Ritchie Blackmore

Hard-rock guitarist Ritchie Blackmore began studying classical guitar at age 11, then switched to rock in his teens. He became a session player and worked with Screaming Lord Sutch before cofounding Deep Purple in 1968. Associates claim that Blackmore is often arrogant and belligerent, and after Purple had peaked, he left in 1975 amid rumors of dissension. He founded his own band, made up mostly of members of the upstate New York band Elf (which had frequently opened for Deep Purple), and it was billed alternately as Rainbow or Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

The frequently changing lineup included vocalists Ronnie James Dio (who later replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and found success on his own) and Graham Bonnet (briefly a member of Deep Purple after singer Ian Gillan split in 1973), keyboardist Tony Carey (marginally successful in the mid-’80s both under his own name and as Planet P), and drummer Cozy Powell (formerly of the Jeff Beck Group and later with Sabbath, the Michael Schenker Band, and others). Ex–Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover joined Blackmore in 1979, and with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner and Blackmore he cowrote Rainbow’s Top 40 hit “Stone Cold.”

Rainbow dissolved two years later when Blackmore, Glover, and the other three members of the “classic” Purple lineup got back together. Turner, after releasing a solo album in 1985, joined Purple in 1990 but was replaced (by Ian Gillan, whom he’d replaced) in 1993. Shortly thereafter, Blackmore quit. A new Rainbow, which released a 1995 European album, toured the U.S. in 1997. By the decade’s close, Blackmore was devoting his time to Blackmore’s Night, a largely acoustic, medieval-style duo with vocalist Candice Night and various support casts. Shadow of the Moon features flute by Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. The band has enjoyed great success in Japan and in New Age circles.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)