The Autobiography of Ritchie Blackmore. Biography. How Ritchie Blackmore's Passion for Music Started

Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore (born April 14, 1945, Weston-super-Mare, England) is an outstanding English rock musician, known as one of the first guitarists who combined elements of classical music with rock. One of the founders of the Deep Purple group, after leaving which he created the group. One of the most respected and influential guitarists in the world. In 1997, he created the Blackmore's Night project, in which he participates to the present.

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Ritchie Blackmore (full name Richard Hugh Blackmore) was born on April 15, 1945 in the small English town of Weston Super-Mare. At the age of 10, Richie became seriously interested in playing the guitar. His father bought him his first guitar, promising to "smash the instrument on his head if he doesn't learn to play the thing."

Richie was so carried away by the guitar that by the age of 16 he owned the instrument at a very high level. His father brought him to the first audition in a professional group. Despite the fact that none of the candidates could show such skill as Ritchie, young Blackmore was in no hurry to accept invitations from different groups - he continued to hone his skills. His first electric guitar was a £22 Hofner Club 50, and after buying a new guitar, Blackmore began working with various bands in the evenings. His goal was a new guitar, but there was no money to buy it, so Richie worked as a radio mechanic at the airport.

And in the evening after work, he continued to break the strings and improve his skills. 2 years of hard work paid off - Blackmore became the owner of a brand new "GIBSON ES-335". This guitar becomes his closest companion for the next 10 years.

In the mid-60s, Blackmore, being a fairly popular guitarist, worked in various bands - such as The Outlaws, The Crusaders, The Lancasters, Roman Empire, Mandrake Root and others. By chance, being in Hamburg, he meets there with Chris Curtis - the man who changed his fate. Chris Curtis was friends with Jon Lord, a young virtuoso organist, and it was to him that he told about a certain guitarist spinning dashing solos on his guitar. John invited Ritchie to London where he was going to start a professional band with dedicated keyboards. The idea seemed interesting to Richie, and he went to London. After rehearsing for several days, he was satisfied and agreed to participate in the group.

The problem was that Chris Curtis was a talker. Every minute he was visited by various ideas, he talked a lot, but did nothing. The prospect of working in a new group was fading before our eyes, and an upset Richie leaves London. A few months later, future manager Deep Purple Coletta finds him and invites him to work. Richie is flying back to London. As it turned out, he flew towards Deep Purple ....

In addition to Richie and Lord, the new band included bassist Nick Simper, singer Rod Evans, and drummer Bobby Clarke. Once, when the drummer left for his favorite cigarettes, the musicians invited a new candidate for drummers - Jan Pace. He brought his installation and began to knock out incredible fractions. When Clark returned, it became clear that Pace would take the drum seat.

Initially, the group was supposed to be called "Carousel", but each musician could offer his own name. Once Richie offered his own version - Deep Purple (Dark purple) - it was a phrase from his grandmother's favorite song. The name was adopted unanimously... Thus was born one of the greatest rock bands of our time.

1968 was the year of the birth of one of the best rock bands in the world, which gave rise to an entire era and a completely new style. But it will be later, but for now the musicians of the newly minted group rented a small barn on the outskirts of London, and began to rehearse new songs. Ritchie Blackmore showed remarkable imagination in terms of intimidating new friends - at night the shutters and doors creaked, not letting anyone sleep, a log crawled around the rooms, and the sounds of Richie's amplifier were simply heartbreaking - it seemed that the house was inhabited by ghosts. Nevertheless, despite such an atmosphere, the group's debut album took place. It was called "Shades of Deep Purple" and quickly made it into the top 25.

In 1969, the group released a new album "The Book to Taliesyn", and six months later - the third, with the name "Deep Purple", also known as "Aprile". Blackmore is dissatisfied with the band's sound, believing that they should play harder music, Lord insists on his own. In the end, Blackmore wins, at the general council it was decided to change the singer and bassist. They are replaced by Roger Glover and Ian Gillan from Episode Six. Lord dreams of writing a suite for a group with an orchestra, this idea finds support in the ranks of the team. Six months later, Deep Purple performs at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert brought the group unheard of success and desired promotion, but did not change Blackmore's plans to "heavier" the sound at all.

In 1970, the new album "Deep Purple In Rock" was released, which gave the impression of an exploding bomb. it was he who became an example for many rock bands, and is still considered the heaviest album in the history of Deep Purple. In the same 1970, Ian Gillan was invited to perform the vocal part of Jesus Christ in the cult rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. In the fall of 1970, the group held an active tour of Scandinavia, which resulted in the release of the live record "Scandinavian Nights".

In 1971, the group sits down to record a new album, "The Fireball". The album was written in between numerous tours, which were very successful, except for the mysterious illness of Roger Glover - during the concert he was disturbed by colic in the stomach. No doctor could determine the cause until Roger turned to a hypnotist. It turns out that everything was from excitement before going on stage. The autumn tour was crumpled - Gillan fell ill with jaundice, and the tour was postponed to the beginning of 1972.

Taking advantage of an unexpected pause, the band gathered in Switzerland, where they began recording a new album on a mobile studio. Recording was supposed to be in the concert hall "Casino", but unexpectedly during a Frank Zappa concert, a fan fired a flare gun at the ceiling, causing a fire, the hall burned to the ground. The musicians immortalized this event in the song "Smoke on the Water", which is still considered the most hit rock thing to this day. Recording continued in an empty hotel, despite all these difficulties, the album "Machine Head" turned out great. In July the band traveled to Italy to record their next album. Tired, exhausted by a heavy tour schedule, the musicians could not tune in to inspiration. It was during this period that friction began between Blackmore and Gillan. After a little rest, the group leaves for Japan, where they give a series of concerts. As a result of these tours, the disc "Made In Japan" is released - the best live record of the group.

1973 The record "Who Do You Think We Are?" The situation in the group left much to be desired - Gillan decided to leave the group, Blackmore and Paice also talked about leaving and creating their own bands. After negotiations with managers, Blackmore agreed to stay, on the condition that the bassist also leave. Glover was offended and immediately wrote a statement. Thus, in June 1973, the last joint concert of the "golden line-up" was played in Japan. The new bassist was Glenn Hughes, a member of the group "Trapeze". A vocalist was needed to replace Gillan. The group announced a competition and was literally inundated with recordings of potential singers. After a long selection, an unknown clothing salesman David Coverdale was invited to the group. As a result of long rehearsals, the new album "Burn" was born, dated already in the new 1974.

The beginning of 1974 was spent on tour. The American tour began in March, Deep Purple were at their best - a personal jet, incredible fees ... In April 1974, the group ended their American tour at a grand rock festival with the participation of such stars as ELP, The Eagles, and others. By agreement, the group had to go on stage at sunset, thereby enhancing the stage effect. But for some reason the organizers changed their plans and asked the team to perform earlier. Blackmore flatly refused. A scandal was brewing, the organizers threatened that the group would not perform at all. Through various tricks, the musicians were able to delay the time, and took the stage at the moment when the picturesque California sun was setting over the horizon. The effect was amazing! Nevertheless, Blackmore harbored a grudge against the organizers of the show, especially at the representative of the ABC television company, who was constantly "getting" him. During the performance of the last composition, Richie slammed his guitar neck into the TV camera with all his might. The frightened cameraman was taken off the stage, and Blackmore continued to rage: breaking the guitar, he doused the equipment with gasoline and ordered it all to be set on fire. The show ended with a beautiful fire, and the perpetrators had to escape by helicopter. The concert was subsequently released on video, and to this day is the most scandalous concert of the group. Toward the end of 1974, the group released another record, "Stormbringer". Newcomers Coverdale and Hughes had a huge impact on the sound of this record. Blackmore again thought about leaving Deep Purple - in his opinion, the group had lost its "metal" sound. In early 1975, he went to Germany to record a solo album, along with fellow musicians from the group "Elf" - it was this group that accompanied Deep Purple on American tours. Blackmore officially announced his departure in June 1975. The Deep Purple era for Blackmore was over, the Rainbow era was beginning...

Ritchie Blackmore`s Rainbow - that was the name of the first disc of Blackmore's new band. The music on the new disc was not very different from the one that the great guitarist played with Deep Purple, but for Blackmore himself it was a huge step forward. "I'm tired of playing with a group from which they downloaded hits. Finally, I can play what I like," he said. Blackmore's departure from Deep Purple was preceded by a telephone conversation between the two leaders - Blackmore and Lord. "John, do you really think our music is good? - No, Richie, I'm also soaked through with the molasses of the last two albums. - John, remember how we started! Let's leave together before it's too late! - If I don't believe in our joint opuses - this does not mean that I do not believe in Deep Purple" - Lord answered and hung up. Blackmore was replaced by American guitarist Tommy Bolin. Everyone liked his work in the studio, and in the same 1975 the album "Come Taste The Band" was released. The album was a logical continuation of two previous Deep Purple albums - there were more than enough elements of funk and soul music in it, but there was no real "purple" sound.

