Ritchie Blackmore
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
, which fused hard rock with
baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...
influences. Over time, Rainbow moved to catchy pop-style
mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...
. Rainbow broke up in 1984 with Blackmore re-joining Deep Purple until 1993. In 1997, he formed the traditional
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
band
Blackmore's Night Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyr ...
along with his current wife Candice Night. Blackmore is prolific in creating guitar riffs and has been known for playing both classically influenced and
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
-based solos. As a member of Deep Purple, Blackmore was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in April 2016. He is cited by publications such as ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' and ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' as one of the greatest and most influential guitar players of all time.


Early life

Blackmore was born at Allendale Nursing Home in
Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
, Somerset, the second son of Lewis J. Blackmore and Violet (née Short). The family moved to Heston,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
, when Blackmore was two. He was 11 when he was given his first guitar by his father on certain conditions, including learning how to play properly, so he took classical guitar lessons for one year. In an interview with ''Sounds'' magazine in 1979, Blackmore said that he started the guitar because he wanted to be like British musician
Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recor ...
, who used to just jump around and play. Blackmore loathed school and hated his teachers.Sounds, 15 December 1979 He said he would always get caned for speaking in class, which traumatized him to the point he had difficulty in talking to people in subsequent years. Blackmore also became disillusioned with education, thinking that if he were to excel in his studies, he would end up being like his teachers. Blackmore left school at age 15 and started work as an apprentice radio mechanic at nearby
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
. He took
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
lessons from session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan.


Career


1960s

In 1960, he began to work as a session player for Joe Meek's music productions and performed in several bands. He was initially a member of the instrumental band the Outlaws, who played in both studio recordings and live concerts and like many bands of the era, used other names (such as The Rally Rounders and The Chaps) to secure multiple repeat gigs. Otherwise, in mainly studio recordings, he backed singer Glenda Collins, German-born pop singer
Heinz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...
(playing on his top ten hit " Just Like Eddie" and "Beating Of My Heart"), and others. Thereafter, in mainly live concerts, he backed horror-themed singer Screaming Lord Sutch, beat singer
Neil Christian Neil Christian (born Christopher Tidmarsh, 14 February 1943 – 4 January 2010) Related session musicians * Paul Brett *Jimmy Page * Ritchie Blackmore * Nicky Hopkins *Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English ...
, and others. Blackmore joined a band-to-be called Roundabout in late 1967 after receiving an invitation from Chris Curtis while living in Hamburg and arriving at the Curtis flat to be greeted by Curtis’ flatmate, Jon Lord. Curtis originated the concept of the band, but would be forced out before the band fully formed. After the line-up for Roundabout was complete in April 1968, Blackmore is credited with suggesting the new name
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
, as it was his grandmother's favourite song. Deep Purple's early sound leaned on psychedelic and
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
, but also included cover versions of 1960s pop songs. This "Mark One" line-up featuring singer Rod Evans and bass player Nick Simper lasted until mid-1969 and produced three studio albums. During this period, organist Jon Lord appeared to be the leader of the band, and wrote much of their original material.


