Ritchie Blackmore
Encyclopedia
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music
elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow
after leaving Deep Purple
where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately captured. In the late 1990s he turned away from hard rock to concentrate instead on the traditional folk rock
project Blackmore's Night
, which features his girlfriend (now wife) Candice Night
on vocals.
, Somerset
, South West England
, but moved to Heston
, Middlesex
(now Greater London) at the age of two. He was 11 when he got his first guitar. His father bought it for him on certain conditions, including learning how to play properly. "So I actually took the lessons for a year; classical lessons."
Whilst at school he did well at sports including the javelin
. Blackmore left school at age 15 and started work as an apprentice radio mechanic at nearby Heathrow Airport. He was given guitar lessons by Big Jim Sullivan
. He was also influenced in his youth by early rockers like Duane Eddy
, Buddy Holly
and English guitarist Hank Marvin
, Tommy Steele
.
In about 1960 or 1961 he played with minor local bands, including one called the Jaywalkers. His playing improved and 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 combo, The Outlaws
, and backed Heinz
(playing on his top ten hit "Just Like Eddie
"), Screaming Lord Sutch
, Glenda Collins
and Neil Christian
among others.
in 1968 with Jon Lord
(organs), and other musicians. The band had a hit US single with its remake of the Joe South
song "Hush". Purple's early sound leaned on psychedelia and progressive rock
. The first line-up recorded a mixture of original and cover materials. This "Mark One" line-up featuring singer Rod Evans
lasted until mid-1969 and produced three studio albums with engineer Derek Lawrence
.
The second line-up's first studio album, In Rock (1970), changed the band's style, turning it in a hard rock
direction. This "Mark Two" line-up featuring singer Ian Gillan
lasted until mid-1973, produced four studio albums and had their best-known hit single "Smoke on the Water
".
The third line-up's new album was entitled Burn (1974), which featured former Trapeze
bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and a then-unknown singer, David Coverdale
. This "Mark Three" line-up lasted until mid-1975 and produced two studio albums. Blackmore publicly disliked the funky soul influences that Hughes and Coverdale injected into the band. Following its conclusion, he abandoned Deep Purple to front a new group, Rainbow
.
In the mid-1980s, a reunion of the former Deep Purple "Mark Two" line-up including Blackmore took place and recorded new material. The album Perfect Strangers
was released in October 1984.
In 1989, after the next studio album's release and supporting tour, Ian Gillan (vocals) left the band because of a poor working relationship with Blackmore. His replacement was former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner
. This new lineup recorded one album entitled Slaves & Masters
(1990). The album's style differed from the traditional Purple sound, so core Purple fans were unhappy. Following its conclusion, Turner was removed from the band in 1992 and Gillan returned. Shortly after the next album's release and European tour, Blackmore departed the band permanently on November 1993.
. Featuring American vocalist Ronnie James Dio
and his blues rock band Elf
as session musicians, this first line-up never performed live. Rainbow's music was partly inspired by classical music since Blackmore started playing cello to help him construct interesting chord progressions in private time.
The band's debut album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
, was released in 1975. Shortly after the first album was recorded, former Elf members except Dio were at that point no longer members of Rainbow, and Blackmore recruited a new lineup to record the second album Rising
(1976), and the following live album, On Stage
(1977). Rising was originally billed as Blackmore's Rainbow.
For the next studio album, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
(1978), Blackmore kept the drummer Cozy Powell
and Dio but replaced the rest of the band. Blackmore had difficulty finding a bass player for this record so he handled the bass duties himself, except on three songs. After the album's release and supporting tour, Ronnie James Dio left Rainbow due to "creative differences" with Blackmore. Blackmore disliked Dio's signature 'Dungeons & Dragons' lyric style.
Blackmore continued with Rainbow and the band released a new album entitled Down To Earth
(1979), which featured R&B singer Graham Bonnet
and employed former Deep Purple member Roger Glover
as producer, bassist and lyricist. 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. Bonnet and Cozy Powell left the band after this support tour.
The next album, Difficult to Cure
(1981), introduced American vocalist Joe Lynn Turner
. The instrumental title track from this album was an arrangement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
with additional music, a personal favourite of Blackmore's. The music was consciously radio-targeted, in a more AOR
style. Hard rock-based fans thought the vocal parts ended up being a bit too melodic than Rainbow's previous releases.
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
". The song's video was banned by MTV for its supposedly controversial hypnotic video clip. The resulting tour saw Rainbow return to the UK and also to Japan where the band performed "Difficult to Cure" with a full orchestra. In 1983 Blackmore was also nominated for a Grammy Award
for his work on an instrumental ballard track, "Anybody There".
