<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Ritchie-blackmore ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/ritchie-blackmore Sat, 25 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “I read the other day that I hated him. I can’t believe they said that”: Ritchie Blackmore sets the record straight about his relationship with Jimmy Page ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-on-jimmy-page gRZUgjMtNxPYmTHtmzaTWk Sat, 25 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Absolutely essential listening for any would-be rock bass player”: How Rainbow bassist Craig Gruber galloped his way through a hard-rock classic alongside Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/craig-gruber-ritchie-blackmore-rainbow-snake-charmer Fq2KUMtEnWKaB84q3KpVgM Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:53:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I couldn’t believe he was a guitar player”: Ritchie Blackmore says most guitarists aren’t nice people – but names one player who bucks the trend ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-most-guitarists-arent-nice-people a6sPkikAdaP5GYWsHDmfNL Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:38:45 +0000 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:08:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A band member said, ‘If we didn’t write it, there’s no point in doing it because we won’t get writing credits.’ I was really disappointed”: The moment Ritchie Blackmore knew he’d leave Deep Purple ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-moment-ritchie-blackmore-knew-hed-leave-deep-purple SdpQrH2kRujhWKUMnWuWxb Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:00:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’d met Elvis Presley’s guitar player, who told me James Burton used banjo strings...” How Ritchie Blackmore came across an obscure string mod that introduced him to a whole new sound – and why it didn’t work for him ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-banjo-strings-electric-guitar viWnDkxx7FcyHtq7LFqMwV Sat, 06 Dec 2025 15:30:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I played the Purple songs and took it out, some of them – a certain percentage of them – just hated me”: Steve Morse on the challenges of putting his own stamp on Deep Purple’s material ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/steve-morse-on-putting-his-spin-on-deep-purples-material Zp4LHsNGWYN4TrvNokv8sh Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:23:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I couldn't stop vomiting. The room wouldn't stop spinning”: Ritchie Blackmore issues health update after tour cancellation ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-issues-health-update-after-tour-cancellation D7jtzfzrxT8CA4rvsPhDqX Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:49:50 +0000 Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:04:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We are sorry for any inconvenience”: Ritchie Blackmore’s band cancels all remaining tour dates, citing medical reasons ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/we-are-sorry-for-any-inconvenience-ritchie-blackmores-band-cancels-all-remaining-tour-dates GZiRcLng3PmaaBXZnauk5c Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:26:11 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’d say, ‘How is your latest record, Jeff?’ And he’d go, ‘Oh, it's a lot of rubbish’”: Ritchie Blackmore on Jeff Beck’s imposter syndrome ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-on-jeff-beck Sru7dmFGTTQs9CnXzyhwqh Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:52:23 +0000 Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:44:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “His voice was staggering, but the bass playing had to be on a par with someone like Jack Bruce. And Phil wasn’t there yet”: How Phil Lynott narrowly missed the chance to form a supergroup alongside Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/phil-lynott-ritchie-blackmore-baby-face utDHYzLkJfEwL2gwzy6ZWP Sun, 24 Aug 2025 09:28:00 +0000 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:36:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We were opening for Deep Purple, and Ritchie Blackmore got food poisoning and was in the hospital overnight”: How a support slot with Deep Purple and a last-minute guitarist replacement led to Eric Johnson meeting Christopher Cross ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/eric-johnson-on-how-he-crossed-paths-with-christopher-cross eyYBWzUCYG8kDyzcBYgZe5 Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:20:18 +0000 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:32:37 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We wrote a song based on a riff I had. The idea was to be Mahavishnu Orchestra with vocals": After Deep Purple decided not to hire him after Ritchie Blackmore's