Ian Gillan, inspired by his appearance at the [l251627] in October 1975 (in Roger Glover’s project ’The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper’s Feast’), formed this band for the express purpose of recording an album, in December 1975. They were originally called ’Shand Grenade’, but the name was soon changed to The Ian Gillan Band for commercial reasons.

Original Line-Up
Ian Gillan - Vocals
Ray Fenwick - Guitar
John Gustafson - Bass
Mark Nauseef - Drums
Mike Moran - Keyboards

In February 1976, Mike Moran left the band and was replaced by Mickey Lee Soule, who was himself replaced by Colin Towns in May of that year. This would be the line-up for the next 2 years. However, he disbanded it in June 1978, as he wanted to produce a much harder sound, so he and Towns went on to form Gillan, in July 1978.