The Jailbirds Release Rendition of Deep Purple’s Highway Star, One of The First Covers They Ever Learned

Returning to their roots, Mississauga rock n roll 4 piece The Jailbirds have just released a rockin new rendition of the classic Deep Purple song Highway Star.  Tackling the soaring vocals of Ian Gillan, the iconic guitar of Richie Blackmore and the incredibly crunchy organs of Jon Lord featured on Highway Star is no small feat, and The Jailbirds did an incredible job of adding their own modern flair and sound to the classic. They say that Highway Star was one of, if not the first cover song they learned as a band when starting The Jailbirds, I think taking on such an epic track right from the bat says a lot about the ambitions that this group has held from the start!

“It had everything a band needed to be able to do, packed into one song. The solos, the rhythms, the vocals, it’s all there, and it’s all on 11. It is quite a tough song to play, and we saw it as a challenge for ourselves. It has become the staple song we always cover live when time allows for it!”

A fun fact about Highway Star, did you know it was born on a tour bus in 1971 when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs? To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing a riff consisting of a single “G” repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. The song was refined and was performed that same night! Just like Deep Purple, The Jailbirds didn’t mess around when it came to putting their rendition out.

“We recorded all the guitars, solos and bass parts within a take or two. Practice makes perfect, kids! Then we just had to add the organ parts when Hayden joined the band, because they’re just too badass to not include.

We wanted our guitar, bass, and vocal tones on this track to make it our own, purposely altering some parts and putting them through our filters, creating a cover version that is authentic to us as a band.”

And that they did, creating a track that hits you with nostalgia while giving you a fresh feeling of new music at the same time, paying homage to the original while adding their own flair. If you haven’t already, click above to check out The Jailbirds awesome new take on the 70s hard rock classic Highway Star!