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Ritchie Blackmore

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Not to be confused with Richie Blackmore (rugby league).

Ritchie Blackmore
With Rainbow in Norway, 1977
With Rainbow in Norway, 1977
Background information
Birth nameRichard Hugh Blackmore
Born (1945-04-14) 14 April 1945 (age 79)
Weston-super-Mare, England
GenresHard rock, heavy metal, folk rock, New Age, Celtic, neo-medieval, blues rock, progressive rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, bass guitar, cello, drums, keyboards, hurdy gurdy, mandolin, mandola, percussion
Years active1963–present
LabelsPolydor, BMG, Edel, SPV, Ariola
Websiteblackmoresnight.com

Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is a British guitarist and songwriter, who established his favoured Europeanness hard rock style embodying his own band Rainbow which fused intricate classical music elements with blues rock.[1][2] Later in life his solo career progressed to the traditional folk rock project Blackmore's Night transitioning to vocalist-centered sounds. After receiving both classical and electric guitar lessons, he began his professional career as a session musician as a member of the instrumental band The Outlaws and as a backing musician of pop singers Heinz, Glenda Collins, etc.. Despite his classical leanings, Blackmore was also an original member of Deep Purple playing different rock music featuring organ sound of jam session-style which mainly consisted of simple riffs relatively easy to memorize.[3] However, the two albums (The House of Blue Light, Slaves & Masters) of reunion Deep Purple made for a sound that is closer to Rainbow's music.[4][5]

Early life

Blackmore was born as second son to his parents in Weston-super-Mare, South West England, and moved to Heston (west London) at the age of two. Though the surname Blackmore appears to be of English origin, his father was of Welsh ancestry and his mother was of English ancestry. His father was born in Cardiff and his paternal grandfather was born in Swansea, Wales.[6][7] He was 11 when he was given his first guitar on certain conditions, including learning how to play properly, so he took classical guitar lessons for one year.[8]

While at school he participated in sports including the javelin. Blackmore left school at age 15 and started work as an apprentice radio mechanic at nearby Heathrow Airport. He took electric guitar lessons from Big Jim Sullivan. In 1960 and 1961 he played with some minor local bands.[9]

Career

1960s

In 1963 he began to work as a session player for Joe Meek's music productions and performed in several bands. He was a member of the instrumental band The Outlaws, and backed German-born pop singer Heinz (playing on his top ten hit "Just Like Eddie"), and Glenda Collins, among others.

Blackmore joined the rock group Deep Purple in 1968 after receiving an invitation from Chris Curtis who originated the concept of the band. Purple's early sound leaned on progressive rock,[10] but included generic 1960’s pop songs.[11] This "Mark One" line-up featuring pop rock singer Rod Evans lasted until mid-1969 and produced three studio albums. During this period, organist Jon Lord appeared to be the leader of the band,[10] and wrote more of their own materials except several cover songs.[12]

1970s

The second line-up's first studio album, in Rock (1970), signaled a transition in the band's sound from progressive rock to hard rock, with Blackmore once being impressed at the time by the King Crimson's first album.[2] This "Mark Two" line-up featuring rock singer Ian Gillan lasted until mid-1973, producing four studio albums, and two live albums. During this period, all these songs came out of their jams sessions, so those music copyrights were shared by five members.[3] Blackmore later stated, "I didn't give a damn about song construction. I just wanted to make as much noise and play as fast and as loud as possible."[13]

The third line-up's new album was featured blues singer, David Coverdale. This "Mark Three" line-up lasted until mid-1975 and produced two studio albums. Blackmore quit the band to front a new group, Rainbow. In 1974, Blackmore took cello lessons from Hugh McDowell of (ELO).[14] Blackmore later stated that when playing different musical instrument, he found it refreshing because there’s a sense of adventure not knowing exactly what chord he's playing or what key he's in.[15]

