1978–1986 Following the release and promotion of his debut solo album
White Snake in 1977, vocalist
David Coverdale formed the band of the same name the following February, with the original lineup including guitarists
Micky Moody and
Bernie Marsden, bassist
Neil Murray, drummer
Dave "Duck" Dowle and touring keyboardist Brian Johnston. After their first few shows, the group replaced Johnston with
Peter Solley (although he was still credited as a "special guest", rather than a full member) and recorded their debut EP
Snakebite. By August, Solley had also been replaced by
Jon Lord, Coverdale's former bandmate in
Deep Purple, in time for the recording of their debut album
Trouble. After ''
Ready an' Willing and Come an' Get It'', Whitesnake were placed on hiatus by Coverdale in early 1982, during which time Marsden, Murray and Paice all left the band for other projects. Coverdale reformed the group in October 1982, with Moody and Lord joined by new members guitarist
Mel Galley, bassist
Colin Hodgkinson and drummer
Cozy Powell. Both new members featured on the US reissue of the album, which featured re-recorded tracks. A few dates into the subsequent tour, Galley broke his arm and was forced to leave the band, who completed the shows as a five-piece. Lord also left in April, to rejoin his former bandmates in reforming Deep Purple. Whitesnake subsequently continued performing as a four-piece, adding Richard Bailey as a touring keyboardist throughout the rest of the year. After two
Rock in Rio performances in January 1985, Powell also left to form
Emerson, Lake & Powell. A few months later, the band started recording their
self-titled album with new drummer
Aynsley Dunbar and session keyboardist
Don Airey.
1987–1997 After it was completed the previous year,
Whitesnake was released in 1987. Shortly before its release, Coverdale put together an all-new lineup which included former
Dio guitarist
Vivian Campbell, former
Vandenberg guitarist
Adrian Vandenberg, and former
Ozzy Osbourne bassist and drummer
Rudy Sarzo and
Tommy Aldridge. He was replaced the next April by
Steve Vai, formerly of
David Lee Roth's solo band. Vai performed all guitars on the group's next album
Slip of the Tongue, after Vandenberg suffered a wrist injury that prevented him from playing. For the album's touring cycle, Rick Seratte joined on live keyboards and vocals. At the end of the tour in late September 1990, Coverdale chose to disband Whitesnake. In 1994, Coverdale reunited Whitesnake following the breakup of
Coverdale–Page, touring between June and October 1994, in promotion of the
Greatest Hits album. The band's lineup included returning members Vandenberg and Sarzo, in addition to
Ratt guitarist
Warren DeMartini, former Coverdale–Page drummer
Denny Carmassi, and keyboardist
Paul Mirkovich. At the end of the tour, the band's deal with
Geffen Records expired and they disbanded again. The album was initially intended to be released as Coverdale's solo album, however due to pressure from his new label
EMI Records, it was released as a Whitesnake album. The tour, which ran from September to December 1997, featured Vandenberg and Carmassi, plus guitarist Steve Farris, bassist
Tony Franklin and keyboardist Derek Hilland. In April 2005, Mendoza left to pursue "other musical avenues", with
Uriah Duffy taking his place the following month. In December 2007, it was also announced that Aldridge had departed, with
Chris Frazier having replaced him, to record drums for
Good to Be Bad, Whitesnake's first studio album since 1997. Both Frazier and Duffy had left by June 2010, with
Brian Tichy and Michael Devin taking their places, respectively. Drury left to pursue a solo career in September, with his place taken on the
Forevermore touring cycle by Brian Ruedy. After two years of touring, Tichy left in January 2013 and was replaced by Aldridge a few weeks later. Aldrich later left in May 2014, citing a desire to start a solo career. Aldrich's place in the band was taken by
Night Ranger guitarist
Joel Hoekstra in August 2014. The following year saw the release of
The Purple Album, a collection of recordings of tracks from Coverdale's time in
Deep Purple. Shortly after the album's release,
Michele Luppi was enlisted as Whitesnake's new keyboardist.
Flesh & Blood followed in 2019. In July 2021, Whitesnake recruited
Dino Jelusick for their 2022 farewell tour, turning Whitesnake into a
septet for the first time. Later that November, Michael Devin parted ways with the band. He was replaced by Tanya O'Callaghan. In 2025, Coverdale announced his retirement, effectively disbanding Whitesnake. ==Members==