1970s

The first studio album from Purple's second line-up, '' In Rock'' (1970), signalled a transition in the band's sound from progressive rock to
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
, with Blackmore and Lord having heard bands such as Vanilla Fudge and albums such as '' Led Zeppelin II'' and
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
's debut album. This "Mark Two" line-up featuring rock singer
Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is an English singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...
and bassist Roger Glover lasted until mid-1973, producing four studio albums (two of which reached No. 1 in the UK), and one live double album. During this period, the band's songs primarily came out of their jam sessions, so songwriting credits were shared by the five members. Blackmore later stated, "I didn't give a damn about song construction. I just wanted to make as much noise and play as fast and as loud as possible." Guitarist
Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai ( ; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a Transcription (music), transc ...
was more complimentary about Blackmore's role in developing song ideas: "He was able to bring blues to rock playing unlike anybody else." The third Deep Purple line-up featured David Coverdale on vocals and Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals. Songwriting was now more fragmented, as opposed to the band compositions from the Mark Two era. This "Mark Three" line-up lasted until mid-1975 and produced two studio albums and one live album . Blackmore quit the band to front a new group,
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
. In 1974, Blackmore took cello lessons from Hugh McDowell (of ELO). Blackmore later stated that when playing a different musical instrument, he found it refreshing because there is a sense of adventure not knowing exactly what chord he's playing or what key he is in. Blackmore originally planned to make a solo album, but instead in 1975 formed his own band, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, later shortened to Rainbow. Featuring vocalist Ronnie James Dio and his
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...
backing band
Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
as studio musicians, this first line-up never performed live. The band's debut album, '' Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'', was released in 1975. Rainbow's music was partly inspired by elements of
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
and
baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...
since Blackmore started to play cello for musical composition. During this period, Blackmore wrote a crucial part of Dio's basic melodies, particularly on their debut album. Shortly after the first album was recorded, Blackmore recruited new backing musicians to record the second album '' Rising'' (1976), and the following live album, '' On Stage'' (1977). ''Rising'' was originally billed as "Blackmore's Rainbow" in the US. After the next studio album's release and supporting tour in 1978, Dio left Rainbow due to "creative differences" with Blackmore, who desired to move in a more commercial sounding direction. Blackmore continued with Rainbow, and in 1979 the band released a new album titled '' Down To Earth'', which featured R&B singer
Graham Bonnet Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal bands including Rainbow (rock band), Rainbow, Michael Schenke ...
. During song composition, Bonnet says that he wrote his vocal melodies based upon the lyrics of bassist Roger Glover. The album marked contained the band's first top 10 UK hit singles " Since You Been Gone" (penned by Russ Ballard) and " All Night Long".


1980s

The next Rainbow album, '' Difficult to Cure'' (1981), introduced vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. The instrumental title track from this album was an arrangement of
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus number, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many criti ...
with additional music. Blackmore once said, "I found the blues too limiting, and classical was too disciplined. I was always stuck in a musical no man's land." The album marked the further commercialisation of the band's sound with Blackmore describing at the time a liking for the AOR band, Foreigner. The music was consciously radio-targeted in a more AOR style, resulting in some degree of alienation with many of Rainbow's earlier fans. Rainbow's next studio album was '' Straight Between the Eyes'' (1982) and included the single " Stone Cold". It would be followed by the album '' Bent Out of Shape'' (1983), which featured the single " Street of Dreams". In 1983, Rainbow were also nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for the Blackmore-penned instrumental ballad track "Anybody There". Rainbow disbanded in 1984. A then-final Rainbow album, '' Finyl Vinyl'', was patched together from live tracks and the B-sides of various singles. In 1984, Blackmore joined a reunion of the former Deep Purple "Mark Two" line-up and recorded new material. This reunion line-up recorded two studio albums; '' Perfect Strangers'' (1984)and '' The House of Blue Light'' (1987).


1990s

The next Deep Purple line-up recorded one album titled '' Slaves and Masters'' (1990), which featured former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. During song composition, Turner wrote his vocal melodies. Subsequently, the "Mark Two" line-up reunited for a second time in late 1992 and produced one studio album, '' The Battle Rages On...''. During the follow-up promotional tour, Blackmore quit the band for good in November 1993. Guitarist
Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...
was brought in to complete the remaining tour dates. Blackmore reformed Rainbow with new members in 1994. This Rainbow line-up, featuring singer
Doogie White Douglas "Doogie" White (born 7 March 1960) is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz. He has also notably sung for Rainbow (rock band), Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Ma ...
, lasted until 1997 and produced one album titled ''
Stranger in Us All ''Stranger in Us All'' is the eighth studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow, released on 11 September 1995 by RCA Records. This was the band's first studio album in twelve years, and originally intended to be a solo album by Blackmor ...
'' in 1995. It was originally intended to be a solo album but due to the record company pressures the record was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. This was Rainbow's eighth studio album, made after a gap of 12 years since ''Bent out of Shape''. A world tour including South America followed. Rainbow was disbanded once again after playing its final concert in 1997. Blackmore later said, "I didn't want to tour very much." Over the years Rainbow had gone through many personnel changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up: Blackmore was the sole constant band member. Rainbow achieved moderate success; the band's worldwide sales are estimated at more than 28 million album copies, including 4 million copies sold in the US. In 1995, Blackmore, with his girlfriend Candice Night as vocalist, began working on a
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
project, which later became the debut album '' Shadow of the Moon'' (1997) for their duo
Blackmore's Night Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyr ...
. Blackmore once portrayed their artistic characteristics as "
Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...
plus
Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...
". Blackmore mostly used acoustic guitar, to back Night's delicate vocal melodies, which he often wrote. Night said, "When he sings, he sings only for me, in private". As a result, his musical approach shifted to vocalist-centred sounds, and their recorded output is a mixture of original and cover materials. The band's musical style is heavily inspired by
medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred music, sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the Dates of classical music eras, first and longest major era of Western class ...
blended with Night's lyrics, which often feature themes of love and medieval times. The second release, entitled '' Under a Violet Moon'' (1999) continued in the same folk-rock style, with Night's vocals remaining a prominent feature of the band's style. The title track's lyrics were partly written by Blackmore. "Violet" was his mother's first name and "Moon" was his grandmother's surname.