Blackmore originally planned to make a solo album, but instead in 1975 formed his own band, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, later shortened to Rainbow. Featuring operatic rock singer Ronnie James Dio and his blues rock band Elf as studio session musicians, this first line-up never performed live. The band's debut album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, was released in 1975. Rainbow was originally thought to be a one-off collaboration, but endured as an ongoing band project with a series of album releases and tours. Rainbow's music was partly inspired by elements of medieval and baroque music[2][16] since Blackmore started to play cello for musical composition.[13][15] Shortly after the first album was recorded, Blackmore recruited new backing musicians to record the second album Rising (1976), and the following live album, On Stage (1977). Rising was originally billed as "Blackmore's Rainbow" in the US.[17] After the next studio album's release and supporting tour in 1978, Dio left Rainbow due to "creative differences" with Blackmore, who disliked Dio's fantasy oriented lyric style.[18]

Blackmore continued with Rainbow, and in 1979 the band released a new album entitled Down To Earth, which featured R&B singer Graham Bonnet. During song composition, Bonnet made his vocal melodies though it was uncredited contributions.[19] The album marked the commercialization of the band's sound, and contained Rainbow's first chart successes, as the single "Since You Been Gone" (a cover of the Russ Ballard penned tune) became a smash hit.[20] Bonnet left the band after this support tour in 1980.

1980s

In San Francisco, 1985

The next Rainbow album, Difficult to Cure (1981), introduced melodic vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. The instrumental title track from this album was an arrangement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with additional music. Blackmore once said, "I found the blues too limiting, and classical was too disciplined. I was always stuck in a musical no man's land."[1] The album marked the further commercialization of the band's sound with Blackmore describing at the time a liking for the pop rock band, Foreigner.[21] The music was consciously radio-targeted in a more AOR style,[22] resulting in some degree of alienation with many of Rainbow's earlier fans.[23] Rainbow's next studio album was Straight Between the Eyes (1982) and included the hit single "Stone Cold." It would be followed by the album Bent Out of Shape (1983), which featured the single "Street Of Dreams". In 1983 Blackmore was also nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on an instrumental ballad track, "Anybody There".[24] Rainbow disbanded in 1984. A then-final Rainbow album, Finyl Vinyl, was patched together from live tracks and the B-sides of various singles.

In 1984, Blackmore joined a reunion of the former Deep Purple "Mark Two" line-up and recorded new material. This reunion line-up lasted until 1989 and produced the two studio albums, and the following live album. However the latter studio album's musical style already differed from the traditional Purple sound due to his Rainbow background that distinguished him from other members.[4] During the 1987-1988 tour, Blackmore was repeatedly reluctant to play "Smoke on the Water."[25] Also the screaming singer Ian Gillan was forced to apologise for his vocals were even weaker than audiences expected.[26]

1990s

The next line-up recorded one album entitled Slaves & Masters (1990), which featured former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. During song composition, Turner wrote his vocal melodies.[13] Subsequently the "Mark Two" line-up reunited for a second time in late 1992 and produced one studio album. Overall, it returned to the traditional Purple sound but the guitar riff sometimes sounded like generic Def Leppard.[27] During its follow-up promotional tour, Blackmore again quit the band in November 1993.

Blackmore reformed Rainbow with new members in 1994. This Rainbow line-up, featuring hard rock singer Doogie White, lasted until 1997 and produced one album entitled Stranger in Us All in 1995. It was originally intended to be a solo album but due to the record company pressures the record was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.[28] Though Doogie White wasn't as distinctive as its previous Rainbow's singers, it had a sound dissimilar to any Rainbow of old.[22] This is regarded as Blackmore's last hard rock album. A world tour including South America followed.[24] Rainbow was disbanded once again after playing its final concert in 1997. Blackmore later said, "I didn't want to tour very much."[29]

Over the years Rainbow went through many personnel changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up: Blackmore was the sole constant band member.[20] Rainbow achieved modest success, the band's worldwide sales estimated at more than 28 million album copies, including 4 million in album sales in the U.S..[30]

In Chicago, 2009.

