Ex-RAINBOW/DEEP PURPLE Singer JOE LYNN TURNER: 'I Don't Believe In The ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME'

In a recent interview with Eonmusic, Joe Lynn Turner was asked if he was disappointed that he wasn't included with his former bandmates in DEEP PURPLE as part of the group's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. He responded: "No, because I don't believe in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I think it's the Rock And Roll Hall Of Shame. It's a business. It's really a money business; it's a money grab. Ritchie [Blackmore, former DEEP PURPLE guitarist] wouldn't go too.

"First of all, in RAINBOW, we were never about awards or videos. We had to make them — which we did — but we were always half-hearted about it because we were about live performance, kicking ass on stage, making records. So award shows, unless it was like a people's choice, never mattered to us. We barely wanted to receive our gold records because it was just, like; 'So what?!' We really didn't enjoy that as much.

"There are some really great bands that are still not in that Hall Of Fame. Why? And if it's the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, why are there rap stars and everybody else? It's a money maker — big money for the seats and all that, and it's this big thing. I got the skinny from [DEEP PURPLE bassist] Roger Glover actually, when they were saying, 'No, we're not going to go,' and then he said, 'Let's just do it for the fans,' and that was one of the main reasons they went. They do deserve some recognition, of course, but they have that recognition. So, I had an honorable mention. I think it was Ian Gillan who said, 'And Joe Lynn Turner, Tommy Bolin, all of these people that were in the band at one point or another really made us the sum total of the parts that we were,' and that actually went over. Ritchie said — and this was really something — in an article, he was talking about it, and he was kind of disparaging this 'Hall Of Shame' thing, and he didn't want to go and all that, and he said, 'but I think Joe Lynn Turner should get an award for his writing ability and singing on the album.' I was floored. The respect that I got from that, I go, 'That's the kind of award I like.'"

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich inducted DEEP PURPLE into the Rock Hall, after which the then-lineup of DEEP PURPLE performed a mini-set that included "Hush", "Highway Star" and "Smoke On The Water".

Blackmore later posted a statement on his Facebook page in which he said: "I have my reason for not attending the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, although I appreciate the award. However, I do think that they should've given an award to Joe Lynn Turner for when he was in DEEP PURPLE — for his singing and writing on 'Slaves And Masters' — a great record, one of my favorites."

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at the 2016 Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, Ulrich praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony seemed like a rare opportunity for DEEP PURPLE to reunite with Blackmore, who wrote many of the band's most memorable riffs, but hasn't played with the group since 1993.

The DEEP PURPLE members that were inducted are: Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.

In recent years, Lynn Turner has repeatedly blasted Blackmore for going out and performing DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW's classic material with a new group musicians under the RAINBOW banner, explaining that "the fans deserve better than a cover band."

Joe was the singer of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

1990 saw Turner reunited with Blackmore in a reformed DEEP PURPLE for the aforementioned "Slaves And Masters" album.