Rainbow disbanded in 1984, and Blackmore rejoined Deep Purple. A then-final Rainbow album, Finyl Vinyl
, was patched together from live tracks and the "B" sides of various singles.
Blackmore reformed Rainbow with new members in 1994. This Rainbow line-up featuring Scottish 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 label BMG
pressures, the record was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Released in the post-grunge
mid-1990s, Stranger In Us All achieved modest success, particularly in Europe, and a relatively successful tour followed. This is regarded as his last hard rock album. Rainbow was put on hold once again, after playing its final concert in Denmark
, 1997.
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. While with Rainbow he changed his musical approach multiple times following each lead singer's departure and it is said that the result was the confusion and alienation of many of his supporters.
as the band's vocalist formed the traditional folk rock
duo Blackmore's Night
. Around the same time as production of Stranger in Us All (1995), they were already gearing up their debut album Shadow of the Moon
(1997). Though she didn't have experience as a professional singer, Blackmore noticed Night's potential singing ability and encouraged her to become his musical partner. Blackmore's Night was originally thought to be a one-off collaboration, but was later revealed to be a new band project. Blackmore portrayed the sound as "Mike Oldfield
plus Enya
" Blackmore played acoustic guitar almost exclusively, and Nighte sang like an angel. The guitar parts ended up being a bit too few so Blackmore lost fairly large hard rock-based fans at that point, but that's virtually his another solo project following Rainbow.
The band's musical style differs radically from Blackmore's previous band and much of Blackmore's inspiration came from his favorite Renaissance music
which blends well with Night's lyrics about medieval themes or fantasy. It features a mixture of Renaissance-styled songs, contemporary songs, arrangements and instrumentals. Blackmore has a collection of approximately 2,000 CDs of Renaissance music in his house. On song construction, Blackmore usually writes the vocal melodies. He sings only for Night in private time, but he never sing publicly. The band has released a new studio album about every 2 or 3 years and performs in small, intimate venues.
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. In subsequent albums, particularly Fires at Midnight
(2001), there was sometimes 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, a official compilation album Beyond the Sunset: The Romantic Collection
was released in 2004, featuring music from the four studio albums. They have also performed some of the music for MagiQuest
, a live simulation game located in Myrtle Beach, SC
. A Christmas-themed cover album, Winter Carols
was released in 2006. Through numerous personnel changes, the backing musicians have totalled about 25 persons.
but switched to a Fender Stratocaster
after buying a secondhand Stratocaster with a Telecaster neck from Eric Clapton
's roadie. Since then, until Blackmore's Night, he used Stratocasters almost exclusively. The middle pickup is screwed down and not used, with only the bass and treble pickup selectors operating. Blackmore has also occasionally used a Fender Telecaster Thinline
during recording sessions.
From 1970 to 1997, Blackmore almost exclusively played a Fender Stratocaster. 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. He often plays the riff without a pick, using two fingers to pluck the strings in fourths, but he's also using his thumb to pluck the bass notes of riff.
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 as evidenced by his solo in "Child In Time
".
In the 1970s, Blackmore used a number of different Stratocasters; his main guitar (until the Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
album) was a sunburst with a rosewood fingerboard that was scalloped. Blackmore added a strap lock to the headstock of this guitar as a conversation piece to annoy and confuse people.
His amplifers were originally 200W 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. One of the reasons he cited was that the Marshall heads did not sound as good as the Engls at low volume.
Effects he used from 1970 to 1997, besides his usual tape echo, included a Hornby Skewes Treble Booster in the early days. Around the time of the Burn sessions, 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. Other effects that Blackmore used were a Schulte Compact Phasing A, 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.
His strings used from 1970 to 1997 were Picato brand (.010, .011, .014, .026, .038, .048).
Blackmore has experimented with many different pickups in his Strats. In the early Rainbow era, they were still stock Fenders, later Dawk installed overwound, 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.
for a while during late 1960s, during his marriage with German woman Margit Volkmar (b. 3 Jan 1945), until their divorce in 1969. They had a son, Jürgen (b. 1964), who was playing guitar in touring tribute band Over the Rainbow
.
Blackmore was married to another German, dancer Bärbel Hardie, from September 1969 until their divorce in mid-1970s. As a result, he is a fluent German speaker. His third marriage, on 16 May 1981, to Amy Rothman, ended in divorce in 1987.
He and Candice Night
lived together from 1991. After being engaged for nearly fifteen years, the couple married on October 2008. Their daughter, Autumn was born on May 2010.