In 1976, Rainbow sits down to record a new album "Rainbow Rising". The composition of the group was radically updated - of the founders of the group, only Blackmore and Dio remained. The Munich Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra was invited to record the song "Stargazer". The album turned out to be interesting, one might say, one of the best in the history of Rainbow. The group successfully tours all over the world, testing new material. At the same time, Deep Purple is doing very badly. Guitarist Tommy Bolin can't play even the simplest chords because of his addiction to drugs. At concerts, fans demand Blackmore, which unsettles the band members. The group eventually breaks up, and in December, Tommy Bolin dies of a drug overdose.

The indefatigable Ritchie Blackmore continues to tour successfully, just as successfully changing the composition of his offspring. The whole of 1977 is spent on tour, with a short break to record a studio album. As a result of concert tours, the hall album "On Stage" is released. The album turned out to be very interesting, once again proving that Blackmore's concert sound simply has no equal. And finally, the single "Kill The King" became the band's first single to hit the charts.

1978 was completely spent on tour. Saw the light and another studio album "Long Live Rock" n "Roll", instantly got into the Top 100. But the further, the more Blackmore is dissatisfied with the composition of the group. In his opinion, the group stopped in its development. One of the stumbling blocks was the lyrics, which were mostly written by Dio. The band's producers insisted on a more commercial sound, and medieval stories about witches, devils, knights and princesses irritated them more and more. Ultimately, Blackmore and drummer Cozy Powell are left alone. By the end of the year, keyboardist Don Airey joins the group.

In 1979, Blackmore invited former Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, also known for his production skills. And finally, Graham Bonnet comes to the place of the vocalist - a singer with quite powerful voice data. The new album "Down To Earth", produced by Glover, was an incredible commercial success, although its sound is much softer than the band's previous work. Despite the success, Richie remains dissatisfied, and the cup of his patience continues to fill up.

1980 continued to bring success to the group - primarily due to the commercial sound of the new album and the single "All Night Long". In the summer, the band successfully performs at the "Monsters of Rock" festival, after which Blackmore is again left without a vocalist and drummer - the leader's quarrelsome character and dissatisfaction with the quality of the material once again made themselves felt. The most talented Bob Rondinelli comes to the place of the drummer. Blackmore meets with Gillan and invites him to the Rainbow, but is rejected. The idea of ​​reincarnating Deep Purple without destroying Rainbow fails. As a result, the vocalist was taken by Joe Lynn Turner from the Fandango group, who would later play many important roles in Blackmore's life.

In early 1981, the new album "Difficult To Cure" was released, which determined the group's "signature" sound. The success of the album was so high that the company "Polydor" in the wake of this success re-released the first album of the group in 1975, and at the same time - the single "Kill The King". A truly stellar time begins for Rainbow, which, however, does not save the team from personnel changes. In particular, keyboardist Don Airey is being replaced by a young American pianist, David Rosenthal.

1982 passes in a busy schedule - tours alternate with studio work. The group is especially warmly received in Japan - Blackmore is almost a cult character here. The new album "Strong Between The Eyes" is released in April, and immediately takes a place in the top 30.

1983 was marked by a line-up adjustment - instead of Bob Rondinelli, Chuck Bergi took the place behind the drums. The next album "Bent Out of Shape" is released. The band's sound is increasingly moving towards a commercial one - to the delight of the fans, but old Blackmore is still unhappy. What he fled from, leaving Deep Purple, was repeated - wild popularity, hits to order, lack of understanding with the team ... At the end of the year, Blackmore and Glover meet with former members of Deep Purple and, after negotiations, decide to restore the group in "gold" composition 1970-1973. Not the last role in the restoration of the group was played by the two-million-dollar fees promised to the participants. One way or another, but the fate of Rainbow was sealed.

In 1984, Rainbow held his last tour of Japan. At the last concert, Blackmore, seeking to "leave beautifully", invites a symphony orchestra, with which he plays Beethoven's 9th symphony. The concert was recorded on video, later fragments from it were included in the video history of the group, and the audio recordings were included in the 1986 compilation "Finyl Vinyl". Despite the actual dissolution of the group, only the "suspension of the group" was officially announced, which indicates that Blackmore was not sure of the success of the venture with the restoration of Deep Purple, and left a "fallback" option. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the guitarist returned to the "backup" version only after a long 10 years...

So, 1984 pleased all Deep Purple fans with the reunion of the group. Yes, and in the "gold" line-up, which created the "King of Speed", "Child in Time" and "Smoke on the Water" ... After Blackmore worked out the last concerts with Rainbow, the musicians sat down in a small studio near London to record a new album. This album was to make a splash in the world of rock music. Therefore, Blackmore was more partial to himself than ever. Lord took over as arranger, Glover as producer. Many tunes in the album were intended for Rainbow, so the album is close in sound to the last opuses of this group, and some incompatibility is also noticeable in Gillan's work. But the experience of professionals blocked minor flaws, and in November the new album "Dark Purple" called "Perfect Strangers" (Completely Alien) hits the shelves of music stores. Initially, the album was planned to be called "Who would have thought!", But Glover felt that it was better to play it safe in case of failure. However, these fears were in vain - the album was a resounding success.

In 1985, Deep Purple actively toured, running in new material, but mostly they performed old things, without which Deep Purple is impossible to imagine. Despite the full halls and the outwardly stable situation in the team, Blackmore no longer enjoys work. Gillan is not the same as he was before, often his voice is not heard because of the music, it is difficult for him to take the top notes (the consequences of a surgery on the ligaments). Nostalgia for Rainbow can be traced even in Deep Purple's repertoire - in solo losses, Richie often inserts Rainbow melodies, and the processing of Beethoven's 9th symphony is a separate number at all, not a single concert can do without it. Now Richie is obsessed with a new idea: how to revive Rainbow without leaving Deep Purple.

In 1986, Deep Purple is still touring, the density of the schedule does not allow the musicians to do studio work. At this time, another event fuels public interest in Rainbow: the double disc "Finyl Vinyl" is released, which includes previously unreleased recordings and singles of the group. The video compilation "The Final Cut" is also released - this is a kind of video history of the group in the period from 1979 to 1984. Of particular note is the presence in the collection of a video clip for the song "Street of dreams" - at one time the clip was banned from showing on MTV due to the demonstration of hypnosis. Needless to say, a great gift for all Rainbow fans. At the end of the year, Deep Purple finally finds time and sits down to record a new album.

In early 1987, the new album "A House of Blue Light" is ready. To promote the album, the group releases a collection of video clips of the same name, which includes two clips for songs from the previous album, and two from the new one. It should be especially noted that the album "House of the Blue Light" is the first full-fledged album of the group, officially released in the USSR. Before that, there was only a Deep Purple best-of album until 1973, and a Rainbow best-of album. Throughout 1987, the band was testing new material, not forgetting, however, about the old songs.

1988 - tours, tours, tours... One day, while listening to live recordings in the studio, the musicians thought: why not release a live record? Having carefully selected and mixed some records, the hall album "Nobody's Perfect" was released. As a bonus, the song "Hush" was added to it, previously performed by the old line-up of Deep Purple. As the band members themselves say, they just rehearsed in the studio, the sound engineers were adjusting the sound, and the song appeared on the tape quite by accident.A video clip was later shot for this song.

In 1989, Blackmore publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Gillan's work. Richie still remembered his idea of ​​recreating Rainbow, so the only compromise for Deep Purple's existence was Gillan's departure. I had to urgently look for a vocalist, many famous singers were offered, but Blackmore balked and said that Turner should sing in Deep Purple. The former vocalist Rainbow at that time worked in the group of Yngwie Malmsteen, had a successful tour with this group, swept around the world and even performed in Leningrad. Turner gladly accepted the group's offer, and the musicians sat down for a new album.

The album "Slaves & Masters" became for Blackmore the embodiment of the idea of ​​​​reviving the Rainbow. Indeed, in the current composition of Deep Purple, three Rainbow musicians played at once - Blackmore himself, Glover and Turner, the great Lord was on the keys, and Pace was on the drums! This composition was for Blackmore the most desirable - after all, he changed the composition of Rainbow so many times, striving for the perfect sound. Now, with the advent of Turner, Rainbow songs appeared in Deep Purple's repertoire, which also could not but inspire nostalgia for past successes. The group successfully tours with a new line-up, running in a new album.

In 1992, the group continues to tour and is preparing to record a new album. But the record company is unhappy with the sales of the latest album, which sounds exactly like the latest Rainbow albums. A lot of money is at stake, and Turner has to leave the group. Gillan appears behind the microphone again, and the group sits down to record the next album.