2000s–present

In subsequent albums, particularly '' Fires at Midnight'' (2001) which featured the
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
song " The Times They Are a Changin'", there was occasionally an increased incorporation of electric guitar into the music, whilst maintaining a
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
direction. A live album, '' Past Times with Good Company'' was released in 2002. After the next studio album's release, an official compilation album '' Beyond the Sunset: The Romantic Collection'' was released in 2004, featuring music from the four studio albums. A Christmas-themed holiday album, '' Winter Carols'' was released in 2006. Through numerous personnel changes, the duo has utilized over 26 backing musicians on their releases. Blackmore sometimes played drums in recording studio. They choose to avoid typical rock concert tours, instead limiting their appearances to small intimate venues. In 2011, Night said, "We have actually turned down a lot of (touring) opportunities."
Blackmore's Night Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyr ...
has released eleven studio albums to date, with the latest one being '' Nature's Light'' in 2021. A re-formed Rainbow performed three European concerts in June 2016. The concert setlists included both
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
and
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
material. The band featured metal singer Ronnie Romero, keyboardist
Jens Johansson Jens Ola Johansson (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist. Jens got famous in the early 80's when he and his brother Anders (drums) joined Yngwie Malmsteen's "Rising Force". Jens is the son of the Swedish Jazz ...
and bassist Bob Nouveau.


Equipment

During the 1960s, Blackmore played a
Gibson ES-335 The Gibson ES-335 is a semi-hollow body semi-acoustic guitar introduced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of its Gibson ES Series, ES (Electric Spanish) series 1958 in music, in 1958. It has a solid maple wood block running through the cente ...
but from 1970 he mainly played a
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...
until he formed Blackmore's Night in 1997. The middle pick-up on his Stratocaster is screwed down and not used. Blackmore occasionally used a Fender Telecaster Thinline during recording sessions. He is also one of the first rock guitarists to use a "scalloped" fretboard which has a "U" shape between the frets. In the 1970s, Blackmore used a number of different Stratocasters; one of his main guitars was an Olympic white 1974 model with a rosewood fingerboard that was scalloped. Blackmore added a strap lock to the headstock of this guitar as a conversation piece to annoy and confuse people, as it didn't actually ''do'' anything. Effects he used from 1970 to 1997, besides his usual tape echo, included a Hornby Skewes treble booster in the early days. Around late-1973, he experimented with an EMS Synthi Hi Fli guitar synthesizer. He sometimes used a
wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The peda ...
and a variable control treble-booster for sustain, and Moog Taurus bass pedals were used in solo parts during concerts. He also had a modified Aiwa TP-1011 tape machine built to supply echo and delay effects; the tape deck was also used as a pre-amp. Other effects that Blackmore used were a
Uni-Vibe The Uni-Vibe, also marketed as the Jax Vibra-Chorus,Harry Shapiro, Michael Heatley, Roger Mayer''Jimi Hendrix Gear'', page 120 Voyageur Press The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in ...
, a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face and an Octave Divider. In the mid-1980s, he experimented with
Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
guitar synthesizers. A Roland GR-700 was seen on stage as late as 1995–96, later replaced with the GR-50. Blackmore has experimented with many different pick-ups in his Strats. In the early Rainbow era, they were still stock Fender equipment, but later became Dawk-installed over wound, dipped, Fender pick-ups. He has also used Schecter F-500-Ts, Velvet Hammer "Red Rhodes", DiMarzio "HS-2", OBL "Black Label", and Bill Lawrence L-450, XL-250 (bridge), L-250 (neck) pick-ups. In his signature Stratocaster,
Seymour Duncan Seymour Duncan is an American company best known for manufacturing guitar and Bass (guitar), bass Pickup (music technology), pickups. They also manufacture effects pedals which are designed and assembled in United States. Guitarist and luthier ...
Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4's are used to emulate the Schecter F500ts. Since the early 1990s, he has used Lace Sensor (Gold) "noiseless" pick-ups.