He moved to the U.S.A. to form Rainbow in the mid-1970s, then resides in her birthplace's Long Island
since 1993. Also he usually watches German television on the satellite dish when he stays at his home. In 2010 he agreed to be one of the advisers for the National Guitar Museum.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
after leaving Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately captured. In the late 1990s he turned away from hard rock to concentrate instead on the traditional folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
project Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night is an English-American traditional folk rock duo led by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night .-Early:...
, which features his girlfriend (now wife) Candice Night
Candice Night
Candice Night is an American vocalist/songwriter and the musical partner of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. She is the lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and lyricist for the traditional folk rock project, Blackmore's Night since its origins in 1997.-Biography:Born in Hauppauge, Long Island, New...
on vocals.
Early life
Blackmore was born at Allandale Nursing Home, Weston-super-MareWeston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, but moved to Heston
Heston
Heston is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is a suburban development area, based on a former farming village west south-west of Charing Cross.-History:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
(now Greater London) at the age of two. He was 11 when he got his first guitar. His father bought it for him on certain conditions, including learning how to play properly. "So I actually took the lessons for a year; classical lessons."
Whilst at school he did well at sports including the javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. Blackmore left school at age 15 and started work as an apprentice radio mechanic at nearby Heathrow Airport. He was given guitar lessons by Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
. He was also influenced in his youth by early rockers like Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
, Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
and English guitarist Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
, Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
.
In about 1960 or 1961 he played with minor local bands, including one called the Jaywalkers. His playing improved and in 1963 he began to work as a session player for Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
's music productions and performed in several bands. He was a member of the instrumental combo, The Outlaws
The Outlaws (UK band)
The Outlaws were an English instrumental band that recorded in the early 1960s. One time members included Ritchie Blackmore, Chas Hodges, Bobby Graham, Ken Lundgren, Mick Underwood, Reg Hawkins , Billy Kuy and others....
, and backed Heinz
Heinz (singer)
Heinz was a bassist and singer.-Life:Heinz was born in Detmold, but from the age of seven was brought up in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, where a road is named after him. His biggest solo hit was "Just Like Eddie", a tribute to Eddie Cochran...
(playing on his top ten hit "Just Like Eddie
Just Like Eddie
"Just Like Eddie" was a hit single in the UK in 1963. It was sung by Heinz - his first release after leaving The Tornados to launch his solo career. The record was produced by Joe Meek mentor to both Heinz and the Tornados...
"), Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
, Glenda Collins
Glenda Collins
Glenda Collins was a British pop music singer active in the 1960s. Collins was discovered by Carroll Levis, whose promotion landed her a contract with Decca Records...
and Neil Christian
Neil Christian
Neil Christian, born Christopher Tidmarsh had a solo hit single in 1966, when "That's Nice" , reached Number 16 in the UK Singles Chart. He remains, however, a one-hit wonder. Follow-up singles "Oops" and "Two at a Time" never reached the charts...
among others.
with Deep Purple (1968-1975, 1984-1993)
Blackmore joined the rock group Deep PurpleDeep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
in 1968 with Jon Lord
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
(organs), and other musicians. The band had a hit US single with its remake of the Joe South
Joe South
Joe South is a multi-talented American singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Career:...
song "Hush". Purple's early sound leaned on psychedelia and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
. The first line-up recorded a mixture of original and cover materials. This "Mark One" line-up featuring singer Rod Evans
Rod Evans
Rod Evans is a former English singer and was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968. He provided vocals for the group's first three albums, including the hit singles "Hush" and "Kentucky Woman". He was replaced by Ian Gillan in 1969.-Early career:Before joining Deep Purple, Evans played together...
lasted until mid-1969 and produced three studio albums with engineer Derek Lawrence
Derek Lawrence
Derek Lawrence is a record producer, famous for his work for Joe Meek's Outlaws, Deep Purple, Machiavel and Wishbone Ash.Lawrence came in contact with Meek circa at the end of 1963, when he managed a group, Laurie Black and the Men of Mystery, that won a recording session at Joe Meek's studio. He...
.
The second line-up's first studio album, In Rock (1970), changed the band's style, turning it in a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
direction. This "Mark Two" line-up featuring singer Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
lasted until mid-1973, produced four studio albums and had their best-known hit single "Smoke on the Water
Smoke on the Water
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"...
".
The third line-up's new album was entitled Burn (1974), which featured former Trapeze
Trapeze (band)
Trapeze were an English rock band formed in March 1969, by vocalist John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist Terry Rowley , with guitarist Mel Galley, singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, and drummer Dave Holland...
bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and a then-unknown singer, David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
. This "Mark Three" line-up lasted until mid-1975 and produced two studio albums. Blackmore publicly disliked the funky soul influences that Hughes and Coverdale injected into the band. Following its conclusion, he abandoned Deep Purple to front a new group, Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
.
