THE BEAST

WHITESNAKE   has announced the addition of bassist   Tanya O'Callaghan   to the group's ranks.

Tanya   joins the   David Coverdale -fronted outfit as the replacement for longtime bassist   Michael Devin   whose departure was revealed over the weekend.

Coverdale   said in a statement: "Well, well, well…ladies & gentlemen…boys & girls…we are very proud to announce & to introduce you all to our newest snake…or should I say…snakette!!! Please give a loud   WHITESNAKE   choir welcome to the Irish tornado!!! A whirling dervish of a performer whom we feel will bring a fresh, new, exciting musicality & welcome energy to the band, both in the studio & onstage… Here she is… Irish born & bred…the one & only…   Tanya O'Callaghan !!!

"For whatever reason,   WHITESNAKE   has never featured a female musician in the band before… Bad boys!!!…But when we saw   Tanya   performing with our friend   Steven Adler 's band at the   M3   festival in 2019 & we were all blown away… An electrifying performer… When   WHITESNAKE   &   Michael Devin   decided to go their separate ways,   Tanya   was the first person we reached out to & thankfully she accepted our invitation to become a snake…

"We are thrilled & delighted to welcome   Tanya O'Callaghan   to   WHITESNAKE !!!

"Let the music do the talking!!!"

O'Callaghan   commented on her addition to   WHITESNAKE   in a social media post. She wrote: "I guess the snake's out of the bag. What an absolute honor to be joining   WHITESNAKE / David Coverdale   for their worldwide farewell tour 2022/23.

"This small town gal still pinches herself over the amount of legends I've had the joy to work, tour and record with over the past few years since I made the terrifying solo leap across the Pacific with no clue how everything would unfold.

"It's been a wild ride and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, who calls, only feckin'   WHITESNAKE ! And the best part, to step into the snake shoes of my bass brothers   Rudy Sarzo ,   Tony Franklin ,   Neil Murray   and   Michael Devin   ... are you kidding me.. .what a f#*king honor beyond belief!!! My heart is exploding."

Coverdale , who turned 70 in September, recently confirmed that he plans to retire from touring after   WHITESNAKE 's next batch of concerts around the world.

Although   Coverdale   will no longer perform with   WHITESNAKE , he is still planning on writing and recording fresh material once he has retired from the road.

Early last year,   WHITESNAKE   was forced to cancel its U.S. tour with   SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE   and   NIGHT RANGER   so that   Coverdale   could undergo surgery for bilateral inguinal hernia. Eventually, all of the shows were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Coverdale   had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

WHITESNAKE   had been touring in support of its latest album,   "Flesh & Blood" , which was released in May 2019 via   Frontiers Music Srl .