The group were finally selected for inclusion in the Rock Hall last month, with the nod given to Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes and Jon Lord.

Simper tells TeamRock's Malcolm Dome: "The first I knew about the Hall Of Fame induction was when I read about it and fans were complaining that I wasn't being inducted.

"Maybe I am being naive, but I always thought that if a band gets into the Hall Of Fame then all members, past and present, are part of it. Obviously not.

"Yes, it is a little strange that I am only only one from Marks I, II and III being left out, but I shan't lose any sleep over this. It's not as if I need to be given this award to know what we did in Deep Purple made an impact. And I'm sure it wasn't a decision that came from the band." Read more - here.

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