departure, Clem Clempson almost formed a wild supergroup with Glenn Hughes and David Bowie ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/clem-clempson-on-his-deep-purple-audition NqMvysD8cK8a8FyZapjcpQ Fri, 16 May 2025 11:16:58 +0000 Wed, 21 May 2025 10:32:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Even standing with the guitars is tricky”: Ritchie Blackmore's health sparks concern after update from wife and musical partner Candice Night ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-health-sparks-concern-after-update-from-wife-and-musical-partner-candice-night EbuFQeUaYaZm6n3YbzZ9RG Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:02:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It's getting harder for him. But I've seen people younger than him in wheelchairs on stage doing what they do”: Ritchie Blackmore suffered a heart attack last year – and a return to Europe has been ruled out for the time being ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-heart-attack-recovery nyGz9mqERG4J9Uqjcn6w68 Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:25:38 +0000 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:58:33 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People had warned me how Ritchie chewed up and spat out musicians. Rainbow had already auditioned 40 bass players!” From Ritchie Blackmore to Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley has worked with rock’s heaviest heroes ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/bob-daisley-on-working-with-ritchie-blackmore-ozzy-osbourne 4boRjK8aWGXi3RAvLrXz5S Tue, 25 Mar 2025 09:44:44 +0000 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:47:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jim Morrison was carried out. Jimi Hendrix was there. We were all getting drunk”: Ritchie Blackmore recalls the first time he saw two-hand tapping – at a wild show in 1968 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-tapping-story W3NGmmnwiPcXUPX9LjYRKE Sat, 11 Jan 2025 11:45:00 +0000 Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:18:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If you look at the leads he was doing and when he was doing ’em, he innovated a lot of that stuff”: Slayer's Kerry King reveals who he thinks is the most “overlooked” guitarist in metal ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/slayer-kerry-king-on-the-most-overlooked-guitarist-in-metal uvTPDRPYKGGMGihbdzKfKD Thu, 02 Jan 2025 16:58:36 +0000 Mon, 06 Jan 2025 16:25:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People warned me, ‘If you work with Ritchie Blackmore, you could last 5 minutes. He could chew you up, spit you out. You could end up with nothing.’ So I did have to think about it”: Bob Daisley on Rainbow, Ozzy – and pairing up with Randy Rhoads ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/bob-daisley-rhandy-rhoads-ritchie-blackmore-ozzy FSj35KKtjLsRmm6z7LsAhW Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:53:55 +0000 Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:42:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I went there with the intention of buying a Gretsch Jet Firebird. He said, ‘Forget the Gretsch. That’s a toy compared to the 335’”: Ritchie Blackmore recalls buying his first Gibson from amp pioneer Jim Marshall's music store ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-recalls-buying-his-first-gibson-from-amp-pioneer-jim-marshall z8xgM9iy387eYZFwjdpYYm Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:04:18 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:18:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He said very politely, ‘Can I get up on stage with you and use your guitar?’ It was very overwhelming to play with a Beatle”: That time Ritchie Blackmore and George Harrison jammed Little Richard at a Deep Purple concert ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-george-harrison-deep-purple-jam rF85BMtwPvQgnyZW4dFhEH Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:02:13 +0000 Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:19:21 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We got a bang on the door and it was Eric's security. That was embarrassing – he might have thought it was me making this racket”: That time Ritchie Blackmore disturbed Eric Clapton by cranking Marshalls in a hotel at 3am ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-eric-clapton-hotel-encounter UvQmSuffEQpwHKYU2oS3T9 Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:58:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The Steve Morse stuff is very different to the early Ritchie Blackmore stuff. Nobody can do it better than them”: Simon McBride on how he’s made the Deep Purple catalog his own – while paying homage to the icons who came before him ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/simon-mcbride-on-replacing-steve-morse-ritchie-blackmore jG6DonA88ykHaWBn6zbRoC Tue, 30 Jul 2024 11:29:31 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Eric Clapton’s roadie brought a Strat with him. I said, ‘Do you want to sell that guitar?’ He said, ‘I’ll sell it to you for £60’”: Ritchie Blackmore on why he switched from the 335 to the Stratocaster – and the one he used to record Smoke on the Water ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ritchie-blackmore-on-his-favorite-fender-stratocasters rxRwjizCaupYBq2XLRQNTf Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:11:17 +0000 Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:44:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There's one little lick which annoyed me for a long, long time”: Deep Purple’s Simon McBride on the Ritchie Blackmore lick he found most difficult to learn ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/deep-purple-simon-mcbride-on-most-difficult-ritchie-blackmore-lick uJPdsXftnb965TDz3jyvbD Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:35:41 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:40:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I woke up with those words, ‘Smoke on the Water’, on my lips. I mentioned it to Ian and he said, ‘Sounds like a drug song, we better not do that’”: Deep Purple just played Smoke on the Water on the lake that inspired it – with actual fire in the sky ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/deep-purple-perform-smoke-on-the-water-on-lake-geneva trZY33vcJPcBHVtBMvoJUi Wed, 10 Jul 2024 11:09:40 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:18:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I bought one of Eric Clapton’s old Strats for £60. That was my initiation into playing a Strat”: How Ritchie Blackmore ended up buying his first-ever Fender Stratocaster from Eric Clapton ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-eric-clapton-fender-stratocaster t2xizCrhtZpESufbn4stVU Tue, 11 Jun 2024 11:12:02 +0000 Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:08:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I like to have a blast plugging into my Engl amp – even if it's just to wake up the neighbors”: Ritchie Blackmore swapped rock for Renaissance music – but says he’s still not above cranking a tube amp once in awhile ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-engl-amp 7kuZeAscZVd8yisjkCeFyd Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:56:46 +0000 Fri, 13 Sep 2024 16:23:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ Deep Purple almost lost the legendary Smoke on the Water riff because of armed police storming their studio ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/deep-purple-smoke-on-the-water-police qxWWaPBdhwfkvDnrDotaRR Mon, 13 Mar 2023 13:46:03 +0000 Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:03:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore based Smoke on the Water on a classical masterpiece – and the riff’s roots might surprise you ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ritchie-blackmore-smoke-on-the-water-riff eN8FyCAyoXUx7btMtNcVz9 Thu, 13 Oct 2022 16:12:17 +0000 Thu, 13 Oct 2022 16:14:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ Get to the roots of Eddie Van Halen’s groundbreaking playing with this lesson on his biggest influences ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/eddie-van-halen-influences sW66TJcYXycaS4wubfUwsc Fri, 27 May 2022 10:21:37 +0000 Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:54:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore’s hometown refuses blue plaque, but campaign finds a way ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-plaque-update aDiBKbajw3gRX5A7CsHjWD Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:20:41 +0000 Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:23:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ Legendary music photographer Ross Halfin has announced a huge new Ritchie Blackmore book, limited to just 400 copies ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-ross-halfin-book EdksCrt6Trdi6M9pMhr727 Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:33:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ Petition launched for Ritchie Blackmore’s hometown to honor the guitarist with historic blue plaque ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-plaque uwrJ5UCGP8mEwh4C6Y42uR Tue, 24 Aug 2021 15:19:13 +0000 Wed, 02 Mar 2022 12:26:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ How to play blues like Ritchie Blackmore ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/ritchie-blackmore-blues HkiDsWKNMo5uuNrHvVwmRF Fri, 06 Aug 2021 12:00:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ Catalinbread unleashes Ritchie Blackmore-inspired double-pedal boxset ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/catalinbread-dreamcoat-skewer a3nVMyNBzbuXyMpjJCkwmH Thu, 24 Jun 2021 10:06:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore wields his Fender Strat once more on bluesy Blackmore's