Whitesnake and Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale says that he went from the brink of financial ruin to being “richer than I ever was in Deep Purple,” in the space of three months when Whitesnake’s 1987 release Whitesnake took the US charts by storm.

Coverdale recently spoke at length with Rock Candy Magazine editor Howard Johnson, telling the personal stories behind some of the most revealing photos of his almost-50-year career. Commenting on a shot of Whitesnake at the 1987 MTV Music Awards, Coverdale said…

“It was a ridiculous time for around about three years when MTV became this global monster. I’d go into a hotel room and 8 times out of 10 the TV would be showing MTV. And 9 times out of 10 it was playing the video for ‘Still Of The Night’, ‘Is This Love’ or ‘Here I Go Again’.”

“Was I prepared for the level of success the 1987 album had? Professionally, yes. It was such a validation of the really hard work that went into that album. It wasn’t entirely the guys’ fault in earlier versions of Whitesnake that we often took six steps forward and four back. Management decisions were made that didn’t serve us well and it became incredibly frustrating. But once I took over the running of the operation myself everything changed… and to go from almost three million in debt and within three months be richer than I ever was with Purple was very reassuring.”

Coverdale, of course, was one of the most famous faces in ’80s music after starring alongside his soon-to-be-wife Tawny Kitaen in those memorable Whitesnake videos. But he admits that the level of fame he experienced at that time was hard to handle.

“I wasn’t prepared for that at all,” he says. “I was with Tawny in LA and we couldn’t go anywhere. If we stopped at a red light on Sunset we’d be chased by the paparazzi like something out of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. It was whack. That was the primary reason why I moved out of LA to Lake Tahoe to live in a village of 5,000 people.”

Coverdale is still performing today as the leader of Whitesnake, of course. He’s no longer with Kitaen, following a 1991 divorce, but has since remarried. And the 67-year-old is perfectly happy to say that the days when he was one half of Hollywood’s most in-demand showbiz couple are long behind him now.

“I’m still Mr. Saturday Night on tour even now,” he laughs. “But at home I’m just a husband and a dad.”

Read the whole of this revealing article, and many more fascinating features, in Issue 11 of Rock Candy Mag, available in shops worldwide or online at this location.

Whitesnake has announced their first shows of the 2019 Flesh & Blood World Tour, which will feature songs from the new studio record to be released on Frontiers in May 2019 entitled Flesh & Blood alongside their biggest hits and songs from one of the greatest back catalogues in rock ‘n’ roll history spanning over 40 years.

The first single and video from the new record entitled “Shut Up & Kiss Me” will be released worldwide in 2019 prior to the Flesh & Blood World Tour.

Bombast, bravado, talent and passion have helped establish Whitesnake as the perennial platinum favourite they have become and they’re back with a vengeance in 2019. The world-renowned group featuring David Coverdale (vocals), Reb Beach (guitar), Joel Hoekstra (guitar), Michael Devin (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums) and Michele Luppi (keys) have just finished recording their 13th studio record.

"We are truly excited and looking forward to playing across the globe in 2019 on what will be a continued celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Whitesnake," says frontman David Coverdale.

"I am so honoured and grateful to have toured this incredible world we share, for over 40 years, celebrating and enjoying unforgettable moments with millions of people… All of whom have joined me on this amazing journey… I truly love the shared experience and simply love my job and always will… Over four decades of reptilian fun! Thank YOU!"

2019 Whitesnake Concert Dates:

April
12 - Newkirk, OK
13 - Durant, OK
15 - Dallas, TX
17 - San Antonio, TX
19 - Biloxi, MS
20 - Atlanta, GA
22 - Orlando, FL
23 - Clearwater, FL
25 - Hollywood, FL
26 - Melbourne, FL
28 - Charlotte, NC
29 - Huber Heights, OH

May
1 - Richmond, VA
2 - Bensalem, PA
5 - Jim Thorpe, PA
7 - Sayreville, NJ
8 - Huntington, NY
10 - Hampton Beach, NH
11 - Lincoln, RI
14 - Greensburg, PA
15 - Cleveland, OH
17 - Niagara Falls, NY
18 - Verona, NY

June
14 - Donington Park, UK
17 - Prague, Czech Republic
19 - Milan, Italy
20 - Zurich, Switzerland
23 - Dessel, Belgium
25 - Budapest, Hungary
29 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

July
5 - Sered, Slovakia

More dates to follow. Limited VIP packages will be available as part of the Whitesnake pre-sale event, book your tickets and exclusive VIP package at Whitesnake.com.