[1] He is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake, having written or co-written with David Coverdale many of the group's hit songs, such as "Fool for Your Loving", "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues", "Ready an' Willing", "Lovehunter", "Trouble", and "Here I Go Again".

[2] After playing with local Buckingham based groups, including Clockwork Mousetrap (previously The Daystroms), Marsden formed Skinny Cat at the age of 17.

He then joined Babe Ruth in 1975, and played on two releases for Capitol Records, Stealin' Home (1975) and Kid's Stuff (1976).

After Paice Ashton Lord folded, in 1978, Marsden formed a new band with former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale and guitarist Micky Moody.

[6] Not long after, Bernie Marsden formed the band Alaska[6] with Robert Hawthorne on vocals and Richard Bailey on keyboards.

Following the departure of Lande, bassist Sid Ringsby and drummer Willy Bendiksen, the band shifted its name to The Company Of Snakes, welcoming keyboardist Don Airey, bassist Neil Murray, drummer John Lingwood and former Bad Company vocalist Robert Hart.

This revamped line up included Marsden, Moody, Murray, Berggren, the drummer Jimmy Copley and keyboard player Mark Stanway.

M3 produced a triple-CD DVD called Rough 'n' Ready which again features the songs from their Whitesnake's legacy, now with former Rainbow member Doogie White as special guest sharing the vocal duties, and another live album, Classic Snake Live Vol I, in 2006 with former Black Sabbath member Tony Martin replacing Berggren and White.

His BBC Friday Rock Show solo sessions were released on CD; these featured David Coverdale and Toto drummer Simon Phillips.

Castle Communications released a definitive compilation double CD called Blues and Scales which features songs from almost all the bands of his career.

A personal highlight of his long career was playing guitar in the Ringo Starr Band; with shows in Monaco and in the UK.

His inaugural Guitar Mojo Experience was held at Arts[clarification needed] at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire in 2018 and 2019.

The album featured David Coverdale singing the Whitesnake classic "Trouble", Joe Bonamassa on guitar on the title track "Shine", Don Airey on keyboards and both Ian Paice and Jimmy Copley on drums.