Influences and tastes

In the first issue of '' International Musician and Recording World'', Blackmore named
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
his favorite guitar player. He also sang praises for
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
,
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...
guitarist Steve Howe,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo o ...
Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American blues guitarist and composer. Born in Chicago, he became one of the first popular music stars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrume ...
and Tommy Bolin, who would soon take his place on Deep Purple.Tiven 1975, p. 6.Tiven 1975, p. 7. Still on the subject of Beck, he said: Blackmore credits fellow guitarist
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
's music with helping him develop his own style of vibrato around 1968 or 1969. In 1979, Blackmore said: "I like popular music. I like
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
very much. But there's so much stigma like, 'you can't do this because you're a heavy band', and I think that's rubbish. You should do what you want ... I think classical music is very good for the soul. A lot of people go 'ah well, classical music is for old fogies' but I was exactly the same. At 16 I didn't want to know about classical music: I'd had it rammed down my throat. But now I feel an obligation to tell the kids 'look, just give classical music a chance' ... the guitar frustrates me a lot because I'm not good enough to play it sometimes so I get mad and throw a moody. Sometimes I feel that what I'm doing is not right, in the sense that the whole rock and roll business has become a farce, like Billy Smart, Jr. Circus, and the only music that ever moves me is very disciplined classical music, which I can't play. But there's a reason I've made money. It's because I believe in what I'm doing, in that I do it my way—I play for myself first, then secondly the audience—I try to put as much as I can in it for them. Lastly I play for musicians and the band, and for critics not at all."


Artistry


Blues origins

In his soloing, Blackmore combines blues scales and phrasing with dominant minor scales and ideas from European classical music. While playing he would often put the pick in his mouth, playing with his fingers.


Classical influence

Blackmore is noted for having played a pioneering role in bringing influences of classical music to rock 'n' roll. He is particularly fond of
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
composer
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
. For instance, he revealed to ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' that he used a Bachian
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
Bm, Db, C, G – behind the " Highway Star"
guitar solo A guitar solo is a melody, melodic passage, instrumental section (music), section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, classical, electric guitar, electric, or acoustic guitar. In 20th and ...
. Ritchie Blackmore was also keen in using the cycle of 4ths chord progressions, by the way of triad arpeggios. This was standard practice in Baroque music, especially by Bach. A notable example is the second half of the "
Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...
" solo.


