David Coverdale Would Welcome Whitesnake Rock Hall Induction

With David Coverdale currently gearing up for a Whitesnake farewell tour, the focus has turned to the band's impact over the years. And in a new chat with QFM96's Torg & Elliott radio show, the musician has revealed that he would welcome entry for his band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should it ever come.

The Rock Hall had their first induction class in 1986, well after the start of the rock 'n' roll era, which has led to a lot of catch up honoring deserving inductees. That said, there's been an outcry from fans of heavier music over the reluctance to salute some of the harder acts over the years. Metal acts, in particular, often seem to be left out, which has also led to some hard feelings toward the Rock Hall by some.

But when talking about the possibility of one day going in for Whitesnake, Coverdale was receptive to the idea. The singer already has ties to the Rock Hall, previously playing with Deep Purple who were inducted in 2016.

"When I did the Hall of Fame for Purple, I spoke with the guys there and they were very, very forthcoming that they felt it appropriate that Whitesnake be in there," stated Coverdale, adding, "But you've gotta remember something — these are really cherries on an amazing cake of my life already. So if that does manifest, that's amazing. It's not on my bucket list, but I would receive it with open arms. 'Cause those kinds of things are validations from your peers."

While metal acts like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motorhead are still waiting on induction, the Rock Hall has come around for more heavier rock acts like the aforementioned Deep Purple. Since 2010, the Rock Hall has inducted The Stooges, Alice Cooper, Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Heart, Rush, KISS, Nirvana, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Green Day, Cheap Trick, Journey, Pearl Jam, Yes, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Nine Inch Nails and Foo Fighters among others, so there is precedent for harder rock acts to be included.

Whitesnake's career started with 1978's Trouble album, but really started to take off in the '80s with 1984's Slide It In, 1987's self-titled album and 1989's Slip of the Tongue. The self-titled album was their biggest release, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and yielding the singles "Still of the Night," "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love," also becoming MTV stars for their Tawny Kitaen-starring videos in the process. Other hits include "Fool for Your Loving" and "The Deeper the Love."

As for the band's farewell tour, look for the group to return to the road in May 2022 kicking off the run with a European trek. See dates and get ticketing info here.