In the mid-1980s, a reunion of the former Deep Purple "Mark Two" line-up including Blackmore took place and recorded new material. The album Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (album)
Perfect Strangers is the eleventh studio album by Deep Purple, released in October 1984. It represents the first album recorded by the reformed, the most successful and popular, 'Mark II' line-up....
was released in October 1984.
In 1989, after the next studio album's release and supporting tour, Ian Gillan (vocals) left the band because of a poor working relationship with Blackmore. His replacement was former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner , is an American rock singer, known for his works with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple. From the late 1990s, he continued to perform in a large number of solo albums and other studio projects...
. This new lineup recorded one album entitled Slaves & Masters
Slaves & Masters
Slaves and Masters is the thirteenth studio album by Deep Purple, and was released in 1990. This is the band's only album to feature singer Joe Lynn Turner, who joined the previous year .Before hiring Turner, the band had considered singer Jimi Jamison of Survivor, but other obligations made him...
(1990). The album's style differed from the traditional Purple sound, so core Purple fans were unhappy. Following its conclusion, Turner was removed from the band in 1992 and Gillan returned. Shortly after the next album's release and European tour, Blackmore departed the band permanently on November 1993.
Rainbow
Blackmore originally planned to make a solo album, but instead in 1975 formed his own band RainbowRainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
. Featuring American vocalist Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
and his blues rock band Elf
Elf (band)
Elf was a rock band founded in 1967 by the late singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein . The band was originally called The Electric Elves, but was shortened to The Elves and finally Elf in mid-1970...
as session musicians, this first line-up never performed live. Rainbow's music was partly inspired by classical music since Blackmore started playing cello to help him construct interesting chord progressions in private time.
The band's debut album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Note: On the cassette version of the album, Side One features the last five tracks, while Side Two plays the first four. Also, on the case insert and on the cassette itself, "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" is written as "Sixteen Century Greensleeves"....
, was released in 1975. Shortly after the first album was recorded, former Elf members except Dio were at that point no longer members of Rainbow, and Blackmore recruited a new lineup to record the second album Rising
Rising (Rainbow album)
Rising is the second hard rock/heavy metal album by Rainbow, released in 1976 . With bandleader Ritchie Blackmore retaining only Ronnie James Dio from the previous album, he recruited drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboard player Tony Carey to complete the new line-up...
(1976), and the following live album, On Stage
On Stage (Rainbow album)
On Stage is a live album originally released by Rainbow in 1977 on Oyster - Polydor SPDLP6B . The album features a cover of a song from Blackmore's previous band Deep Purple: "Mistreated"....
(1977). Rising was originally billed as Blackmore's Rainbow.
For the next studio album, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
-Personnel:*Ritchie Blackmore – guitars, bass*Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals*Cozy Powell – drums, percussion*David Stone – keyboards on "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", "The Shed". Piano outro on "L.A...
(1978), Blackmore kept the drummer Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell
Colin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...
and Dio but replaced the rest of the band. Blackmore had difficulty finding a bass player for this record so he handled the bass duties himself, except on three songs. After the album's release and supporting tour, Ronnie James Dio left Rainbow due to "creative differences" with Blackmore. Blackmore disliked Dio's signature 'Dungeons & Dragons' lyric style.
Blackmore continued with Rainbow and the band released a new album entitled Down To Earth
Down to Earth (Rainbow album)
Down To Earth is the fourth studio album released by Rainbow, released in 1979. Most of the album had been already written and recorded by the time Graham Bonnet was recruited. Also recruited were ex-Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover and keyboardist Don Airey...
(1979), which featured R&B singer Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
and employed former Deep Purple member Roger Glover
Roger Glover
Roger David Glover is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. Glover is best known as the bassist and lyricist for the hard rock band, Deep Purple.-Early career:...
as producer, bassist and lyricist. The album marked the commercialization of the band's sound, and contained Rainbow's first chart successes, as the single "Since You Been Gone
Since You Been Gone
"Since You Been Gone" is a 1970s rock song written and recorded by former Argent guitarist Russ Ballard for his 1976 album Winning. It has also been recorded by numerous other artists, including all-girl group Clout, Cherie Currie and Head East...
" (a cover of the Russ Ballard
Russ Ballard
Russell Glyn Ballard is an English singer, songwriter and musician.-Career:Ballard was initially a guitarist with Buster Meikle & The Day Breakers in 1961, together with Roy Ballard, Russ's older brother on piano and Bob Henrit on drums...
penned tune) became a smash hit. Bonnet and Cozy Powell left the band after this support tour.
The next album, Difficult to Cure
Difficult to Cure
Difficult to Cure is the fifth studio album by the British rock band, Rainbow, and was released in 1981. The album marked the further commercialization of the band's sound with Blackmore once describing at the time liking for the rock band, Foreigner....