Rhythm guitar

One of Ritchie Blackmore hallmarks is the ability to writing memorable riffs using fourths. His most iconic riff - the intro to Deep Purple's " Smoke On the Water" - is an example of such. Other Deep Purple songs that used the same idea were " Mandrake Root" and "Burn", along with Rainbow's "Man On A Silver Mountain", "All Night Long" and "Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll". Riffs in fourths became a mainstay in hard rock and heavy metal, post-Blackmore. Notable examples include
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
's " Hell Bent for Leather",
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
's " Suicide Solution",
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...
's " Shout at the Devil" and
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
's " Two Minutes to Midnight". Blackmore frequently does sparse verse arrangements, using single-note riffs or playing
octaves In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
. Such accompaniments give room to keyboard players. "Smoke On the Water" is a prime example of this technique. Blackmore is known for unapologetically borrowing musical ideas from other artist's music. "I get inspired by other people's songs and write something vaguely similar", said he on a 1978 ''
Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...
'' interview. Here's a brief list: * Although penned as a Deep Purple original, Ritchie Blackmore actually learnt " Mandrake Root"'s melody and chord progression through Carlos Little, his Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages bandmate. It was written by previous Savages guitarist Bill Parkinson and originally called "Lost Soul". * The "Black Night" intro riff is partially borrowed from the verse of
Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...
's 1962 version of "Summertime", originally written by George and
Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
. * ''In Rock'' opener "Speed King" was based on two Hendrix singles, "
Stone Free "Stone Free" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and the second song recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It has been described as a "counterculture anthem, with its lyrics praising the footloose and fancy-free life", which reflected Hendrix's r ...
" (1966) and "
Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
" (1967). * The "Lazy" track from ''Machine Head'' was inspired by
Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
's "Steppin' Out". * "Burn"'s main riff is similar to George Gershwin's 1924 song " Fascinating Rhythm". * Another track from the ''Burn'' album – "Mistreated" – was admittedly molded on Free's "Heartbreaker", from the band's 1973 album.


Lead guitar

Introduced by jazz musicians
Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...
, Barney Kessel and Tal Farlow in the 1950s, sweep picking was arguably first used in a rock context by Ritchie Blackmore. It can be heard in the tail end of "April", the final track from Deep Purple's homonymous album. Blackmore used the technique again on Rainbow's "Kill the King".


Personal life

In May 1964, Blackmore married Margit Volkmar (b. 1945) from Germany. They lived in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
during the late 1960s. Their son, Jürgen (b. 1964), played guitar in the touring tribute band Over the Rainbow. Following their divorce, Blackmore married Bärbel, a former dancer from Germany, in September 1969 until their divorce in the early 1970s. As a result, he is a fluent German speaker. For tax reasons, he moved to the US in 1974. Initially he lived in
Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast (California), Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the List of largest California cities by populati ...
, with opera singer Shoshana Feinstein for one year. She provided backing vocals on two songs in Rainbow's first album. During this period, he listened to early European classical music and light music a lot, for about three-quarters of his private time. Blackmore once said, "It's hard to relate that to rock. I listen very carefully to the patterns that
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
plays. I like direct, dramatic music." After having an affair with another woman, Christine, Blackmore met Amy Rothman in 1978, and moved to
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. He married Rothman in 1981, but they divorced in 1983. Following the marriage's conclusion, he began a relationship with Tammi Williams. In early 1984 Blackmore met Williams in
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, where she was working as a hotel employee. In the same year, he purchased his first car, having learned to drive at 39 years of age. Blackmore and then-fashion model Candice Night began living together in 1991. They moved to her native
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
in 1993. Having been engaged for nearly 15 years, the couple married in 2008. Night said, "he's making me younger and I'm aging him rapidly." Their daughter Autumn was born on 27 May 2010, and their son Rory on 7 February 2012. Blackmore is a heavy drinker and watches German-language television on his satellite dish when he is at home. He has several German friends and a collection of about 2,000 CDs of
Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century ''ars nova'', the mus ...
. Ritchie claimed in an interview that he's spiritual, but not religious, saying that "religion usually involves money".