1993 was marked by the new album "The Battle Rages On", vocals - Gillan. The third revival of the group in the "golden" line-up, which took place against the will of Blackmore, turns out to be decisive - another bowl of patience of the great guitarist overflows. The question of the incompatibility of vocals and music is raised again - most of the things are written under the voice of Turner, and Gillan simply does not pull them out. Blackmore and Gillan don't talk, they don't travel together. On tour during the "break-in" of the new album, Blackmore refuses to go on stage. One of the last joint concerts was filmed. The concert begins without Blackmore - he comes out only in the second half of the opening song, during the guitar solo. Outraged, Gillan tries to explain something to the guitarist, in response, a glass of water flies into his head ... Blackmore leaves the band right in the middle of the tour, thus ending the story with Deep Purple.

Blackmore left Deep Purple in the midst of a tour, completely unconcerned about the fate of the group. To end the tour, the musicians urgently had to look for a replacement. She came in the form of Joe Satriani, who finished playing the parts of Blackmore. The musician refused to stay in Deep Purple, citing a heavy workload in his own projects, and after a while Steve Morse became Deep Purple's guitarist. Finishing the conversation about Deep Purple, let's say that the line-up of the group later suffered only one change, and it is also indirectly connected with the name of Blackmore - instead of the aged Jon Lord, Don Airey, ex-Rainbow, became the new keyboardist of the group. Deep Purple still works in this line-up - successfully tours, releases new albums. But for many fans of the great guitarist, Deep Purple has ceased to exist since Blackmore left him. Listening to Deep Purple's new recordings, watching concert performances, we involuntarily compare Morse's playing with Blackmore's and admit that he is a wonderful guitarist, but far from Blackmore...

Well, meanwhile, in the yard in 1994, Ritchie Blackmore is looking for musicians for the revival of Rainbow - we remember that the group was not officially disbanded. After some time, the team was assembled: in addition to Blackmore and his new passion, backing vocalist Candice Knight, it included vocalist Doogie White, keyboardist Paul Morris, bassist Greg Smith and drummer John O'Reilly.

In 1995, the long-awaited album of the revived Rainbow "Stranger In Us All" was released - work on the album lasted more than six months. The release of the album is especially anticipated in Japan, where over 100,000 copies were sold in the first week alone. Immediately after the release of the album, some changes took place in the composition of Rainbow - instead of the drummer OReilly, an old acquaintance Chuck Bergey, a member of the Rainbow of 83-84, appeared in the group. In this composition, the group actively tours, many concerts were filmed.

1996 was a turning point in the fate of Blackmore. He revels in the success of the revived Rainbow band, tours extensively, takes part in various festivals, accepts various awards, helps other musicians in their own projects ... and begins work on a new solo project. More precisely, this is not just a solo project, this is a joint project with his young wife Candice Knight, who never leaves her famous husband, taking part in the recording of his latest albums and touring with him as a backing vocalist. Blackmore's old friend Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull also "marked" himself in the recording of this album. Blackmore seemed happy. Are you happy?

In 1997, Blackmore's solo album was released, about which there was so much talk. It was released under the name "Blackmore's Night", which can be translated as "Blackmore's Nights", although in fact it is just a combination of the names of Blackmore himself and his wife Candice Knight. Blackmore is actively touring with Rainbow, but all his thoughts are already far from At the peak of Rainbow's popularity, Blackmore announces the "temporary suspension" of Rainbow. This ends the story of Rainbow, but considering that the group has not officially disbanded, one can only hope that we will see a third revival of one from the best bands in the world.

Further milestones in the biography of the great Maestro of the guitar are associated only with Blackmores Knight. The events that took place in Richie's life during this period are worthy of a separate site, so we will limit ourselves to a brief listing of the main episodes:

In 1997, the first album of the Shadow of the Moon project was released;
In 1998, the video Shadow Of The Moon Live In Germany is released;
In 1999, the second album Under a Violet Moon was released;
In 2000, the video Under A Violet Moon Tour Live In Germany is released;
In 2001, the album Fires at Midnight was released;
In 2002, the single Home Again was released;
In 2003, the studio album Ghost of a Rose and the live album Past Times with Good Company were released;
In 2004, the collection of ballads Beyond the Sunset: The Romantic Collection was released;
In 2005, the first official DVD of Castles and Dreams is released;
In 2006, two albums were released at once: The Village Lanterne and Winter Carols;
In 2007, the second official DVD Paris Moon was released, the set includes an audio CD of the same name;
In 2008, the album Secret Voyage was released.

All the time the group is actively touring - their performances are always interesting and unexpected. The scenery is made in the style of a medieval square. Blackmore uses a huge number of folk instruments - here are flutes, and sitars, and lutes, and bagpipes, and even some kind of hurdy-gurdy. But nevertheless, thousands of spectators are looking forward to the moment when the master picks up an old Stratocaster and makes "Black Night" or ""...

Blackmore Ritchie (Ritchie Blackmore), born April 14, 1945, is the famous guitarist of the twentieth century, the leader and one of the founders of the legendary Deep Purple band and the creator of the equally famous Rainbow band.

Since 1996-97 Blackmore's Night project (Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night), which is based on the duet of Ritchie and his girlfriend Candice Night, a vocalist and talented poetess who is the author of lyrics and performs most of the songs, became Blackmore's Night project. Blackmore's Night perform music inspired by traditions European Middle Ages and Renaissance. Excellent arrangements, Ritchie Blackmore's virtuoso playing on acoustic and electric instruments, excellent vocal abilities of Candice Knight - all this makes the world talk about this project as an outstanding phenomenon in modern music. Exquisite melody, the highest professionalism of all the musicians of the group, subtle poetry and enchanting concert performances have become an integral attribute of the art that Richie and Candace generously give to their fans.

The debut CD-album "Blackmore's Night" - "Moonlight Shadows" was released at the end of August 1997.

In the words of Ritchie Blackmore himself, he "turned from the musician of the loudest band in the world into the musician of the quietest in the world! It is impossible to run around the stage, kneel down and thresh when you play the lute."

Ritchie Blackmore: "Meet me, I'll be there soon!"

On the eve of his arrival in Moscow, one of the main guitarists of the last century talks about false nails, evil managers and the good old days

His former colleagues from Deep Purple have already mastered not only the Moscow scenes, but also the Russian hinterland, and Ritchie Blackmore did not go and did not go. Last year, his concert was announced, but something didn’t work out again. This time everything is serious: the entire capital is covered with posters of the Blackmore\'s Night group. What kind of group this is, the fans somehow know: they heard the records. They also heard about the fact that Richie now lives in Germany, loves Bach, plays old music , performs in ancient castles, wears ancient clothes ... Which, however, did not prevent him from using e-mail to answer questions from KP.

- You are very attentive to how to serve your music to the audience. Does this require a special atmosphere? Is it possible to achieve maximum effect in a modern hall or medieval castles are more suitable for this?

- Of course, medieval castles are better. And we always try to make sure that the promoters don't give us a concert in a huge hall where all the atmosphere is lost. And for us, this magical feeling of contact is much more important than playing on a big court and earning big money.

- In order to play such music as now, did you have to change the technique of playing the guitar, improve the instruments?

- Yes, I had to reinvent the technique, now I play mostly with my fingers, and not with a pick, as before. And when I happen to break a nail, it creates great difficulties. I never thought nails were so important. In New York, I tried to use false nails, so one of them came off right in the middle of the song, and the string dug into my finger. I explained to the audience what the matter was, but immediately managed to get myself in the eye with a guitar. There was blood...

- Don't you think that technology influences modern music too much?

- I think modern music is too influenced by money and corporations. Radio stations tell listeners what to buy. Nobody wants to deal with other music than dance or hip-hop. Therefore, in the USA, you mostly listen to miserable copies of Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, N Sync, etc.

- Agents, producers, managers - all this is good for the music business. But don't they destroy the music itself?

- Undoubtedly. I've encountered so many bad managers over the years! Actually, we would have arrived in Russia much earlier if it were not for the strange policy of the former Deep Purple agent.

- We heard a lot about how much you are passionate about medieval music and the Middle Ages in general. But that doesn't mean you prefer horses to cars and candles to electricity, does it?

- This is not the Middle Ages, but the Renaissance, the Renaissance - the 16th - 17th centuries. I really prefer candles to electricity and horses to cars. I love that time - more simple and noble, more romantic, magical and majestic than now. Probably, then there was not so much stress and competition, and the world was not overpopulated.

- In Russia, many people hope to hear something from the repertoire of Deep Purple in your performance ...

- It all depends on the mood. We change the program often, but we ask the promoters to advertise our performances as an acoustic renaissance folk rock show. And we always try to play what the audience wants to hear.

- What was the most pleasant (if, of course, such was) during your work in Deep Purple?

- When Jon Lord and I first formed the band, it was great to see how people were drawn to our music, especially in 1970-1974. It gave me the opportunity to do what I do now. And when a musician is able to pay his bills, it's not bad.

BY THE WAY
Who is she Candice Knight?