In 1997 Blackmore, with his girlfriend Candice Night as vocalist, formed the traditional folk rock duo Blackmore's Night. From about 1995, they were already working on their debut album Shadow of the Moon (1997).[22] Blackmore once portrayed at the time their artistic characteristics as "Mike Oldfield plus Enya".[28] Blackmore mostly utilized acoustic guitar,[28] to back Night's delicate vocals. During song composition, Blackmore directly wrote her vocal melodies.[15][31] Night said, "When he sings, he sings only for me, in private".[32] As a result, his musical approach shifted to vocalist-centered sounds. They recorded a mixture of original and cover materials. The band's musical style is inspired by medieval music and it blended with Night's lyrics about love's themes. The second release, entitled Under a Violet Moon (1999) continued in the same folk-rock style, with Night's vocals remaining a prominent feature of the band's style. The title track's lyrics were partly written by Blackmore. "Violet" was his mother's first name and "Moon" was his grandmother's surname.[29]

2000s-current

Blackmore's Night in 2012

In subsequent albums, particularly Fires at Midnight (2001), which featured the Bob Dylan cover "The Times They Are a Changin'". There was occasionally an increased incorporation of rock guitar into the music, whilst maintaining a folk rock direction. A live album, Past Times with Good Company was released in 2002. After the next studio album's release, an official compilation album Beyond the Sunset: The Romantic Collection was released in 2004, featuring music from the four studio albums. A Christmas-themed holiday album, Winter Carols was released in 2006. Through numerous personnel changes, the backing musicians have totaled about 27 persons.[33] Blackmore sometimes played drums in recording studio. Possibly to concentrate on album production,[29][34] they chose to avoid typically rock concert tour to perform, instead limiting their appearances to small intimate tours.[35] In 2011, Night said, "We have actually turned down a lot of (touring) opportunities."[36] Their music is generally categorized as belonging to New age music.

Equipment

During the 1960s, Blackmore played a Gibson ES-335 but switched to a Fender Stratocaster in 1970. Since then, until he formed Blackmore's Night in 1997, he used Stratocasters almost exclusively. The middle pickup is screwed down and not used. Blackmore has also occasionally used a Fender Telecaster Thinline during recording sessions. He is also one of the first rock guitarists to have used a "scalloped" fretboard where the wood is filed and carved out into a shallow "U" shape between the frets.

In his soloing, Blackmore combines blues scales and phrasing with dominant minor scales and ideas from European classical music. While playing he would often put the pick in his mouth, playing with his fingers. He occasionally uses the diatonic scale, with rapidly changing tonality.

In the 1970s, Blackmore used a number of different Stratocasters; one of his main guitars was an Olympic white 1974 model with a rosewood fingerboard that was scalloped.[37] Blackmore added a strap lock to the headstock of this guitar as a conversation piece to annoy and confuse people.[38]

His amplifiers were originally 200-Watt Marshall Major stacks which were modified by Marshall with an additional output stage (generated approximately 278W) to make them sound more like Blackmore's favourite Vox AC-30 amp cranked to full volume. Since 1994, he has used Engl valve amps.

Effects he used from 1970 to 1997, besides his usual tape echo, included a Hornby Skewes Treble Booster in the early days. Around late-1973, he experimented with an EMS Synthi Hi Fli guitar synthesizer. He sometimes used a wah-wah pedal and a variable control treble-booster for sustain, and Moog Taurus bass pedals were used in solo parts during concerts. He also had a modified Aiwa TP-1011 tape machine built to supply echo and delay effects; the tape deck was also used as a pre-amp.[37] Other effects that Blackmore used were a Unicord Univibe, a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face and an Octave Divider.

In the mid-1980s he experimented with Roland guitar synthesizers. A Roland GR-700 was seen on stage as late as 1995-96, later replaced with the GR-50.

Blackmore has experimented with many different pickups in his Strats. In the early Rainbow era, they were still stock Fenders, later Dawk installed over wound, dipped, Fender pickups. He has also used Schecter F-500-Ts, Velvet Hammer "Red Rhodes", DiMarzio "HS-2", OBL "Black Label", Bill Lawrence L-450, XL-250 (bridge), L-250 (neck). He used Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 for several years and since the late 80s he has used Lace Sensor (Gold) "noiseless" pickups.