(1981), introduced American vocalist Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner , is an American rock singer, known for his works with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple. From the late 1990s, he continued to perform in a large number of solo albums and other studio projects...
. The instrumental title track from this album was an arrangement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
with additional music, a personal favourite of Blackmore's. The music was consciously radio-targeted, in a more AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
style. Hard rock-based fans thought the vocal parts ended up being a bit too melodic than Rainbow's previous releases.
Rainbow's next studio album was Straight Between the Eyes
Straight Between the Eyes
Straight Between the Eyes is the sixth studio album by Rainbow, released in 1982. A remastered CD reissue, with packaging duplicating the original vinyl release, was released in May 1999....
(1982) and included the hit single "Stone Cold." It would be followed by the album Bent Out of Shape
Bent Out of Shape
Bent Out Of Shape was the seventh studio album released by Rainbow. It was originally released in 1983 as an LP and cassette. The cassette featured several longer edits compared to the vinyl version. It was recorded in Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen in about 7 weeks.A remastered CD reissue was...
(1983), which featured the single "Street Of Dreams
Street of Dreams (Rainbow song)
Street of Dreams is a song by the English hard rock band Rainbow. The song was the first single from the bands Bent Out of Shape album, on which the band tried to repeat their previous success with their album Straight Between the Eyes and the single "Stone Cold"...
". The song's video was banned by MTV for its supposedly controversial hypnotic video clip. The resulting tour saw Rainbow return to the UK and also to Japan where the band performed "Difficult to Cure" with a full orchestra. In 1983 Blackmore was also nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for his work on an instrumental ballard track, "Anybody There".
Rainbow disbanded in 1984, and Blackmore rejoined Deep Purple. A then-final Rainbow album, Finyl Vinyl
Finyl Vinyl
Finyl Vinyl is a collection of live recordings and B-sides by Rainbow and was released in 1986, after the band had already disbanded in 1984...
, was patched together from live tracks and the "B" sides of various singles.
Blackmore reformed Rainbow with new members in 1994. This Rainbow line-up featuring Scottish singer Doogie White
Doogie White
Doogie White , is a Scottish rock vocalist, who has sung for Midnight Blue, Rainbow, Cornerstone, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Mantis and Rata Blanca...
lasted until 1997 and produced one album entitled Stranger in Us All
Stranger in Us All
Stranger in Us All is a 1995 album by the reformed Rainbow. Ritchie Blackmore put together a new version of Rainbow with little-known musicians in 1994. It was originally intended to be his solo album, but due to the label BMG pressures, the record was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow...
in 1995. It was originally intended to be a solo album, but due to label BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
pressures, the record was billed as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Released in the post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
mid-1990s, Stranger In Us All achieved modest success, particularly in Europe, and a relatively successful tour followed. This is regarded as his last hard rock album. Rainbow was put on hold once again, after playing its final concert in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, 1997.
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. While with Rainbow he changed his musical approach multiple times following each lead singer's departure and it is said that the result was the confusion and alienation of many of his supporters.
Blackmore's Night
In 1997, Blackmore and his girlfriend (now wife) Candice NightCandice Night
Candice Night is an American vocalist/songwriter and the musical partner of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. She is the lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and lyricist for the traditional folk rock project, Blackmore's Night since its origins in 1997.-Biography:Born in Hauppauge, Long Island, New...
as the band's vocalist formed the traditional folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
duo Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night
Blackmore's Night is an English-American traditional folk rock duo led by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night .-Early:...
. Around the same time as production of Stranger in Us All (1995), they were already gearing up their debut album Shadow of the Moon
Shadow of the Moon
Shadow of the Moon, released in 1997 on Edel Music, is the first album by musical group Blackmore's Night. It stayed on the German charts for 17 weeks.-Track listing:#"Shadow of the Moon" – 5:06...
(1997). Though she didn't have experience as a professional singer, Blackmore noticed Night's potential singing ability and encouraged her to become his musical partner. Blackmore's Night was originally thought to be a one-off collaboration, but was later revealed to be a new band project. Blackmore portrayed the sound as "Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
plus Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
" Blackmore played acoustic guitar almost exclusively, and Nighte sang like an angel. The guitar parts ended up being a bit too few so Blackmore lost fairly large hard rock-based fans at that point, but that's virtually his another solo project following Rainbow.