Modest but very pretty (former fashion model!) Candace Knight met Ritchie Blackmore in 1989 during a friendly football match between Deep Purple and the team of the American radio station where Candice worked at that time. We dared to harass lady Ritchie Blackmore with a few very tactful questions.

- Before this legendary football match, were you already a fan of Ritchie Blackmore? And by the way, how does he play football?

Yes, I was his fan. True, I did not have Deep Purple records, but I went to their concerts and heard songs on the radio. But I had Rainbow discs. But when Richie and I met, he bought me some Deep Purple albums so that I would know better what I was talking about when I discussed his music. Thanks to him for this, because the best songs of Deep Purple are just not the ones that play on the radio. And by the way, yes, he is a good footballer. Richie plays football the same way he plays guitar: he turns it into poetry, into art.

Whose idea was it to start working together?

- It was Richie's idea. Sneaky at first, like during the 1993 tour with Deep Purple. Richie asked me to sing along to his solo on Difficult To Cure. They put a microphone behind the amplifier and hid me so that the rest of the group did not know. And in Rainbow I already sang in 4 songs. Gradually, we began to compose together, and then the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bBlackmore's Night appeared.

- The combination of the surnames Blackmore and Night turned out to be a good band name. Perhaps it could not have been otherwise?

- Actually, there were different versions of the name - Violet Moon or Rain. Richie didn't want to stick out his name, he considered it selfish, but the Japanese record company said that it should be so - let people know that this is his new project. But we often discuss the possibility of working under a different name - who knows...

Contact with Richie and Candice became possible thanks to the efforts of the organizers of the concert - the company JSA. The Blackmore's Night group performs on April 14 at the Luzhniki Sports Complex.

Elena SEMENOVA

Guitarist of "heavy" behavior

LEGENDARY leader of Deep Purple and creator of Rainbow Ritchie Blackmore is considered to be a man of "difficult behavior": a brawler and in general an extremely gloomy personality. Richie himself assures that jokers like him are still to be found. And then he lays out proof of this: "Say, in Russia, fans are waiting for me? A whole army? My knees are already shaking!"

Blackmore's NEW project, the Blackmore's Night group, is what was least expected from a quasi-rocker. The music reeks of knightly tournaments, and maybe even crusades, it is played in the scenery of medieval castles and Bavarian houses from the time of Emperor Maximilian I.

Noises and riffs

- At concerts, Deep Purple plays mostly old hits, Smoke On The Water in the first place ...

One of the reasons I left the band - and there were plenty of them - was because they went all over the world playing old songs. I wanted something new and fresh. I can't go around the world again, playing ancient hits and believing that I'm making "history of music", I can't.

- Really, having composed Smoke On The Water, you didn’t understand that it was exactly that that you created?

- Yes you! I just played riffs, Ian Paice played drums, there were only two of us. Just a rhythm idea, another song, nothing special.

- When do you compose better?

- I'm an owl: I get up late, and I play all night long, I go to bed already in the morning. This is a night type of music. I love the night because I love silence. And now it's so hard to find! During the day people make so much unnecessary noise, I call it "noise pollution".

"They Hate Me"

- I can't imagine the music of Blackmore's Night in big stadiums.

- Well, why not? We also perform at stadiums, but more - in ancient castles, in chamber theaters and even in churches. It is impossible to compare the cozy atmosphere of small halls with large - cold ones. Now I do not know how to return to the style of play for stadiums.

- Different energy?

- Absolutely. When you perform in front of 10,000 people, you are more focused on acting, acting, theatrical effects. When 100 people listen to you, you are more focused on the music itself, on your feelings.

- Do new musicians like working with you?

- They hate it.

- Why???

- I don't pay them money. I also beat with a microphone stand, do not feed and lock me in the basement of the castle for the night, ha-ha-ha!

- Do you have students?

- Yes, I teach the neighborhood kids. We live in the forest, near the sea. In the evening they gather at our place, we burn a fire, bake potatoes. Together we play music written five centuries before they were born.

- Do you know how many guitars are in your house?

- Twenty. Something like that. Mostly acoustic - there are 12 of them. And, probably, 8 electric ones. But I rarely play these.

- Do you realize what kind of energy your game brings to the hall? In general, music can be considered as a tool for influencing the human mind?

- If with a guitar, but on the head - it can very well!

Britney and the clones

- How do you like trendy music?

- The one on the radio? It's all record label manipulation that pays radio stations a lot of money, especially in America. Over the past 3 years, you will hear nothing but Britney Spears. Well, maybe Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. But they are, in fact, the twins of Britney Spears. All the same, the rhythmic pattern is the same. Nothing can make me listen to such a radio. I think labels are just afraid of losing money if they start promoting new talent. Or old ones.

- There were only Americans at the last Grammy. Isn't this discrimination against musicians from other countries?

- Good question. Why, when I'm in Europe, there are many other bands playing, but as soon as I get to the USA, I hear only American bands? Michael Oldfield has so many hits in the Old World, but in America they don't know him. They don't even know ABBA! This is the grandiose selfishness of the American market, 97% of which is at the mercy of "their own". Perhaps the only English band they know is U2. And that's just because they're Irish...

Tastes could not be discussed

Medieval and Renaissance music, the Jethro Tull band, Orthodox chants - such is the range of musical tastes of the legendary rock guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Ritchie Blackmore spoke about what he likes to listen to today and what to play in an interview with Itogi.

- What made you trade your trusty Fender Stratocaster for an acoustic guitar?

- At some point, it became difficult for me to play in the same spirit, without changing anything. But I also could not completely abandon the Stratocaster. Until now, fifty percent of what I play is electric music.

- Candace Knight in your joint project is a full co-author?

- Absolutely. Candace awakened in me a passion for the Middle Ages. Interest in the music of the Middle Ages influenced not only my recent compositions, but also my whole way of life.

- You include motifs from "Swan Lake" and even the song "Polyushko-Polye" in your compositions. Do you like Russian music?

- My connection with your country is almost mystical: they told me that I was Russian in one of my past lives. Both me and Candice feel a certain minor drama that all Russian culture is saturated with. Personally, I have always been very interested in Russian folk music and Orthodox choral singing.

- Will you perform new compositions in Moscow?

- If I name them now, then the necessary element of intrigue will surely be lost. So I better keep quiet. We usually play mixed material: some old stuff, some of the latest and even Y and even stuff that we're just going to play in the future.

- Are you planning any joint projects with other musicians? For example, with Ian Anderson (leader of the cult English band Jethro Tull) or Ronnie James Dio (famous rock vocalist, worked with Blackmore in the Rainbow band in the 70s and 80s)?

- Ronnie is an amazing singer, and there was a time when I thought about a new joint project with him. But at the moment he is leaning towards an alliance with Deep Purple. As for Ian Anderson, we are planning to do cover versions of his songs.

- Which other musicians do you like?

- Rock musicians are Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Paul Rogers. Of the classical ones - John Williams, Christopher Parkening, due to the fact that now I mainly listen to medieval and Renaissance music. My favorite bands are Die Geyers, Krelliss, Freiberger Speilleut and Gothart.

- Tell us about those with whom you will play in Moscow.

- Sir Robert from Normandy - bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist; Lady Vita is a vocalist, like Candace, and a composer. Mike Sorrentino and Squire Malcolm are percussionists, Carmine Giglio is keyboardist, and Chris Devine is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays electric and acoustic violins, as well as mandolin, flute and keyboards.

For the past six years, Blackmore has been performing with his girlfriend Candice Knight - from a rock and roll rebel, Blackmore has turned into a sedate bard.

Alexander NEVEROV

Blackmore Evening

At the end of his career, one of the founders of Deep Purple became a minstrel. Blame, as usual, the woman.

In 1996, Ritchie Blackmore met a lovely young girl named Candice Knight and fell in love. The affair with Knight had an unexpectedly strong influence on Blackmore's life and his musical style. Suddenly it turned out that the famous guitarist, hard rock legend actually loves medieval music. Blackmore himself describes the coup as follows: "It was as if she dragged me into a torture chamber and forced me to tell the whole truth about myself." In his declining years, the rebellious rocker turned to sweet harmonies, allowed the beauty to take his hand and take him to the castle with lutes, stone vaults and goblets, where the carnival feast is decorously interspersed with angelic singing. Under the influence of Candice Blackmore created a musical conglomeration of medieval and renaissance ballads, folklore and pop tunes. The once rebellious guitarist, who once performed on a burning stage and thrashed his neck on TV cameras, now plays chamber music and fills the hall not with flashy electric guitar solos, but with transparent string picking. And Blackmore's project is called Knight: Blackmore's Night. Here, I must say, it turned out to be an interesting play on words: it can be translated as "Blackmore Knight" (in the sense of a girl), or as "Blackmore's evening", sunset, twilight of the rock gods. In April, Blackmore's Night will perform in Moscow with a concert.

