Deep Purple

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Ritchie Blackmore of Rainbow performs at Genting Arena on June 25, 2016 in Birmingham, England.
Ritchie Blackmore plays “Smoke on the Water” as he reunites with Deep Purple for the first time in 33 years

By Christopher Scapelliti Published

The guitarist joined the rock group he helped found at their August 12 performance

Guitarists
David Keith and Ritchie Blackmore of the British band Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow perform live on stage during a concert at the Velodrom on April 18, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
Ritchie Blackmore to reunite with Deep Purple for first time in 33 years. “It’ll be good to see the old guys again”

By Christopher Scapelliti Published

The guitarist says he will join the rock group for one song at a show tonight at New York’s Jones Beach Theater

Guitarists
Simon McBride of Deep Purple performs at Mediolanum Forum of Assago on October 17, 2022 in Milan, Italy.
Simon McBride explains why some Deep Purple guitar parts are untouchable

By Phil Weller Published

Despite being told not to imitate Ritchie Blackmore or Steve Morse, the Deep Purple guitarist says classics like “Highway Star” demand a different approach.

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LEFT: Ritchie Blackmore performs with Deep Purple circa 1974 RIGHT: Christopher Cross on 5/14/80 in Chicago, Il.
“They didn’t know what it was!” Ritchie Blackmore on the mysterious illness that took him offstage — and brought in Christopher Cross

By Phil Weller last updated

Blackmore’s mystery illness sent him to a Texas hospital on Deep Purple’s first U.S. gig, while a local guitar hero came to his rescue

Guitarists
Eddie Van Halen poses in the Netherlands in 1978
Ritchie Blackmore on his backstage encounters with Eddie Van Halen

By Phil Weller Published

The former Deep Purple guitarist says Van Halen was a “humble” player who “always used to underestimate himself”

Guitarists
Ritchie Blackmore and Tommy Bolin comp
Ritchie Blackmore says “most guitar players aren't nice people” – names the one exception

By Phil Weller Published

The guitarist has surprised fans with an impromptu Q&A session over Instagram, and recalled his interactions with a late great

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3rd January 1969: Rock guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, left, and keyboard player Jon Lord, right, of the group Deep Purple celebrate both their engagements to their respective girlfriends Babs Hardie and Judy Fielding, on the roof terrace at the Dorchester Hotel, London.
Ritchie Blackmore on the one musician he was closest to — and what drove a wedge between them

By Christopher Scapelliti Published

The two men reconnected before one of them died, leading Blackmore to write a song in his memory

Guitarists
Steve Morse of Deep Purple performs in support of the band's "The Long Goodbye Tour" at Toyota Amphitheatre on September 30, 2018 in Wheatland, California.
Steve Morse spends his days fixing tractors and flying planes — and says it makes him more creative

By Phil Weller Published

The former Deep Purple guitarist says life on his 56-acre farm helps him write music after dark

Guitarists
Ritchie Blackmore, of the British rock band Rainbow, plays on stage during the Difficult to Cure Tour on April 17, 1981 at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
“An owl meeting a bumblebee in mid-flight.” Ritchie Blackmore on crafting the perfect Deep Purple–era guitar tone

By Christopher Scapelliti Published

The legend reveals how Marshall, Fender and even a tape deck helped shape his famously heavy — but barely distorted — sound

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LEFT: Deep Purple perform at Campo Pequeno on November 6, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. RIGHT: Steve Morse of Deep Purple performs live on stage at Hard Rock Live in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on February 10, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida.
Steve Morse says “a couple of guys in Deep Purple” were glad to see him go

By Phil Weller Published

Morse left Deep Purple in 2022 having spent more time in the band than any other guitarist

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