Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English musician best known for his work as a rock and metal keyboardist. He first came to prominence as the keyboardist for Rainbow from 1979 to 1982. Since 2002 he has been the keyboardist of Deep Purple, succeeding Jon Lord. Alongside his work with Rainbow and Deep Purple, Airey has had a long and wide‑ranging career performing and recording with artists such as Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Whitesnake, Saxon, Wishbone Ash, Colosseum II, Ten, Sinner, Michael Schenker, Empire, Brian May, Divlje jagode, and Living Loud. He has also collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber.Inspired by his father, Norman Airey, Don Airey developed an early interest in music and began classical piano training at the age of seven. He later earned a degree from the University of Nottingham and a diploma from the Royal Northern College of Music, where he studied under Ryszard Bakst. After completing his studies, he formed a band and worked on P&O cruise liners, performing while traveling internationally. In 1971, Airey moved to London and joined Cozy Powell’s band Hammer. In 1975, he became a member of Colosseum II, the jazz‑rock group led by Jon Hiseman, performing alongside Gary Moore, Neil Murray, Mike Starrs, and later John Mole. The band recorded three albums and also served as the core ensemble for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s album Variations, based on a theme by Paganini. Airey continued to work as a session musician, contributing to numerous recordings, including the 1978 Black Sabbath album Never Say Die!. Shortly afterward, he joined Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and also appeared on Gary Moore’s solo debut Back on the Streets. With Rainbow, Airey performed on the albums Down to Earth and Difficult to Cure, both of which achieved commercial success.
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Song for all
Till The End
Shooting Star
Adagio (feat. Gary Moore)
People In Your Head
Sombrero M104
Difficult To Cure
Mini Suite … Featuring Gary Moore
3 In The Morning
Light In The Sky (2)
Estancia
Wrath/Tobruk
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