The band's musical style differs radically from Blackmore's previous band and much of Blackmore's inspiration came from his favorite Renaissance music
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
which blends well with Night's lyrics about medieval themes or fantasy. It features a mixture of Renaissance-styled songs, contemporary songs, arrangements and instrumentals. Blackmore has a collection of approximately 2,000 CDs of Renaissance music in his house. On song construction, Blackmore usually writes the vocal melodies. He sings only for Night in private time, but he never sing publicly. The band has released a new studio album about every 2 or 3 years and performs in small, intimate venues.
The second release, entitled Under a Violet Moon
Under a Violet Moon
Under a Violet Moon is a Blackmore's Night's second album released in May 25, 1999 through Edel Music. Under a Violet Moon won the New Age Voice award for the best vocal album of the year.-Track listing:...
(1999) continued in the same folk-rock style, with Night's vocals remaining a prominent feature of the band's style. In subsequent albums, particularly Fires at Midnight
Fires at Midnight
Fires at Midnight is a Blackmore's Night's third studio album released on July 10, 2001 through SPV/Steamhammer. In comparison with their previous two releases, there are more electric guitar parts on this album, whilst maintaining a folk rock direction...
(2001), there was sometimes an increased incorporation of rock guitar into the music, whilst maintaining a folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
direction. A live album, Past Times with Good Company
Past Times with Good Company
For the English folk song written by King Henry VIII, see Pastime with Good Company.Past Times With Good Company is a double live album by the band Blackmore's Night, recorded in May 2002 in Groningen, the Netherlands. It was released in October 2002 in Europe and in February 2003 in the USA and...
was released in 2002. After the next studio album's release, a official compilation album Beyond the Sunset: The Romantic Collection
Beyond the Sunset: The Romantic Collection
Beyond the Sunset is a Blackmore's Night compilation album released in 2004 through Steamhammer. It is named for song "Beyond the Sunset" by Blackmore’s Night from their 1999 album Under a Violet Moon...
was released in 2004, featuring music from the four studio albums. They have also performed some of the music for MagiQuest
Magiquest
MagiQuest is a live action role-playing game in which players take the role of magic users. Players, called Magi in the game, use an infra-red emitting wand to interact with objects. These objects are usually scattered throughout the place. By waving and pointing the wand at an object, a player...
, a live simulation game located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
. A Christmas-themed cover album, Winter Carols
Winter Carols
Winter Carols is a studio album by the American & UK folk rock band Blackmore's Night. This Christmas-inspired album was released in the United Kingdom in October, 2006 and in the United States on November 7, 2006...
was released in 2006. Through numerous personnel changes, the backing musicians have totalled about 25 persons.
Equipment & Musical style
During the 1960s, Blackmore played a Gibson ES-335Gibson ES-335
The Gibson ES-335 is the world's first commercial thinline arched-top semi-acoustic electric guitar. Released by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of its ES series in 1958, it is neither hollow nor solid; instead, a solid wood block runs through the center of its body...
but switched to a Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
after buying a secondhand Stratocaster with a Telecaster neck from Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's roadie. Since then, until Blackmore's Night, he used Stratocasters almost exclusively. The middle pickup is screwed down and not used, with only the bass and treble pickup selectors operating. Blackmore has also occasionally used a Fender Telecaster Thinline
Fender Telecaster Thinline
The Fender Telecaster Thinline is an electric guitar made by the Fender company. It is a Telecaster with body cavities. Designed by German luthier Roger Rossmeisl in 1968, it was introduced in 1969 and updated with a pair of Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups, Bullet truss-rod and 3-bolt neck...
during recording sessions.
From 1970 to 1997, Blackmore almost exclusively played a Fender Stratocaster. 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. He often plays the riff without a pick, using two fingers to pluck the strings in fourths, but he's also using his thumb to pluck the bass notes of riff.
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 as evidenced by his solo in "Child In Time
Child in Time
"Child in Time" is a song by British hard rock band Deep Purple. Featured on their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock, the song is 10 minutes and 18 seconds long.-History and characteristics:...
".
In the 1970s, Blackmore used a number of different Stratocasters; his main guitar (until the Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
-Personnel:*Ritchie Blackmore – guitars, bass*Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals*Cozy Powell – drums, percussion*David Stone – keyboards on "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", "The Shed". Piano outro on "L.A...
album) was a sunburst with a rosewood fingerboard that was scalloped. Blackmore added a strap lock to the headstock of this guitar as a conversation piece to annoy and confuse people.
His amplifers were originally 200W Marshall Major
Marshall Major
The Marshall Major was a guitar amplifier made by Marshall. It was introduced in 1967 as the "Marshall 200" . It had a plexi front panel and only three knobs: volume, bass, and treble. In 1968 the name "Marshall Major" began to appear on the back panel, and a presence control was added in front...