Ten years ago, it was difficult to imagine such a metamorphosis. Blackmore's name seemed to be tightly fused with a specific musical style. In many ways, he defined the sound of Deep Purple. Blackmore could well have said: "Deep Purple is me!" Actually, he did this from time to time, causing serious friction in the group, which gradually ruined the top five "purple". Then Ian Gillan was replaced by Ronnie James Dio, Deep Purple was replaced by Rainbow, but the Blackmore sound remained the same. And it seemed like he would always be.

Rock musicians with high playing technique have always gravitated towards musical academicism - here you can remember not only Deep Purple and Rainbow, but also Procol Harum and ELP. Therefore, if Blackmore created an album consisting entirely of classic hits played "in electricity", no one would be surprised. But his radical turn towards baroque and medieval music came as a surprise. Meanwhile, in his first group with the longest name Twenty Once Coffee Junior Skiffl Group, which he created in his school years, Richie played exactly the acoustic rhythm guitar, which he bought with the saved 22 pounds in a few months. It was then that he bought an expensive Gibson-335, which he replaced in 1971 with a mind-blowing Fender Stratocaster, and began to "hack" hard rock. In fact, Blackmore, in his own words, always dreamed of the classics. He would like to play medieval music in the open air with a traveling booth. So, perhaps, the American Candice Knight only pushed the long-awaited changes.

Knight combines the talents of a singer, composer and arranger. On her account - background vocals for Deep Purple and Rainbow and a number of solo recordings. In addition, the current companion of Richie was the host of the show on the Long Island radio station, where they met. Candace is fit to be a rock and roll maestro in a daughter. She was born in 1971 - just when Richie and his comrades were bombarding American venues with their killer hits and recorded their famous album Fireball ("Thunderball"), which cracked the English charts and rose to the first line for the first time. In Blackmore's Night, Candice has to replace both Lord (Deep Purple keyboardist) and Gillan (Deep Purple vocalist) at once. Therefore, the question of whose project it is - Candace or Richie - is from the category of eternal ones. It will be asked until as long as the family band exists.

In 1996, before starting to record the album, Richie and Candice spent several months in Germany - in a real castle with tapestries, enfilades and dungeons. In their free time from music-making and night vigils, they attended the "Renaissance Fair" - a folk festival where they play music on the harp and lutes and walk in the outfits of ancient monks and knights around tables filled with Rabelais food and Rhine wine, which the drunkards from " Faust." Time travel was surprisingly easy. Candice already resembles a medieval Fair Lady, for the sake of which feats are performed. Well, Richie is quite suitable for the role of a knight, who, however, has not been involved in wars for a long time. Richie's feat is a reincarnation feat. For the sake of crystal music, the love for which Candice professes, he had to humble his pride. From a rock and roll rebel, a subverter of the idols of sanity and boredom, he became a staid bard playing transparent triplets, and changed his faithful Fender Stratocaster to an acoustic guitar.

The main theme of the first album Shadow Of The Moon, released in 1997, was, as expected, love. Here are ballads, and naive folk, and marches with tambourines, and the "family" interpretation of Tchaikovsky in Writing On The Wall. The album peaked at number 14 on the Billboard charts and spent 17 weeks on the German charts. In the second album Under A Violet Moon (1999), the music is also sustained in a medieval ballad style and played exclusively on live instruments. Among other things, Richie and Candice performed the song Past Time With Good Company, composed by the once English King Henry VII. Finally, in July 2001, another release came out - Fires At Midnight with a tangible influence of Japanese music and the participation of an electric guitar, which, as it was believed before, Blackmore refused seriously and for a long time. What explosive mixture the minstrel and his pious girlfriend will make in their retort before the concert in Moscow - one can only guess.

Richard Hugh Blackmore is a brilliant British guitarist. He not only performs, but also writes songs himself. Blackmore was one of the first to introduce elements of classical music into blues-rock.

Biography of Ritchie Blackmore: childhood

Richard Hugh Blackmore was born on April 14, 1945 in the English resort town of Weston-super-Mare, located on the coast. At two years old, Richard moved with his parents to Heston (a suburb of London). His father worked at Heathrow, He worked in a brigade laying lanes for aircraft. My mother had her own small shop.

At school, Richie studied without diligence, and in sports he achieved a lot. Most of all he succeeded in swimming and shot put, but he also succeeded in throwing a spear. In connection with the serious achievements in sports, Richard was wanted to be included in the England team, but he did not pass the age.

How Ritchie Blackmore's Passion for Music Started

At the end of the 50s. Musical life was in full swing in London. Thanks to television, which began broadcasting the first pop shows, Ritchie Blackmore heard rock and roll for the first time. Most of all, he was struck by the performance of guitarist Tommy Stahl. Blackmore immediately borrowed a guitar from a friend and tried to start playing. And although nothing immediately happened, he realized that this was his passion.

First steps to fame

Some time later, his father gave him a used acoustic guitar, which he bought for seven pounds. At first, Richie spent a year studying the classic game, learning the basic rules. It was Ritchie Blackmore's first guitar. Most blues guitarists played with just three fingers. Richie learned to use all ten.

Over time, Blackmore converted his first musical instrument to an electric guitar, adding a speaker and an amplifier. With the help of his brother's friends, he met Jim Sullivan, who was considered one of the most respected guitarists of the 60s. Polishing the skill, Richie practiced for six hours a day. During this time, he developed his own unique style, combining rock and classics.

Blackmore's first performances and the creation of his own group

The first ensemble in which Blackmore played was organized in 1960. During this time, Ritchie worked as a radio mechanic at Heathrow Airport. After saving up, he bought a new electric guitar for £22 and worked with a local band for a while. Then I decided to create my own team. This was Ritchie Blackmore's first band that he created.

Since school days, Blackmore was friends with Mick Underwood, who had a real him and invited him to his group as a drummer. Then he recruited the rest of the participants. The group did not exist for long and soon broke up. After that, along with Mick, Richie joined The Satellites.

In May 1961, Ritchie Blackmore saw an ad for a guitarist in one of the popular bands called The Savages. There he first met David Sutch, with whom he often crossed paths in his work. He came to the audition with his girlfriend and father. But, despite the obvious talent and virtuoso passages, Richie was not taken to the group due to the fact that he was only 16 years old. A year later, Blackmore was still taken to The Savages. Despite his young age, Richie already has his fans. The group spent several months on tour in Australia and Scandinavia. Combining work with show business became increasingly difficult, and Ritchie retired in 1963.

The rising fame of Ritchie Blackmore

In 1965, Richie was invited to work with The Crusaders. It was led by singer Neil Christian. Prior to Blackmore's arrival, the band's guitarist was Phil McPill. But before the appearance of Richie, he disappeared without a trace. Blackmore stayed with the band for a short time and returned to The Savages. But he did not stay there either due to strained relations with leader David Satch. Ritchie Blackmore left the group after three months. He was followed by bassist Avis Anderson and drummer Tornado Evans.

All three went on a temporary tour to Germany with another group. After the completion of the contract, they remained in Germany and began performing at a music club in Bochum, forming their own group, which they called the Three Musketeers. But after a while, the administration stopped liking noisy performances, and the contract with the musicians was terminated. In the spring all three returned to England. After arriving, Richie wrote a song that hit the 14th place on the hit parade. Richie's fame began to grow. They started talking about him not only as a virtuoso guitarist, but also as a composer.

Blackmore Depression Period

After returning to England, Richie did not stay there long. He again decided to return to Germany and changed several groups there. But, disappointed, seeing that this could continue indefinitely, and there was no progress, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore decided to interrupt his musical career indefinitely.

During the day he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Hamburg, in the evenings he played scales in his hotel room, preparing for the final exam at the conservatory, where he entered a few years ago. In 1967, Ritchie returned to England, passed the exams at the conservatory, received a diploma and again left for Germany.

Blackmore's return to the music world

Back in Germany, Ritchie Blackmore spent days honing his skills. This continued until he received a telegram from London with an offer to join Deep Purple and accepted the invitation. This group soon became one of the most famous, and Richie began to be called the dark and incomprehensible king of hard rock guitar.

Ritchie's style was distinguished by its individuality. According to him, during the concert he does not listen to other guitarists, dissolving in the sounds of his own instrument. Apparently, Richie's unusual style of playing was influenced by his love for string music (specifically, played on the violin and cello). The education received at the conservatory also played a significant role. But Richie felt uncomfortable in the group, he seemed to lack something, and after a while the musician left it.

hidden dreams

The biography of Ritchie Blackmore is replete with many groups from which he left and returned again. One of them was Deep Purple, which he left in 1975. Blackmore left for New York and invited several musicians from the Elfa group to organize their own band. They agreed and named their team Rainbow. In the same year, the group released their first album. And after a while, internal conflicts began to arise in Rainbow.

In an interview, Blackmore admitted that, having left Deep Purple, he wanted to create something new, where he could breathe easier. And as a result, he again found himself in the same tension, from which he tried to escape. And in connection with the growing popularity of Rainbow, it only intensified.

