David Coverdale (born 22 September 1951) is an English rock singer most famous for his work with Whitesnake, the commercially successful hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from late 1973 to 15 March 1976, when he resigned from the band and established his solo career. A collaboration album with Jimmy Page, released in 1993, was a commercial and critical success.