Legacy

Readers of ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'' voted two of Blackmore's guitar solos (both recorded with Deep Purple) among the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of all time – "Highway Star" ranked 19th, and "Lazy" ranked 74th. His solo on " Child in Time" was ranked no. 16 in a 1998 ''
Guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...
'' magazine readers poll of Top 100 Guitar Solos of All-Time. On 8 April 2016, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
as one of original members of Deep Purple; he did not attend the ceremony. In 1993, musicologist Robert Walser defined him as "the most important musician of the emerging metal/classical fusion".Robert Walser, ''Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music'', Wesleyan University Press, 1993, p.63-64 He is credited as a precursor of the so-called " guitar shredders" that emerged in the mid-1980s. Blackmore has been an influence on several 1980s guitarists such as Akira Takasaki,
Fredrik Åkesson Karl Fredrik Henrik Åkesson is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist. He is a current member of Opeth and is also active in Krux, Monsters of Metal, and Talisman. He also recorded three studio albums with Ghost. Biography Åkesson has been playin ...
, Brett Garsed,
Jeff Loomis Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary (band) ...
, Janick Gers, Paul Gilbert, Craig Goldy, Scott Henderson, Dave Meniketti, Randy Rhoads, Michael Romeo, Wolf Hoffmann,
Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, primary songwriter, singer, and only constant member of alter ...
, Lita Ford,
Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
, Phil Collen and Yngwie Malmsteen. For his part
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
drummer Lars Ulrich, who praised Blackmore on numerous occasions, highlighted that his "wild stage presence" led him to buy Deep Purple's '' Fireball'', his first album ever. The drummer also claimed that the guitarist's riffs from his time with Rainbow had a significant impact on Metallica. Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen acknowledged having been early on influenced by Blackmore; during his childhood he learned to play ''Fireball'' in its entirety. He even dressed like him onstage. Malmsteen also hired three Rainbow vocalists for his band; Joe Lynn Turner,
Graham Bonnet Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal bands including Rainbow (rock band), Rainbow, Michael Schenke ...
and
Doogie White Douglas "Doogie" White (born 7 March 1960) is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz. He has also notably sung for Rainbow (rock band), Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Ma ...
. He was portrayed by
Mathew Baynton Mathew John Baynton (born 18 November 1980) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. He is a member of the Them There collective, in which he wrote and starred in ''Horrible Histories (2009 TV series), Horrible Histories'', ''Yonderlan ...
in the 2009 film ''
Telstar Telstar refers to a series of communications satellites. The first two, Telstar 1 and Telstar 2, were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched atop of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962, successfully relayed the first televisi ...
''.


Discography


Session recordings (1960–1968)