Richie shared with reporters and his desires. It turned out that at home he most often listens to Bach. Richie would like to play classical music, but at concerts it seems boring. It lacks a bit of joy, a sense of celebration. And it's in rock 'n' roll. He dreamed of creating something in between, a new direction, but so far it has not worked out.

A new round of Blackmore's music

Richie left Rainbow and for some time periodically returned to the groups in which he performed earlier. Despite the successes achieved, in 1997 he decided to create a new project Blackmore's Night with his wife. The idea came from music that Richie heard while touring Germany. A group of musicians played medieval music on ancient instruments. Ritchie Blackmore helped him find the zest that was required to create a musical masterpiece.

In his home studio, he himself recorded all the parts of keyboards, drums, etc. The result was an unusual album. An original cocktail of different medieval music, in which there is passion, romanticism, pathos and mysticism, with the addition of the sounds of electric and acoustic guitars, stringed old melodies and the charming voice of Blackmore's wife performing songs. The project still does not lose its attractiveness.

Blackmore's personal life

Ritchie Blackmore (photo can be seen in this article) married Margaret Volkmar on May 18, 1964. She was from Germany. At first they lived in Hamburg, where their son Jurgen was born. Richie divorced a few years later. The second time he married Barbel Hardy, also a German. The wedding was played in September 1969. The marriage was short-lived and Blackmore divorced again. In 1974 he moved to Oxnard, where he met Annie Rothman, who became his third wife. The marriage lasted until 1983, then another divorce followed.

In the late 80s, Blackmore met Candice Knight, a poetess and vocalist. At that time, the girl was only 18 years old. Soon they got engaged, but the wedding was played only 15 years later - in October 2008. Two years later they had a daughter, who was named Autumn Esmeralda. And the second child was born on February 7, 2012.

Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore(English) Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore ; genus. April 14, Weston-super-Mare, England) is an English rock musician, virtuoso guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. One of the founders of the Deep Purple group, after leaving which he created the Rainbow group. In 1996, he created the Blackmore's Night project, in which he still plays.

Blackmore is considered one of the most significant and influential guitarists of the 20th century, he is included in many charts of the "best guitarists of all time".

Biography

Childhood

Ritchie Blackmore was born April 14, 1945 in Weston Super Mare, Somerset. Raised in Hurston, Middlesex. When Richie was 2 years old, his family moved to the city of Hurston and settled in the Ash Grove area. His mother had a small shop, and his father worked at Heathrow Airport, where he laid routes for aircraft. His favorite musicians were Gene Vincent and Hank Marvin.

From childhood, the musician was closed. He well remembers the case when his parents decided to celebrate his birthday and invited guests, and he ran away to the attic, and left the shelter only when the guests dispersed.

His appearance was added to isolation:

I, like my father, have such a type of face that even when I'm happy, there is an expression of discontent on it. As a child, I was often asked: Boy, what's up? You look so unhappy!»

Being gifted, he did not shine with good grades in his studies. According to him, the school in which he studied was very puritanical and was disgusting to him. If he missed something and raised his hand, the following dialogue took place:

Sir, I don't understand...
- Don't you understand, Blackmore? Well, get in the corner!
- Sorry, sir.

His father, who taught mathematics in his youth, once helped him with an assignment. The teacher, taking the notebook in his hands, was perplexed: he could not understand how they were solved. When Blackmore explained how he made them, and that it was much easier to solve them this way, the teacher simply crossed out the solution with the words: “I didn’t teach you that way, so it’s wrong!”

On that day, it hit me like an electric shock. I realized that in this world, really, something is wrong.

For the rest of his life, Richie hated teachers, and always speaks very harshly about them, and only the music teacher enjoyed his respect, as he approached learning creatively.

He always combined incompatible character traits: shyness and a desire to stand out: “I always wanted to do something that went beyond the generally accepted. That's why I don't smoke. Everyone smoked at school. Maybe if they didn't smoke, I'd be doing just that."

Not a week went by without him being expelled from school. He failed the exam that gives the right to go to high school, and became an outcast. The only thing that attracted Blackmore was sports. He achieved success in football, swimming, javelin throwing and won many competitions. One day his friend brought a guitar to school. Richie was fascinated by its appearance, and he immediately wanted to learn how to play it.

Soon his father bought him a Framus acoustic guitar. Richie often recalls:

I always quote my father saying, "If you don't learn to play this thing, I'll smash it over your head." He said it in jest as soon as we left the store, but it cost him 8 guineas! It was a lot of money, especially for someone who thought that I was not going to learn how to play it, but to act as usual - to play the fool. My father was the first to show me how to play.

During the year he studied classical guitar, and it helped him a lot in the future that he learned the correct playing technique from the very beginning. These skills also made it possible to compose music, because in his work he repeatedly used the classics.

The father took part in the training of the young guitarist:

Although he was a mathematician, not a musician, he knew a lot about music. If I had any problems, my father would sit down and show me how to solve them. He had a scientific approach to everything, and he was a huge help in my musical studies.

His father played him records of many musicians, who, in his opinion, played interesting and non-standard. He really liked Django Reinhardt:

He had two fingers on one hand, but if you listened to how he played with these two fingers, it was something!

He also studied with one of the then best British guitarists - Jimmy Sullivan. Ritchie Blackmore:

He played the guitar for only a few years, but immediately became perhaps the best guitarist in England. I was working hard on the guitar and thought I was playing great until I heard him. I didn't even really understand what he was doing. Jim taught me many tricks. When you are next to a really good musician, it saves you from many mistakes and wrong moves.

Sullivan recalled that at first Ritchie copied other guitarists, playing their parts one-on-one, and told Blackmore that the game should have its own style.

Early work

His first group was 21 "s Coffee Bar Junior Skiffle Group, which consisted of his classmates and named after the famous cafe in which many famous musicians played. Here, at first, surprisingly, Richie played on the washboard, and then on the drawer from under tea with a pole stuck in it - traditional instruments for skiffle bands.Then he switched to an electric guitar, which he made himself in craft lessons from his acoustic guitar.He made an amplifier and a speaker from an old receiver.

In 1974, Blackmore became involved in a scandal at the California Jam festival in California. Deep Purple were headlining and scheduled to play after dusk, a show of lasers and fireworks was prepared by the band. However, due to the reduction in performances of other bands, Deep Purple's turn came long before sunset. Richie defiantly closed himself in his dressing room and refused to go on stage until the appointed time. The organizers of the ABC TV channel put the guitarist on stage with the help of the police. The frustrated Richie's response was the legendary performance of breaking the operator's camera with a guitar.

Spats with Lord, Paice and main bass player Glover, and differences in musical tastes between Blackmore and new band members, Glen Hughes and David Coverdale, led to him leaving Deep Purple in 1975. A year later, the group completely broke up.

Rainbow and Deep Purple reunion

Rainbow in 1977: Dio, Blackmore and Daisley

In 1975, Ritchie teamed up with the band Elf, led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio. The new band was named Rainbow and actively used the name of the popular Blackmore for promotion - for example, the debut album was “Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow". In Rainbow Ritchie and Ronnie continued to play hard rock. The group also used alterations of classical and folk music in their music Rainbow soon became almost a solo project of Blackmore, who fired most of the original Elf members one by one, and in 1979 the group's second leader, Dio, eventually moved to Black Sabbath himself.

In 1984, Blackmore, Lord, Gillan and Paice announced the reunion of Deep Purple as the 1969-1973 line-up. "New old" Deep Purple recorded the Perfect Strangers album and had a very successful tour in support of it. But soon the relationship between Blackmore and vocalist Ian Gillan deteriorated again. Ritchie tried to bring in Joe Lynn Turner, his Rainbow colleague, to replace Gillan, but the replacement was met with disapproval by the rest of the members and part of the public. As a result, Gillan was returned to the group, and Blackmore, after recording the album The Battle Rages On ... and the subsequent tour, which Blackmore did not play in full (at Japanese concerts, he was replaced by Joe Satriani), left it completely.

In 1993, Richie re-created Rainbow with a new line-up with vocalist Doogie White. The new line-up recorded the only album, Stranger in Us All. On it, in particular, you can hear the processing of the classic composition by Edvard Grieg "In the cave of the mountain king". Blackmore's work in Rainbow to this day has only positive reviews from music critics.

Blackmore's Night

Richie and Candice at Blackmore's Night

In the late 80s, Richie met vocalist and poet Candice Knight, who wrote some of the lyrics for Rainbow, and also performed backing vocals in Rainbow and Deep Purple. In 1997, having finally officially closed Rainbow, Richie and Candace founded Blackmore's Night, a folk-rock project named after their last names. The group's music was significantly different from Richie's previous style: they were acoustic ballads in the spirit of Renaissance music, the group appeared performers on wind, classical and folk instruments, and Blackmore himself began to play mainly on the acoustic guitar. Over the years, the influence of rock has increased in the music of Blackmore's Night and parts for the electric guitar have appeared.

