A highly esteemed veteran of the genre keyboard player Don Airey's CV reads like a who's who of rock starting with COZY POWELL'S HAMMER then BABE RUTH and includes performances with OZZY OSBOURNE, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, COLOSSEUM II, GARY MOORE, ULI JON ROTH and JETHRO TULL.

Airey first came to prominence in the rock world (previously he had his own act touring globally on cruise liners!) with COZY POWELL'S HAMMER in 1974 before joining the esoteric Rock outfit COLOSSEUM II recording the 'Strange New Flesh', 'Electric Savage' and 'Wardance' albums. The man also found time to collaborate with none other than ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER on his 'Variations' theme for television arts programme 'The South Bank Show'.

Next port of call was with the ex-THIN LIZZY guitarist GARY MOORE one of his credits including the arrangement on a track titled 'Biscayne Blues' which was to evolve with the addition of Phil Lynott's vocals into the famous 'Parisienne Walkways'. Airey departed from a fragmenting COLOSSEUM II in 1978 briefly uniting with BLACK SABBATH for their 'Never Say Die' album prior to reuniting with Cozy Powell in RAINBOW. Airey also found time to aid STRIFE with their 'Back To Thunder' effort.

Airey's tenure in RAINBOW lasted for three years and two major albums 'Down To Earth' and 'Difficult To Cure'. During time out keyboard contributions were added to MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP's debut and OZZY OSBOURNE's 'Blizzard Of Ozz' album including the trademark organ intro to 'Mr. Crowley'.

With RAINBOW in constant flux Airey jumped ship to form part of OZZY OSBOURNE's band touring with Ozzy in America throughout 1981 and 1982 as well as appearing on 'Bark At The Moon' and 'Speak Of The Devil'. By 1985 Airey was back helping out GARY MOORE for his 'Out In The Fields' record, PHENOMENA, Yugoslavians WILD STRAWBERRIES, German Metal band SINNER's 'Comin' Out Fighting', ZENO, HELIX's 'Wild In The Street' and ALASKA's 'The Pack' before laying down work on WHITESNAKE's masterful '1987' album. The same year had Airey conducting live duties in America with JETHRO TULL and recording with Italians CROSSBONES before finally going solo.

The 'K2' album, released only in Japan and Germany, sees guest performances from guitarist GARY MOORE, Genki Hitomi of VOW WOW, Colin Blunstone, Chris Thompson and the late Cozy Powell.

Further work with GARY MOORE on his 'Still Got The Blues' album entailed. Airey has latterly played with JAGGED EDGE, TIGERTAILZ, SLAVERAIDER, FASTWAY, UFO, GRAHAM BONNET, JOE SATRIANI, ULI JON ROTH, BRIAN MAY, COZY POWELL, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA, JUDAS PRIEST's 'Painkiller' and even wrote the British Eurovision song contest winner for KATRINA & THE WAVES!

1998 had Airey as part of THE CAGE, a band founded together with erstwhile BLACK SABBATH vocalist TONY MARTIN and members of Italian Metal act CROSSBONES. Airey toured Britain in 1999 as part of COLIN BLUNSTONE's band. 2001 had reports that Airey had formed part of a brand new 'supergroup' including his familiar sparring partner Neil Murray on bass, former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN band members vocalist MARK BOALS and drummer Anders Johansson alongside Rolf Munkes and Lance King.

Not content with that union Airey would also figure in the all star SILVER project fronted by former MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP vocalist Gary Barden and including BERNIE TORME, DEMON DRIVE's Michael Voss and H-BLOCKZ drummer Marco Minnemann.

Airey would join his ex RAINBOW colleague vocalist GRAHAM BONNET for a British club tour to close out 2001. He would ad to his career CV of major acts by joining no less than DEEP PURPLE in March of 2002 for dates in Russia and a new studio album 'Bananas'. The keyboard player also joined forces with DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice for a series of drum tuition clinics in Italy throughout October.

Airey sessioned for established German Heavy Metal band METALIUM in mid 2003, his keyboard tones gracing their 'In League As One - Chapter Four' album. That same year found the keyboard maestro forming up part of a much vaunted 'supergroup' with strong DEEP PURPLE and OZZY OSBOURNE connections. Spending the Summer months recording in Florida Airey joined DEEP PURPLE guitarist STEVE MORSE, Australian vocalist JIMMY BARNES and the erstwhile OZZY OSBOURNE rhythm section of bass player Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake to cut an album comprising five new songs and no less than six Ozzy tracks.

During 2004 Airey contributed to the METALIUM opus, 'Demons Of Insanity-Chapter Five'. Taking time out from his DEEP PURPLE schedule, Airey put in a rare solo gig at The Lochgelly Centre Theatre, Fife in Scotland on 14th January 2005. His all star band for the evening comprised ex-BAD COMPANY singer ROBERT HART, ARGENT guitarist Keith Airey, THUNDER bassist Chris Childs and THUNDER / MAGNUM drummer Harry James. This same formation put in gigs during August.

Although DEEP PURPLE's schedule proved relentless throughout 2006 Airey did find time for a batch of Austrian gigs, in Linz and Vienna, during September. His band for these concerts was fronted by the PERSIAN RISK, KROKUS and POWER PROJECT credited Carl Sentance, guitarist Kaitner Z Doka, bassist Chris Childs with Bernhard Welz on drums.

A 2008 solo album, 'A Light In The Sky', released in October through Mascot Records, featured studio musicians vocalist Danny Bowes, bassist Chris Childs and drummer Harry James of THUNDER, violinist Lidia Bailich, singer Carl Sentence, drummer Darrin Mooney and bassist Lawrence Cottle.