Ritchie Blackmore
b. 14 April 1945, Weston-Super-Mare, Avon, England. Guitarist Blackmore spent his early career in Mike Dee And The Jaywalkers before joining Screaming Lord Sutch And His Savages in May 1962. Within months he had switched to The Outlaws, a popular, principally instrumental, group which also served as the studio houseband for producer Joe Meek. Blackmore's exciting style was already apparent on the group's releases, notably Keep A Knockin'/Shake With Me, and on sessions for Heinz and Mike Berry. The guitarist briefly joined the former singer's group, the Wild Boys, in 1964, and completed a suitably idiosyncratic solo single, Little Brown Jug/Getaway, before forging an erratic path as a member of Neil Christian's Crusaders, The Savages (again) and the Roman Empire. When a short-lived act, Mandrake Root, broke up in October 1967, Ritchie opted to live in Hamburg, but the following year was invited back to London to join organist Jon Lord in the embryonic Deep Purple. Although initially envisaged as an ‘English Vanilla Fudge’ the group quickly became a leading heavy metal act, with Blackmore's powerful, urgent runs an integral part of their attraction. He left the group in 1975, unhappy with their increasingly funk-based sound, and joined forces with the USA-based Elf to form Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. This powerful band became a highly popular hard rock attraction, but was blighted by its leader's autocratic demands. Multiple firings ensued as the guitarist searched for the ideal combination, but such behaviour simply enhanced a temperamental reputation. He was nonetheless involved in the Deep Purple reunion, undertaken in 1984, although animosity between the guitarist and vocalist Ian Gillan resulted in the latter's departure. Blackmore's prowess as a guitar ‘hero’ is undisputed, while his outstanding technique has influenced everyone from the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) bands to conventional modern rock outfits.