Personal life

Richie has been divorced three times. His first wife (in 1964-1969), a German, named Margrit, from this marriage Ritchie has a son, Jurgen Blackmore, who is also involved in music. Blackmore's remark about his son, which he dropped after meeting with him, is interesting: “I find it very strange (you can even say that it bothers me to some extent) when he calls me dad. If he called me Satan or something like that, it would look more natural. Here is what Jurgen himself says about his star father:

It was a very difficult time for me growing up because everyone looks at you like you're special, even though I wasn't. I was just the simplest boy and I hated how people reacted to me. At times, I didn’t tell anyone my last name at all ... I never boasted about it. But gossip spreads quickly in the music business, and people have found it, of course. I am proud that my father is a great guitar player, but I always wanted to have a very ordinary father.

Divorced in 1969, he married Barbel Hardy, also a German. Blackmore's third marriage from 1981-1987 was to Amy Rothman.

After one of the football matches that Richie so adored, among those who wanted an autograph was an 18-year-old girl, a journalist from the WBAB radio station, Candice Knight. Blackmore complimented her and they then met at a local bar.

Of course, he made an impression, looked very mysterious, strong, and, as it seemed to me, needed a real friend, ”recalls Candice. - He showed tricks all night, read my thoughts, and I was subdued. The fact that he was 44 didn't seem to matter. We chatted until 6 o'clock in the morning, and when I got home, my parents were beside themselves with rage.

Richie fell in love with her at first sight. When it came time to go on tour, he sent her postcards from all over the world. When Blackmore returned to the United States, they saw each other again and from that moment began to meet. Since 1991, they lived in a civil marriage, and on October 5, 2008 they got engaged. On May 27, 2010, Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Knight had a daughter, Autumn Esmeralda. Autumn Esmerelda).

Rory Dartagnan, the couple's second child, was born on February 7, 2012. According to Candace, the first name for the son was chosen and from the Irish language it translates as "red king", and D "Artagnan is in honor of the famous musketeer.

Discography

deep purple	Rainbow	Blackmore's Night
Shades of Deep Purple (1968) The Book of Taliesyn (1968) Deep Purple (April) (1969) (1969) Gemini Suite (live) (1970) In Rock (1970) Fireball (1971) Machine Head (1972) Who Do We Think We Are! (1973) Burn (1974) Stormbringer (1974) Perfect Strangers (1984) The House of Blue Light (1987) Slaves and Masters (1990) The Battle Rages on... (1993)	Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) Rising (1976) Long Live Rock "n" Roll (1978) Down to Earth (1979) Difficult to Cure (1981) Straight Between the Eyes (1982) Bent out of shape (1983) Stranger in Us All (1995)	Shadow of the Moon (1997) Under a Violet Moon (1999) Fires at Midnight (2001) Ghost of a Rose (2003) The Village Lanterne (2006) Winter Carols (2006) Secret Voyage (2008) Autumn Sky (2010)

Links

Notes

deep purple
Ian Gillan · Roger Glover · Ian Pace · Steve Morse · Don Airey Jon Lord · Ritchie Blackmore · Rod Evans · Nick Simper · David Coverdale · Glenn Hughes · Tommy Bolin · Joe Lynn Turner · Joe Satriani
Studio albums	Shades of Deep Purple · The Book of Taliesyn · deep purple · Deep Purple in Rock · Fireball · machine head · Who Do We Think We Are · Burn · Stormbringer · Come Taste the Band · Perfect Strangers · The House of Blue Light · Slaves & Masters · The Battle Rages On… · Purpendicular · Abandon · Bananas · Rapture of the Deep
Concert albums	Concerto for Group and Orchestra · Made in Japan · Made in Europe · Last Concert in Japan · Deep Purple in Concert · Live in London · Scandinavian Nights · Nobody's Perfect · In the Absence of Pink: Knebworth '85 · Live in Japan · Come Hell or High Water · King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert · California jamming · Mk III: The Final Concerts · Live at the Olympia"96 · Gemini Suite Live · Total Abandon: Australia '99 · Deep Purple: Extended Versions · Live at the Royal Albert Hall · Live at the Rotterdam Ahoy · This Time Around: Live in Tokyo · The Soundboard Series · Live in Paris 1975 · Inglewood · Space Vol 1 & 2 · Perks and Tit · Live in Stockholm · Live in Europe 1993 · Live at Montreux 1996 · Live in Montreux 69 · Live in Denmark 1972 · They All Came Down to Montreux
Collections	Purple Passages Mark I & II 24 Carat Purple power house When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll The Mark II Purple Singles Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple The Anthology Knocking at Your Back Door: The Best of Deep Purple in the 80's The Deep Purple Singles A"s and B"s 30: Very Best of Deep Purple Smoke on the Water Shades 1968-1998 The Very Best of Deep Purple Days May Come and Days May Go Smoke On The Water & Other Hits Listen, Learn, Read On Winning Combinations: Deep Purple and Rainbow The Early Years The Platinum Collection BBC Sessions 1968–1970
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The outstanding English virtuoso guitarist and composer Ritchie Blackmore was born on April 14, 1945 in a small provincial town, then the Blackmore family moved to one of the suburbs of London. There, schoolboy Ritchie organized his first group with a very long name: "TWENTY ONCE COFFEE BAR JUNIOR SKIFFLE GROUP". In it, the young man played the acoustic rhythm guitar. The second group of young talent was called "DOMINATORES". By the way, another talented musician started his career in it - Mick Underwood, who "lit up" in 1978-1982 in the group "GILLAN". The lead guitarists on "DOMINATORES" were Roger Meangay and the bassist was Alan Dunklean. The next group, "CONDORS", became Ritchie's last amateur band. Since that time, he entered the professional scene.

In May 1961, the group "SAVAGES" announced a competition to fill the vacant position of solo guitarist. The band's leader, singer Lord Sutch, had rejected a dozen candidates when a middle-aged man entered the rehearsal room dragging a teenager with a guitar. The man's name was Arnold Blackmore, and the teenager's name was Richard. During the audition, Blackmore Sr. sat on a stool next to his son. Sixteen-year-old Ritchie demonstrated such mastery of the instrument, such a gift for improvisation, that the band's regular guitarist Roger Mingay (the same from the "DOMINATORES") resigned the next day: there was no question of any competition. But Blackmore was in no hurry to accept the offer, considering himself not quite ready for professional performances - in the same 1961 he entered the correspondence department of the London Conservatory in the violin class. And only a year later, in April 1962, Ritchie decided that he was ripe for work with SAVAGES.

The collaboration of the young musician with this group did not last long, and already in October 1962 he took the place of the guitarist in "OUTLAWS". Before the arrival of Ritchie, the solo-guitarist of this group was... the same Mingey. One got the impression that Blackmore set himself the goal of keeping Roger out of rock in general. And, I must say, he succeeded - leaving "OUTLAWS", Mingey emigrated to Australia, where his traces were lost.

Blackmore played in "OUTLAWS" for a year and a half - during this time the group recorded four "forties", gave a series of concerts with such famous performers as Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and John Laton . The musicians played quite decently, but the official press did not accept the band because of its shocking image and demeanor to match the name (outlaws means "outlawed"). Since then, Ritchie has developed an instinctive distaste for the press and especially for interviews.

Believing that "OUTLAWS" has absolutely no future, in April 1964, Blackmore left the group. Soon he was invited by the group from Southampton "Heinz and the Savages": in a few months these "savages" managed to tour Scandinavia and Australia, leaving a wonderful impression of themselves there. In Sweden, for example, Blackmore the "savage" is remembered in much the same way as for his performances with "DEEP PURPLE".

The following year, 1965, found Ritchie Blackmore in a new band, the CRUSADERS, led by the famous then famous singer Neil Christian, and in which the excellent guitarist Albert Lee began his career. The news of Ritchie's alleged participation in the band's concerts knocked out of her a good guitarist Phil McLeel (Phil McLeel), who has since disappeared without a trace from the musical arena. There is an ingrained belief among English guitarists that it is not safe to get in the way of Ritchie Blackmore. Ritchie's cooperation with "CRUSADERS" took place in three stages, but at the first - from January to February 1965 - it was formal: Blackmore only confirmed his desire to work with the group, no more. He returned to SAVAGES, but discussions about the band's future with its leader Lord Sutch gradually took on such a heated character that after three months Blackmore left, taking with him guitarist Avede Andersen (Avede Andersen) and drummer Tornado Evans (Tornado Evans).

The trio offered their services to Jerry Lee Lewis, who accepted them and went on tour to Germany. Having completed the concert program, Lewis offered the musicians a long-term contract, but since Blackmore had never been attracted to a career as an auxiliary accompanist, he refused. The musicians remained in Germany, where in December 1965 they were invited to perform at the Star music club in Bochum. The trio called themselves "Three Musketeers" - the musicians went on stage in camisoles, with swords, and in between songs they staged fencing performances. Everything was going great, but the club's administration decided that the musketeer games were too noisy, and terminated the contract. In January 1966, the Three Musketeers laid down their swords.