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
Engl
ENGL is a German company that makes high-end tube amplifiers for electric guitars. Over the years ENGL has succeeded in becoming a global player in this market...
valve amps. One of the reasons he cited was that the Marshall heads did not sound as good as the Engls at low volume.
Effects he used from 1970 to 1997, besides his usual tape echo, included a Hornby Skewes Treble Booster in the early days. Around the time of the Burn sessions, he experimented with an EMS Synthi Hi Fli guitar synthesizer. He sometimes used a wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
and a variable control treble-booster for sustain, and Moog Taurus
Moog Taurus
The Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music from 1974 or 1975 to 1981. Commonly called the Taurus I, it has a 13-note organ-style pedal board similar to the pedal keyboard of a spinet organ.-History:...
bass pedals were used in solo parts during concerts. He also had a modified Aiwa TP-1011 tape machine built to supply echo and delay effects; the tape deck was also used as a pre-amp. Other effects that Blackmore used were a Schulte Compact Phasing A, a Unicord Univibe
Univibe
The Uni-Vibe is a footpedal-operated phaser or phase shifter for creating chorus and vibrato simulations for electric organ or guitar. It was introduced in the 1960s by Shin-ei, and was intended to emulate the "Doppler sound" of a Leslie speaker...
, a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face
Fuzz Face
The Fuzz Face is an effects pedal used mainly by electric guitarists, and by some bass players. It is a stompbox designed to produce a distorted sound from an electric guitar. This "fuzz" sound is sometimes compared to the sound of a damaged speaker...
and an Octave Divider
Octave effect
Octave-effect boxes are a type of special effects unit which mix the input signal with a synthesised signal whose musical tone is an octave lower or higher than the original. The synthesised octave signal is derived from the original input signal by halving or doubling the frequency...
.
In the mid-1980s he experimented with Roland
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
guitar synthesizers. A Roland GR-700
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
was seen on stage as late as 1995-96, later replaced with the GR-50.
His strings used from 1970 to 1997 were Picato brand (.010, .011, .014, .026, .038, .048).
Blackmore has experimented with many different pickups in his Strats. In the early Rainbow era, they were still stock Fenders, later Dawk installed overwound, dipped, Fender pickups.
He has also used Schecter
Schecter Guitar Research
Schecter Guitar Research, commonly known as simply as Schecter, is a US guitar manufacturer. The company was founded in 1976 by David Schecter and originally produced only replacement parts for existing guitars from manufacturers such as Fender and Gibson...
F-500-Ts, Velvet Hammer "Red Rhodes", DiMarzio
DiMarzio
DiMarzio, Inc. is an United States manufacturer best known for its revolutionary direct-replacement guitar pickups. The company also produces miscellaneous guitar accessories, such as cables, straps and hardware.DiMarzio became known for its Super Distortion model, which was the first after...
"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
Lace Sensor
The Lace Sensor is a guitar pickup designed by Don Lace and manufactured by AGI since 1985.This line of electric guitar pickups was used exclusively by Fender from 1987 to 1996....
(Gold) "noiseless" pickups.
Personal life
Blackmore lived in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
for a while during late 1960s, during his marriage with German woman Margit Volkmar (b. 3 Jan 1945), until their divorce in 1969. They had a son, Jürgen (b. 1964), who was playing guitar in touring tribute band Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (band)
Over the Rainbow is a rock tribute band formed in 2008 by former members of Rainbow. Its members are Joe Lynn Turner , Bobby Rondinelli , Tony Carey and Greg Smith . Playing lead guitar is Rainbow founder Ritchie Blackmore's son, Jürgen Blackmore...
.
Blackmore was married to another German, dancer Bärbel Hardie, from September 1969 until their divorce in mid-1970s. As a result, he is a fluent German speaker. His third marriage, on 16 May 1981, to Amy Rothman, ended in divorce in 1987.
He and Candice Night
Candice Night
Candice Night is an American vocalist/songwriter and the musical partner of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. She is the lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and lyricist for the traditional folk rock project, Blackmore's Night since its origins in 1997.-Biography:Born in Hauppauge, Long Island, New...
lived together from 1991. After being engaged for nearly fifteen years, the couple married on October 2008. Their daughter, Autumn was born on May 2010.
He moved to the U.S.A. to form Rainbow in the mid-1970s, then resides in her birthplace's Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
since 1993. Also he usually watches German television on the satellite dish when he stays at his home. In 2010 he agreed to be one of the advisers for the National Guitar Museum.
Discography
As a session player (1963–1965), selected releases
- 1963 Just Like EddieJust Like Eddie"Just Like Eddie" was a hit single in the UK in 1963. It was sung by Heinz - his first release after leaving The Tornados to launch his solo career. The record was produced by Joe Meek mentor to both Heinz and the Tornados...