Personal life

On May 1964, Blackmore married Margit Volkmar (b. 1945) from Germany.[39] They lived in Hamburg during the late 1960s.[40] Their son, Jürgen (b. 1964), played guitar in touring tribute band Over the Rainbow. Following their divorce, Blackmore married Bärbel, a former German dancer, in September 1969[41][42] until their divorce in early 1970s. As a result, he is a fluent speaker of German.[40]

For tax reasons, he moved to the U.S.A. in 1974. Initially he lived in Oxnard, California[2] with opera singer Shoshana for one year,[43] so she provided backing vocals on Rainbow's first album. During this period, he listened to classical music including light music a lot, for about three-quarters of his private time. Blackmore once said, "I like direct, dramatic music."[2] After having an affair with another girlfriend Christine, Blackmore met Amy Rothman in 1978,[44] and moved to Long Island. He married Rothman in 1981,[45] but they divorced in 1983. Following its conclusion, he began a relationship with Tammi Williams,[46] and moved to Connecticut. In early 1984 Blackmore met Williams in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was working as a hotel employee. In the same year, he purchased his first car because he had finally learned to drive a car at 39 years old.[47]

Blackmore and then-fashion model Candice Night began living together in 1991. He moved to her native Long Island in 1993.[48] After being engaged for nearly fifteen years,[49] the couple married in 2008.[50] Night said, "he's making me younger and I'm aging him rapidly."[51] Their daughter, Autumn was born in 2010.[52][53] Their son, Rory was born in 2012. Also they keep two cats.[54] Blackmore plays football once a week,[34] and always watches German language television on the satellite dish when he stays at his home.[40] He has a collection of approximately 2,000 CDs of Renaissance music.[52]

Despite completely retiring from the hard rock, Blackmore was ranked number 16 on Guitar World's "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time" in 2004,[55] and number 50 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2011.[1] Also he was portrayed by Mathew Baynton in the 2009 film Telstar.

Discography

Main articles: Rainbow discography, Blackmore's Night discography, and Deep Purple discography

