Tuesday’s Gone: Deep Purple Wears Neil Diamond’s “Kentucky Woman” Well (1968)

Most people forget that Deep Purple had a chapter before Ian Gillan stepped in as lead singer. That role belonged to Rod Evans—who, legend has it, is still alive today, though he hasn’t been photographed or publicly spotted in decades. But that mystery’s a story for another time.

For Tuesday’s Gone, we dip back into the Evans era with Deep Purple’s take on Neil Diamond’s “Kentucky Woman”—a track that feels part Austin Powers, part Happy Together Tour. Not long after, Purple would fully lean into hard rock, but these formative years—anchored by the hit “Hush”—already revealed a band brimming with promise and muscular musicianship. The volume wasn’t cranked to “loudest band in the world” levels yet, but the foundation was clearly there.