*1963 The Outlaws – "The Return of the Outlaws" b/w "Texan Spiritual" (Single) *1963 The Outlaws – "That Set The Wild West Free b/w "Hobo"" (Single) *1963 The Outlaws – "Law And Order" b/w "Doo Dah Day" (Single) *1963 Michael Cox – "Don't You Break My Heart" b/w "Hark Is That A Cannon I Hear" (Single) *1963 Michael Cox – "Gee What A Party" b/w "Say That Again" (Single) *1963 Glenda Collins – "I Feel So Good" (the B-side of single) *1963 Glenda Collins – "If You Gotta Pick A Baby" b/w "In The First place" (Single) *1963
Heinz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...
– "Dreams Do Come True" b/w "Been Invited to a Party" (Single) *1963 Heinz – " Just Like Eddie" b/w "Don't You Knock at My Door" (Single) *1963 Heinz – ''Tribute To Eddie'' ("Tribute To Eddie"; "Hush – A- Bye – Baby"; "Summertime Blues"; "Come on And Dance"; "20 Flight Rock"; "I Remember") *1963 Heinz – ''Heinz'' (EP: "I Get Up In The Morning"; "Talkin' Like A Man"; "That Lucky Old Sun"; "Lonely River") *1963 Heinz – "Country Boy" b/w "Long Tall Jack" (Single) *1963 Heinz – ''Live It Up'' (EP: "Live It Up"; "Don't You Understand"; "When Your Loving Goes Wrong") *1963 Houston Wells – "Only The Heartaches" (Single) *1963 Dave Adams – "Like A Bird Without Feathers" (the B-side of single) *1963 Dave Adams – "You Made Me Cry" (the B-side of single) *1963 Jenny Moss – "Hobbies" b/w "Big Boy" (Single) *1963 Geoff Goddard – "Sky Men" b/w "Walk With Me My Angel" (Single) *1963 Pamela Blue – "My Friend Bobby" b/w "Hey There Stranger" (Single) *1963 Gunilla Thorne – "Go on Then" (the B-side of single) *1963 Joe Meek Orchestra – "The Kennedy March" (Single) *1964 The Outlaws – "Keep A Knockin'" b/w "Shake With Me" (Single) *1964 The Outlaws – "The Bike Beat Part 1" b/w "The Bike Beat Part 2" (Single) *1964 Glenda Collins – "Baby It Hurts" b/w "Nice Wasn't It" (Single) *1964 Glenda Collins – "Lollipop" b/w "Evrybody's Got To Fall in Love" (Single) *1964 The Sharades – "Boy Trouble" (the B-side of single) *1964 Andy Cavell – "Tell The Truth" (Single) *1964 Davy Kaye – "A Fool Such As I" (Single) *1964 Houston Wells – "Galway Bay" b/w "Living Alone" (Single) *1964 Houston Wells & The Marksmen – ''Ramona'' (EP: "Ramona"; "Girl Down The Street"; "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now"; "Nobody's Child") *1964 Heinz – "You Were There" b/w "No Matter What They Say" (Single) *1964 Heinz – "Please Little Girl" b/w "For Lovin' Me This Way" (Single) *1964 Heinz – "Questions I Can't Answer" b/w "The Beating Of My Heart" (Single) *1964 Valerie Masters – "Christmas Calling" b/w "He Didn't Fool Me" (Single) *1965 The Outlaws – "Only For You" (the B-side of single) *1965 Michael Cox – ''Michael Cox in Sweden'' (EP: "I've Been Thinking"; "Is This Lonesome Old House") *1965 Glenda Collins – "Johnny Loves Me" b/w "Paradise For Two" (Single) *1965 Glenda Collins – "Thou Shalt Not Steal" b/w "Been Invited To A Party" (Single) *1965 Heinz – "Digging My Potatoes" b/w "She Ain't Coming Back" (Single) *1965 Heinz – " Don't Think Twice It's All Right" b/w "Big Fat Spider" (Single) *1965 Heinz – "End Of The World" b/w "You Make Me Feel So Good" (Single) *1965 Heinz – "Heart Full Of Sorrow" b/w "Don't Worry Baby" (Single) *1965 Screaming Lord Sutch – "The Train Kept A Rollin'" b/w "Honey Hush" (Single) *1965 Richie Blackmore Orchestra – "Getaway" b/w "Little Brown Jag" (Single) *1965
The Tornados The Tornados were an English instrumental rock group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including ...
– "Early Bird" b/w "Stomping Through The Rye" (Single) *1965
Jess Conrad Jess Conrad (born Gerald Arthur James; 24 February 1936) is an English stage and screen actor and singer. As a boy he was nicknamed "Jesse" after American outlaw Jesse James; as there was already an actor named "Gerald James" in Actors' Equity Ass ...
– "It Can Happen To You" (the B-side of single) *1965 The Lancasters – "Satan's Holiday" b/w "Earthshaker" (Single) *1965 The Sessions – "Let Me In" b/w "Bouncing Bass" (Single) *1966 Heinz – "Movin' In" b/w "I'm Not A Bad Guy" (Single) *1966 Ronnie Jones – "My Only Souvenir" b/w "Satisfy My Soul" (Single) *1966 Soul Brothers – "Goodbye Babe, Goodbye" (Single) *1968
Neil Christian Neil Christian (born Christopher Tidmarsh, 14 February 1943 – 4 January 2010) Related session musicians * Paul Brett *Jimmy Page * Ritchie Blackmore * Nicky Hopkins *Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English ...
& The Crusaders – "My Baby Left Me" b/w "Yakkety Yak" (Single) *1968 Boz – "I Shall Be Released" b/w "Down in the Flood" (Single) *1968 Sundragon – "Five White Horses" (Single) *1968 Sundragon – ''Green Tambourine'' ("I Want To Be A Rock'n'roll Star", "Peacock Dress", "Love Minus Zero") *1968 Anan – "Madena" b/w "Standing Still" (Single)


