David Coverdale explains why John Sykes' Whitesnake tenure 'didn't work'

He also rules out working with Sykes again

Whitesnake's Neil Murray, John Sykes, David Coverdale and Cozy Powell in 1984

Author: Scott ColothanPublished 16th May 2023

David Coverdale has spoken about why he believes John Sykes’ tenure with Whitesnake “didn’t work.”

Following the split of Thin Lizzy, John Sykes joined Whitesnake in February 1984 and he was soon tasked with replacing Micky Moody’s guitar parts on the revamped US version of Whitesnake’s sixth album ‘Slide It In.’

Sykes was pivotal to the success of Whitesnake’s blockbuster self-titled album ‘Whitesnake’, and, alongside playing guitar, he co-wrote all but two tracks on the 1987 record.

The relationship between David Coverdale and his band mate(s) soon soured, however, and Sykes was ousted from the band in highly acrimonious circumstances before ‘Whitesnake’ was released.

In a new interview with Metal Edge, David Coverdale was asked about John Sykes’ “mythical status among the Whitesnake faithful” and what he contributed to ‘Whitesnake.’

Lavishing Sykes’ musicianship with praise, Coverdale also commented on why their relationship curdled.

“As you know, things went squirrely between us, which was unfortunate. But John was and is an incredible talent. Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn't work personally,” Coverdale said.

“The truth of the matter is no matter how incredible of an album (1987’s ‘Whitesnake) that we made together, we were unable to connect as people. You can hear that there was creative magic in that relationship, but it stopped the moment we put the mics and instruments down.

“John was critical to that record and a superb live player. But there were many important aspects of things that were not there. It wasn't meant to be.

“With John, things just exploded. I think rock bottom would have been when he tried to fire me from my own band. As you can imagine, that didn't go over very well!”

John Sykes in the 1980s

Coverdale also ruled out working with John Sykes again, telling Metal Edge: "I was talking to a mutual acquaintance some years back and said, 'I haven't heard anything from John for a long time.' And this acquaintance got John and me talking while I was working on demos for the Into the Light record.

“So, after something like 15 years of animosity, we spoke and got on well. Thoughts of working with him again crossed my mind, but the more we spoke, the more I realized that I had changed significantly, and John had been his own boss for so long, so it would never work.

"I thought, 'The chemistry is not going to work; it's going to be as it was all over again; I can't have that.' Truthfully, I simply don't want to do anything at this time in my life that will open the door to regret.

“I know that's perhaps disappointing to fans, and I wish John every success, as I know he's a much-loved and admired player. And I hope everything's okay with him as I haven't heard from him for a while."