Night instrumental, Der letzte Musketier (The Last Musketeer) ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-wields-his-fender-strat-once-more-on-bluesy-blackmores-night-instrumental-der-letzte-musketier-the-last-musketeer Uq6yidjHkKta7su4xtunf8 Mon, 15 Mar 2021 12:23:15 +0000 Wed, 17 Mar 2021 13:42:01 +0000 <![CDATA[ How to play guitar like 7 Fender Strat icons ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/how-to-play-guitar-like-7-fender-strat-icons WAkjf6bGGVmoCVWMmrsXBd Tue, 17 Nov 2020 10:32:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ Steve Morse says he combined Ritchie Blackmore and Joe Satriani's playing styles for his first Deep Purple gig ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/steve-morse-says-he-combined-ritchie-blackmore-and-joe-satrianis-playing-styles-for-his-first-deep-purple-concert HFFZUt6X6r6BDRXbyFg8N Mon, 05 Oct 2020 14:46:19 +0000 Mon, 05 Oct 2020 14:55:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore and William Shatner team up to cover B.B. King’s The Thrill is Gone ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-and-william-shatner-team-up-to-cover-bb-kings-the-thrill-is-gone zGCUPVWQqbX5ekQdviifgA Wed, 26 Aug 2020 15:28:13 +0000 Wed, 26 Aug 2020 15:45:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ Watch Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple perform in New York in 1973 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/video-ritchie-blackmore-and-deep-purple-perform-new-york-1973 NYCqa5pMT2RBciq7Kuo3dA Tue, 14 Apr 2020 18:18:01 +0000 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 20:58:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ Adrian Smith on Iron Maiden’s three-guitar line-up: “If you had three Yngwie Malmsteens, it would have been a fight after about five minutes” ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/adrian-smith-on-iron-maidens-three-guitar-line-up-if-you-had-three-yngwie-malmsteens-it-would-have-been-a-fight-after-about-five-minutes y8Fbx9AJakmyhx3exuVbRJ Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:25:05 +0000 Thu, 27 Feb 2020 15:48:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour, Brian May and Others Play "Smoke on the Water" in 1989 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmore-david-gilmour-brian-may-and-others-play-smoke-water-1989-video 3WsExSKocj7yM297YX2tXG Fri, 19 Jul 2019 12:55:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ Listen to a New Song from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, “The Storm” ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/listen-to-a-new-song-from-ritchie-blackmores-rainbow-the-storm C78W4QTKPHWQpk6cB5KfPd Fri, 17 May 2019 13:16:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Premiere Updated Version of "Black Sheep of the Family" ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ritchie-blackmores-rainbow-premiere-updated-version-of-black-sheep-of-the-family aFK96pcwajpNT2epAQmbQg Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:52:26 +0000 Mon, 29 Apr 2019 19:13:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ Watch Eddie Van Halen Play Ritchie Blackmore Riffs ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/watch-eddie-van-halen-play-ritchie-blackmore-riffs jn24yQchTnERTVDGMe6CAa Mon, 28 Jan 2019 15:51:00 +0000 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 15:51:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore Shows Off His Favorite Guitars ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/ritchie-blackmore-shows-his-favorite-guitars-video 4fKqrU9R7DqjCXoyNqwMEG Thu, 08 Nov 2018 19:49:00 +0000 Thu, 08 Nov 2018 19:49:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ 'It's Unfortunate': Joe Satriani Responds to Ritchie Blackmore Comments ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/its-unfortunate-joe-satriani-responds-to-ritchie-blackmore-comments Y8mJ6yDEjX7koQXNNWGpfe Tue, 22 May 2018 14:56:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore on Joe Satriani: "If You’re Always Playing the Correct Notes, There’s Something Wrong" ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/ritchie-blackmore-on-joe-satriani-if-youre-always-playing-the-correct-notes-theres-something-wrong qqFpqWhF3J73Et5Lo3BgXf Mon, 14 May 2018 18:04:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ Ritchie Blackmore: Talking Tone, Gear, Deep Purple Years and a Rocking Rainbow Revival ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/ritchie-blackmore-talking-tone-gear-deep-purple-years-and-a-rocking-rainbow-revival s3c94xLwyncBVPJF3T4wQh Wed, 25 Apr 2018 14:06:00 +0000 Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:55:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ What to Remember When Performing Rainbow's "Man on the Silver Mountain" ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/what-to-remember-when-performing-rainbows-man-on-the-silver-mountain ms4AzZ2MfUzScuD69WoSU8 Thu, 12 Apr 2018 16:33:41 +0000