Previously unreleased outtakes

*1963 Chad Carson – "A Fool in Love"; "Jesse James" *1963 Dave Adams – "It Feels Funny, It Feels Good"; "You Just Can't Do It on Your Own"; "Clean, Clean, Clean"; "The Birds and the Bees"; "Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket"; "Oh What A Party"; "Let Me In"; "They're All Up To It"; "Signs And Posters"; "Out Behind The Barn"; "There's Something at the Bottom of the Garden"; "The Bathroom" *1963 Gene Vincent & The Outlaws – "Dance to the Bop"; "High Blood Pressure"; "Baby Blue", "Blue Jean Bop"; " Lotta Lovin'"; "Crazy Beat"; "Rip It Up"; "Frankie & Johnny"; "Another Saturday Night"; "I'm Gonna Catch Me A Rat"; "Long Tall Sally" (Those songs were recorded live) *1963 Jenny Moss – "Please Let It Happen To Me"; "My Boy Comes Marching Home" *1964 Kim Roberts – "Love Can't Wait"; "Mr. Right" *1964 Houston Wells – "We'll Remember You" *1965 The Outlaws – "As Long As I Live" (recorded live) *1965 Glenda Collins – "Sing C' Est La Vie"; "Run To Me"; "Self Portrait"


Compilations

*1989 Ritchie Blackmore – ''Rock Profile Vol. 1'' *1991 Ritchie Blackmore – ''Rock Profile Vol. 2'' *1991 ''The Derek Lawrence Sessions Take 1'' *1992 ''The Derek Lawrence Sessions Take 3'' *1994 Heinz – ''Dreams Do Come True – The 45's Collection'' *1994 Ritchie Blackmore – ''Take It! Sessions 63/68'' *1995 '' It's Hard to Believe It: The Amazing World of Joe Meek'' *1998 Ritchie Blackmore – ''Anthology Vol.1'' *1998 Ritchie Blackmore – ''Anthology Vol.2'' *2002 ''Joe Meek – The Alchemist of Pop: Home Made Hits and Rarities 1959–66'' *2005 Ritchie Blackmore – ''Getaway – Groups & Sessions'' *2008 Houston Wells – ''Then & Now: From Joe Meek To New Zealand''


Select guest appearances

*'' Green Bullfrog'' (1972) – a one-off session hosted by producer Derek Lawrence, recorded between February and May 1970, and featuring Big Jim Sullivan,
Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also m ...
and Ritchie Blackmore * Screaming Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends – ''Hands of Jack the Ripper'' (1972) – recorded live in London in 1970, a one-off concert featuring musicians who had previously worked with Sutch *Randy, Pie & Family – ''Hurry to the City"/"Looking with Eyes of Love'' (1973) – Blackmore featured on the A-side of the single * Adam Faith – ''I Survive'' (1974) – Blackmore plays intro on the title track * Jack Green – '' Humanesque'' (1980) – Blackmore plays on "I Call, No Answer" * Rock Aid Armenia (1990) – Blackmore is featured as one of the guest soloists on the 1990 rendition of "Smoke on the Water", re-recorded to raise money to help those affected by the 1988 Armenian earthquake * Laurent Voulzy – ''Caché Derrière'' (1992) – Blackmore plays solo on "Guitare héraut" *''Twang! A Tribute To Hank Marvin &
The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...
'' (1996) – Blackmore plays on "Apache" * Sweet – ''All Right Now'' (1996) – recorded live in 1976, Blackmore plays on "All Right Now" *
Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...
– '' In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy'' (1997) – Blackmore plays on a cover of "Smoke On The Water" along with
Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa develo ...
*Geyers Schwarzer Haufen – ''Live '99'' (1999) – Blackmore plays on "Göttliche Devise", a bonus track off the album *Geyers Schwarzer Haufen – ''Historock Lästerzungen'' (2004) – Blackmore plays on "God's Gospel" *
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
– '' Seeking Major Tom'' (2011) – Blackmore and Candice Night guest on a cover of
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
's " Space Oddity" *
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
– The Blues (2020) – Blackmore and Candice Night guest on a cover of B. B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone"


References


Further reading

* * * *


External links


The Official Blackmore's Night website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackmore, Ritchie 1945 births Living people Musicians from Weston-super-Mare People from Heston English rock guitarists English heavy metal guitarists New-age guitarists English folk guitarists English male guitarists English male songwriters Progressive rock guitarists Rainbow (rock band) members Blackmore's Night members The Outlaws (band) members Deep Purple members English expatriate musicians in the United States English session musicians English lead guitarists British slide guitarists English expatriates in Germany British mandolinists Hurdy-gurdy players Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages members 20th-century English guitarists 21st-century English guitarists British blues rock musicians