(HeinzHeinz (singer)Heinz was a bassist and singer.-Life:Heinz was born in Detmold, but from the age of seven was brought up in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, where a road is named after him. His biggest solo hit was "Just Like Eddie", a tribute to Eddie Cochran...
) - 1963 Live It Up (Heinz, EP)
- 1965 Michael Cox in Sweden (Michael CoxMichael Cox (singer)Michael James Cox is a British-born former pop singer and actor. As Michael Cox, he had a top ten hit on the UK singles chart in 1960 with "Angela Jones", produced by Joe Meek. He later worked as an actor, and in TV in New Zealand, using both his full name and the name Michael James.-Life and...
, EP) - 1964 Ramona (Houston Wells & The Marksmen, EP)
- 1965 Glenda Collins (Glenda CollinsGlenda CollinsGlenda Collins was a British pop music singer active in the 1960s. Collins was discovered by Carroll Levis, whose promotion landed her a contract with Decca Records...
, EP) - 1965 Screaming Lord Sutch (Screaming Lord SutchScreaming Lord SutchDavid Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
, EP) - 1966 Roy HarperRoy HarperRoy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
- Sophisticated BeggarSophisticated BeggarSophisticated Beggar is English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper's debut album. It was released in 1966.-History:The album consists of Harper's poetry backed by acoustic guitar and recorded with a Revox tape machine by Pierre Tubbs....
("Committed") - 1968 Sundragon (Sundragon)
- 1989 Rock Profile (Ritchie Blackmore)
- 1991 Rock Profile Vol. 2 (Ritchie Blackmore)
- 1991 The Derek Lawrence Sessions Take 1
- 1992 The Derek Lawrence Sessions Take 3
- 1994 Dreams Do Come True - The 45's Collection (Heinz)
- 1994 Heinz (Heinz, EP)
- 1994 Take It! Sessions 63/68 (Ritchie Blackmore)
- 1995 It's Hard To Believe It: The Amazing World Of Joe Meek
- 2002 Joe Meek - The Alchemist of Pop: Home Made Hits and Rarities 1959-66
- 2002 Pre Purple People (VA)
- 2005 Getaway - Groups & Sessions (Ritchie Blackmore)
- 2008 Houston Wells - Then & Now: From Joe Meek To New Zealand
Guest appearances
- 1971 Green Bullfrog - Green Bullfrog aka Natural Magic
- 1972 Screaming Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends - Hands Off Jack The Ripper (recorded live '70)
- 1973 Randy, Pie & Family - Hurry To The City/Looking with Eyes of Love (SP, "Hurry To The City)
- 1974 Adam FaithAdam FaithTerence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith was a Teen idol English singer, actor and later financial journalist. He was one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the Top 5...
- I Survive ("I Survive") - 1980 Jack Green - HumanesqueHumanesque-Album track listing:# "Murder" – 3:21# "So Much" – 3:52# "Valentina" – 4:22# "Babe " – 3:33# "Can't Stand it" – 3:35# "I Call, No Answer " – 3:33# "Life on the Line" – 4:03# "'Bout That Girl " – 3:02# "Thought it was Easy " – 2:48...
("I Call, No Answer") - 1990 Rock Aid Armenia - The Earthquake Album ("Smoke On The Water '90")
- 1992 Laurent VoulzyLaurent VoulzyLaurent Voulzy is a French singer and composer.-Biography:Voulzy originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus before joining Pascal Danel as guitarist from 1969 to 1974...
- Caché Derrière ("Guitare héraut") - 1996 Twang! A Tribute To Hank Marvin & The ShadowsThe ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
("Apache") - 1996 Sweet - All Right Now ("All Right Now By Now", recorded live '76)
- 1997 Pat Boone - In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice GuyIn a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice GuyIn a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy is a 1997 album by Pat Boone in which Boone, after critisizing groups like Duran Duran for their James Bond theme and number one hit A View To A Kill because of their lyric "Dance Into the Fire" being devil worshipping and unholy, covers hard rock and heavy...
("Smoke On The Water") - 1999 Geyers Schwarzer Haufen - Live '99 ("Göttliche Devise")
- 2004 Geyers Schwarzer Haufen - Historock Lästerzungen ("God's Gospel")
- 2011 William ShatnerWilliam ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
- Seeking Major TomSearching for Major TomSeeking Major Tom is the fourth studio album by William Shatner. It was released October 11, 2011 in the US by Cleopatra Records. The album features many noted musicians, including Sheryl Crow, John Wetton, Patrick Moraz, Ritchie Blackmore, Alan Parsons, Peter Frampton, Nick Valensi, Zakk Wylde,...
("Space Oddity")