References

  1. ^ a b c "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. 2011-11-22. Retrieved 18 November 2013-03-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e Steven Rosen (1975). "Ritchie Blackmore Interview: Deep Purple, Rainbow and Dio". Guitar International.
  3. ^ a b "A Highway Star: Deep Purple's Roger Glover Interviewed". The Quietus. 20 January 2011.
  4. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The House of Blue Light review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  5. ^ Alex Henderson. "Slaves & Masters". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  6. ^ "The Swansea show (Interview with Ritchie Blackmore)". ITV Wales News. September 2001.
  7. ^ Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 1: From Weston to Heston (1945-59)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press.
  8. ^ Alexis Korner (6 March 1983). "Interview with Ritchie Blackmore". BBC Radio One Guitar Greats series.
  9. ^ "Ritchie Blackmore Discography". Blackmore's Night. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  10. ^ a b Browne, David. "Deep Purple early years: Seventy Seven Minutes In Prog Rock Heaven". deep-purple.net. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  11. ^ Matthijs van der Lee (October 1st, 2009). "Shades of Deep Purple". Sputnik Music. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Matthijs van der Lee (October 2nd, 2009). "The Book of Taliesyn". Sputnik Music. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c MORDECHAI KLEIDERMACHER (FEBRUARY 1991). "When There's Smoke.. THERE'S FIRE!". Guitar World. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "RAINBOW: 1974-1976". The Ronnie James Dio Web Site. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b c Warnock, Matt (28 January 2011). "Ritchie Blackmore: The Autumn Sky Interview". Guitar International Magazine.
  16. ^ "Ritchie Blackmore". Gutarists. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  17. ^ "Blackmore's Rainbow – Rainbow Rising". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  18. ^ Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 11 - Down To Earth (1978-1980)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press. p. 226.
  19. ^ "GRAHAM BONNET Talks RAINBOW, MSG And ALCATRAZZ In New Interview". blabbermouth.net. 19 November 2010.
  20. ^ a b Frame, Pete (March 1997). "Rainbow Roots and Branches." The Very Best of Rainbow (liner notes).
  21. ^ In an interview in Sounds (25 July 1981), a UK music paper
  22. ^ a b c Adams, Bret. "Stranger in Us All". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  23. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Rainbow". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Ritchie's Bio". The Official Ritchie Blackmore and Blackmore's Night website. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  25. ^ "Deep Purple". Gale Musician Profiles. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  26. ^ Russ Coffey (1 December 2011). "Veteran rock band shows a new future for nostalgia tours". {{cite news}}: Text "workThe Arts Desk" ignored (help)
  27. ^ William Ruhlmann. "The Battle Rages On". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  28. ^ a b c Adams, Bret. "Blackmore's Night". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  29. ^ a b c Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 16: Play Minstrel Play (1997-2000)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press.
  30. ^ Mark Alan (5 October 2012). "Rainbow Featured On 80′s At 8 With "Stone Cold"". 103.7 The Loon.
  31. ^ Night, Candice (2002-11). "Between Us - November 2002". Candice Night Official Website. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Candice Night (2003-08). "Between Us August 2003". Candice Night Official Website. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "BLACKMORE'S NIGHT". MusicMight. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  34. ^ a b Mick DuRussel (28 October 2009). "candice of blackmore's night". SpotonLI.
  35. ^ Gary Hill, Rick Damigella and Larry Toering. "Interview with Candice Night of Blackmore's Night from 2010". MusicStreetJournal.
  36. ^ Christian A. (7 January 2011). "Blackmore's Night – Candice Night (vocals)". SMNnews.
  37. ^ a b Rainbow (2006). Live in Munich 1977 (DVD). Audio commentary.
  38. ^ "Ritchie Blackmore Gear Videos". Guitarheroesgear.com. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  39. ^ "BIO". Official Site of J.R.Blackmore. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  40. ^ a b c Candice, Night (2004-06). "Between Us June 2004". Candice Night Official Website. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ "Events 1969". Sixties City. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  42. ^ "A short story about Ritchie Blackmore and his long forgotten 1961 Gibson ES-335". guitarworld magazine & Christie’s auction site. 10 April 2011.
  43. ^ Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 8: The Black Sheep of the Family (1973-1975)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press.
  44. ^ Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 10: Down to Earth (1978-1980)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press. p. 240.
  45. ^ "DPAS Magazine Archive. Darker Than Blue, 1981". Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  46. ^ Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 14: The Battele Rages On And On ... (1990-1993)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press. p. 291.
  47. ^ Jerry Bloom (2006). "Chapter 12: The End of the Rainbow (1980-84)". Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore. Omnibus press.
  48. ^ Candice Night (2011-06). "Between Us June 2011". Candice Night Official Website. Retrieved 20 October 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ Candice Night (July 2006). "Between Us July 2006". Candice Night Official Website. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  50. ^ "RITCHIE BLACKMORE, Longtime Girlfriend CANDICE NIGHT Tie The Knot". Blabbermouth.net. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  51. ^ "Candice Night & Ritchie Blackmore". New York DAILY NEWS. 28 December 2008.
  52. ^ a b Russell A. Trunk (February 2011). "Blackmore's Night". Exclusive Magazine.
  53. ^ "RITCHIE BLACKMORE And CANDICE NIGHT Announce Arrival Of First Child, Autumn Esmerelda". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  54. ^ "Ritchie Blackmore Is A Dad Again". Contactmusic. 18 June 2012.
  55. ^ Olsen, Eric (1 February 2004). "Guitar World's "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time"". blogcritics. Retrieved 30 May 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Further reading

  • Davies, Roy (2002). Rainbow Rising. The Story of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Helter Skelter.
  • Popoff, Martin (2005). Rainbow - English Castle Magic. Metal Blade.
  • Bloom, Jerry (2006). Black Knight - The Ritchie Blackmore Story. Omnibus Press.
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