In the spring the trio returned to England and in full force joined the remnants of the newly collapsed "CRUSADERS". Blackmore wrote the song "It's wonderful!" for the new line-up. - she got to the 14th place of the British hit parade, and they started talking about Richie not only as a talented guitarist, but also noted his composing abilities (by the way, this song is the only one in which Blackmore performs the lead vocal part). In the summer of 1966, the group went on tour to Europe, and ... at this the second stage of cooperation with The Crusaders was completed: Richie once again believed the promises of Lord Sutch not to scandal and not to squabble and joined his new group "Roman Empire".

The composition of the "Roman Empire" was selected very carefully: in addition to Sutch and Blackmore, the group included equally strong musicians, such as keyboardist Matthew Fisher (Matthew Fisher), who later became famous in "Procol Harum", bass guitarist Tony Dangerfield (Tony Dangerfield) , who played in a dozen different bands before "Empire", and after it brought together the future "ELO", excellent saxophonist Joel James and veteran "Savages" drummer Carlo Little. The musicians of the "Roman Empire" performed in gladiatorial togas, and Lord Sutch, despite all the promises to improve, fell into megalomania and began to call himself Caesar Sutch. Blackmore was tired of all this, and he again went to Germany (after his departure, the "Roman Empire" ceased to exist), where he briefly joined the touring Crusaders. In addition, Blackmore played with such well-known instrumentalists as Jimmy Page (Jimmy Page), Jeff Beck (Jeff Beck), Nicki Hopkins (Nicki Hopkins) and others. “It was clear to the ideal that had developed in my imagination,” Blackmore recalled, “that it was possible to continue in this way indefinitely, but quantity would never turn into quality, so I decided to stop my musical career for a while.”

During the day, Richie wandered aimlessly around Hamburg, and in the evenings, locked himself in a hotel room, played endless scales, preparing for the final exam at the conservatory. By September, he could not stand it and with three friends he organized a quartet "Madrake root", which lasted only a month. The concerts never came to fruition. In October 1967, Blackmore returned to England, received a diploma from the conservatory and again left for Germany. In Hamburg, together with his girlfriend Bethe, he settles in an apartment where he breaks strings day and night, honing his skills. This continues until the day he receives a telegram from Curtis and his friends from London. “A professional organist and the prospect of a band with dedicated keyboards,” Ritchie said, “seemed very tempting, and I decided to urgently fly to London.” As it turned out, he flew towards Deep Purple ...

...When Deep Purple became one of the most famous bands in the world, Blackmore acquired the title of "the dark and incomprehensible king of hard rock guitar." This, presumably, came from the medieval manner of dressing: Ritchie often showed off in a hat-model of the XV century, which earned the name "witch hunter", as well as from the unkind manner of treatment of the writing fraternity. The title of "king" Blackmore deservedly received. He is very technical, his style of play is individual. Blackmore himself explains this as follows: he hardly listens to other guitarists, but from childhood he loves violin and cello music. Apparently, his conservatory education also played an important role.

Having a lot of fans and imitators, as well as a lot of money, Blackmore was still not satisfied with his participation in Deep Purple. “I started to get tired of my colleagues and their ideas: everything seemed to be a carbon copy ... We just got lazy. For example, if we were given two weeks of rest between tours to record a new album, then twelve days of them we played football, one - slept off, and rehearsed only in the remaining hours. We wrote most of the things right in the studio, relying on craft skills, and not on inspiration or creativity, ”he said and on April 7, 1975 left Deep Purple.

During the American tour, Deep Purple often performed in joint concerts with the local band Elf. Blackmore, having left Deep Purple, went to New York and invited the musicians of Elf to organize a new group - Rainbow - Rainbow. In addition to Blackmore, its composition included: Ronnie James Dio (Ronnie James Dio) (vocals), Mickey Lee Soule (Keyboards), Gruber Gruber (Craig Gruber) (bass guitar), who was replaced almost immediately Jimmy Bain of Harolt Gary Driscoll (drums) In the same year, the group's first album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, was released, which included compositions that are a melodic version of the hard and heavy style. (See also Rainbow's history.) In the early 80s, conflicts began to arise in the group, just as Deep Purple had before. Blackmore himself admits this quite candidly:

“When I left Deep Purple, I wanted to breathe easier, and now Rainbow is even more popular than Deep Purple in some countries, such as Japan. I did not expect and did not want such a reaction. And now I'm back where I ran from - in a high voltage zone.

So what's left to do, Mr. Blackmore?
“When I feel that rock and roll is already in my liver, and this happens quite often, I come home, put on a record with Bach music, medieval music, and go into it ... I really love classical music. Bach is 80% of everything I listen to."
- It turns out that you do not play the music that you like? Is being in a rock band a compromise for you?

“I would like to perform classical music. But I can never do it the way I want to. Performances in chamber or symphony orchestras seem insanely boring to me. If given the opportunity, I would travel with a traveling booth and play medieval music in the open air. The closest thing to this ideal is still a rock band. In rock and roll there is this spirit of celebration, there is also a living enjoyment. But as I remember the sour and indifferent faces of the musicians when we were recording Stargazer (Stargazer, 1976) ... Probably, I will never be happy in music ... "

Yes, Richie is probably right. After all, who else knows him as well as he does? Neither the old bands of the early 60s, such as Hamburger Faces, nor the legendary Deep Purple, nor Rainbow, nor solo albums (Ritchie recorded them in parallel with the game at Rainbow) brought him complete creative satisfaction ...

Soon "Rainbow" ceases to exist as a group. Musicians, each time different, gather at the call of Blackmore only for the duration of the recording of a disc, a single or for a tour. In early 1984, Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover returned to the newly assembled Deep Purple. However, this attempt failed in the end. Blaymore was being dictatorial again, like a stupid, puffed-up kid. In addition, the musician began to apply more and more to the bottle. During the last years of his work in "DEEP PURPLE" he went out drunk to all the concerts (although before uncorking the next container, he made notes on the bottle to know how much he could drink).

After his latest departure from deep purple, Ritchie Blackmore, without hesitation, took little-known musicians, and with the money given to him by the company as a compensation for returning to deep purple Gillan, recorded with them an amazing album in the spirit of "Rainbow Rising", with very interesting vocals, thus reviving "Rainbow", showing everyone that he does not stand still, but is ready to further search for musical ways and forms. He was assisted in this by Doogie White on vocals, John J. Reilly on drums, Greg Smith on bass, Paul Morris on keyboards, and Candice Knight. Night) is his wife.

The album turned out to be very even and strong. The title track "Wolf To The Moon" is a very powerful track, in the spirit of the greatest hits Rainbow. “Ariel, where Candice's first voice is heard, is done in the oriental style so beloved by Blackmore. His guitar conveys the whole flavor of the East, it sounds phenomenal.

But as always, Ritchie abruptly changes his plans and leaves the guys at a loss. Everything is excellent, the album is liked by the public and critics, it is a success on all continents, we need to develop it further - this is what all the participants think Rainbow but not Ritchie Blackmore. He, without telling them anything, embarks on his new project with his wife, as many believed, using the combination of surnames "Blackmore's Night". But here's how Ritchie himself talks about the emergence of such a name.

It comes from the "Red Baron" - a German pilot from the First World War, and Snoopy - a cartoon character. I wrote a song about Snoopy chasing and fighting the Red Baron. I once sang this song at Christmas and the guests really liked it. Believe it or not, I sang it 30 (!) Encores. And it went on all night - a song about Snoopy. And the night was called "Blackmore's night". Hence the name.

While on tour in Germany, he meets musicians who play medieval music on ancient instruments. Ritchie has long been interested in medieval music, and now he has a chance to perform it. He settled into his home studio and the result was an original album. Ritchie himself performed the drums, guitars, banjo, bass. Candice - vocals, Pat Rugan - keyboards. To record the song "Play, Minstrel, Play" - he invited Jethro Tull from the group ( Jethro Tull) - the famous flutist and frontman Ian Anderson (Ian Anderson).

Not only did Blackmore look bloated and flabby on the cover, but the repertoire was strikingly different from everything he had done before: the record consisted of songs stylized as old Scottish folk ballads or medieval madrigals. On their new record, Blackmore and his legal wife Candice Knight, paying tribute to the Renaissance, appear as musical alchemists who have made a fusion of rock and European folk music with impurities in the form of melodies of the 16th century. In his inimitable manner, Blackmore skillfully imitates the most diverse music of the Middle Ages, in which Romanticism, Mysticism, Passion and Pathetics are mixed. This blend is spiced up with electric and acoustic guitars, various medieval strings, and the enchanting voice of Candace Knight and will be a real treat for all true fans of the European folk renaissance.

TO BE CONTINUED

RITCHI BLACKMORE TODAY