘Same here.’”
In related Morse news, the virtuoso recently opened up about his struggle to prolong his gigging days amid an ongoing battle with arthritis.
