In 1980, Evans was approached by a management company that specialized in the unscrupulous and frequently legally actionable practice of reforming groups with a minimum of original members, often in violation of trademark and contractual law. They offered him a chance to sing again under the Deep Purple name and he accepted. According to
Nick Simper, the original Deep Purple bassist, Evans asked him to join the "new" Deep Purple, but Simper refused. Evans himself claimed in September 1980 that his former Deep Purple bandmates
Jon Lord and
Ian Paice had also been contacted to participate, but both were uninterested. This "bogus Deep Purple", comprising no former Deep Purple members apart from Evans, played a number of shows in Canada, Mexico and the US. The band performed renditions of songs from Evans' own tenure in the band, which Deep Purple biographer Dave Thompson described as "reasonable", while also playing selected songs from the Gillan and
Coverdale eras. These songs were described as "horrendous" and confirmed the "bogus Deep Purple's...complete lack of legitimate credentials". Several shows ended in what was described as "rioting", with chairs being thrown onto the stage at a gig in Toronto on August 12, 1980. The band had also talked of releasing an album of new material under the "Deep Purple" name, with 6 tracks being recorded in Los Angeles; this angered Jon Lord, who described such a possibility as "the worst lie". A registered company, Deep Purple Overseas Ltd., had been registered with
Companies House in the UK 9 years prior in 1971 to safeguard the "Deep Purple" name from unwarranted exploitation. Members of the management team for the then-disbanded genuine Deep Purple,
John Coletta and Tony Edwards, successfully sued and were awarded $672,000 in damages. As a result, Evans stopped receiving royalties from the Mark I Deep Purple albums and singles. ==Later life==