Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial heavy metal style. Whitesnake was named the 85th greatest hard rock band of all time by VH1.[1] Although for many years classed as an English rock band, all the members of the current incarnation of the band, except Coverdale, are American born.