Facts About Ritchie Blackmore, the 70s Guitar HeroOn April the 14th 1945, a guitar hero was born - Ritchie Blackmore. Born and raised in Somerset and Middlesex, England he became most famous for forming the bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. He is currently still in the music business having formed the Renaissance inspired Blackmore's Night. Regarded as one of the best guitarists ever, Ritchie started playing guitar at the age of eleven after acquiring his first instrument and lessons paid by his father. Some of his biggest early influences were the likes of Gene Vincent, Chet Atkins and Hank Marvin. His love for guitar playing was well rooted by the time he left school at fifteen and he went on to form one of the most notable hard-rock bands in history - Deep Purple, which was supposedly named for his grandmother's favorite song. (So he did have a sweet side?!). I consider Ritchie Blackmore my favorite guitar player; I'm basing this on not just his playing. A big part of guitar playing for me is the show and Ritchie knew how to put on a show. He also was like a conductor on stage for Deep Purple. He gave the cues to keep things running smoothly. Deep Purple, alongside other acts such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, became one of the most established heavy-metal and hard rock acts on the planet. Their breakthrough came with the hit 'Hush' in late 1968 which topped the charts in the US. In 1973 when two key members left the band, Ritchie Blackmore also began to have second thoughts about the direction in which Deep Purple was heading. For him at least it was integrating too much funky soul and he too quit the band after the release of the album 'Stormbringer', declaimed in public by the man himself! The man in black also came up with the most recognized riff in rock n roll: "Smoke on the Water"; not to mention his slowed notes towards the end of "Space Truckin". In 1975 he got together with Elf's frontman Ronnie James Dio to form the band Rainbow. Despite rumors that it was just a one-off collaboration, Blackmore stayed with the band until 1984 when he rejoined Deep Purple. Ritchie's love for classical guitar playing shone through much more in Rainbow than it had with Deep Purple and worked well alongside Dio's medieval themed lyrics. Never satisfied with the lineup, Blackmore's Rainbow changed members several times but his exceptional use of guitar remained throughout. Putting his former difficulties with Deep Purple bandmates aside, 1984 saw the return of Ritchie to Deep Purple's lineup for nine solid years. Conflicts between Ritchie Blackmore and his bandmates surfaced again and in 1993 he returned to Rainbow. Over the next four years with Rainbow the grunge era was in full swing and Rainbow had little success. During the years which he played with Deep Purple and Rainbow his first choice guitar was a Fender Stratocaster and he is well-known for being one the greatest rock musicians to ply the fretboard. His exceptional talents as a guitar player have made him a huge influence on today's music scene. Both new wave heavy metal bands from the UK and more conventional rock acts the world over can be thankful that Ritchie has graced the music industry with his unique performances.
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