- Born
- Died
- Tommy Bolin is notable for replacing Joe Walsh in The James Gang, and later taking over from Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple. Bolin's earliest recordings are on albums by Zephyr; he also guested on Billy Cobham's jazz album Spectrum. James Gang Bang is considered by some Bolin aficionados to be a much underrated piece and the songs "Mystery" and "Alexis" are moving; "Must Be Love" reached the US Top 40.
The James Gang's next release with Bolin was Miami. Two solo albums Teaser and Private Eyes received some critical acclaim, and "Wild Dogs" and "Post Toastee" were also reasonably well-received. Bolin joined Deep Purple for the album Come Taste The Band. He died from an overdose in 1976.
- IMDb mini biography by: Rocky
- First member of Deep Purple to die.
- Played with the "Mark 4" version of Deep Purple from June 1975 to March 1976.
- Debuted publicly with the band in November 1975 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Played his final show with Deep Purple on March 15, 1976 show at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, England.
- Just before a Deep Purple concert, Tommy Bolin's right arm was numb after the guitarist had fallen asleep on it. With no other choice, the rest of the band had to cover for Bolin during the concert as he was unable to play.
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