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The Latest Breaking News from Ritchie Blackmore

“Bob Ezrin was recording and I changed to a different guitar. Within five seconds, he stopped the tape and said, ‘There’s something wrong…’” Simon McBride on Deep Purple’s new golden age of heavy

The band's fleet-fingered, PRS-toting guitar-slinger tells GW how the rock legends nailed their ‘70s sound in the 21st century on their new album, and the pedal people would be surprised to hear is on his 'board...

Guitar World

“I asked David, ‘Any suggestions?’ He said, ‘Think Ritchie Blackmore.’ I didn’t expect that”: When David Bowie asked Robert Fripp to play like a Deep Purple legend

Fripp had made magical contributions to Bowie's masterpiece, Heroes, just a few years earlier – but this time the legend had something very different in mind…

Guitar World

“He fired a shotgun out of a window into a bird sanctuary. When we heard the bang, we said to the tour manager, ‘You need to take that gun off him!’” The Sweet's last man standing Andy Scott on wild times and triumphs in glam's most influential band

The guitar history of the Sweet, one of the best-loved bands of the glam era, who splashed color, fun and rock-solid riffs across the ’70s pop world – and influenced a generation in the process

Guitar World

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“His death was an incredible loss, not only for the band but for guitar fans as well”: Every Deep Purple guitarist, from Blackmore to McBride

The British rock pioneers have survived almost continuously since 1968, partly because of their ability to choose the right players to stand in Ritchie Blackmore’s place

Guitar World

"He said he did these big gigs to make money, but what he enjoyed best was playing in churches and castles with his missus." Russ Ballard's wild tales of Ritchie Blackmore, The Beatles, Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne and more

Go-to songwriter, solo artist and former Argent guitarist/singer Russ Ballard hung out with The Beatles, is mates with Roger Daltrey and heard Elvis stories from Robert Plant

Louder

“I decided to give up the guitar when I heard Eric Clapton, the way people are put off playing tennis when they watch Roger Federer”: Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson on why he plays the flute – and why Ritchie Blackmore is ‘definitely not mad’

“I found the flute gave me something very interesting melodically”

MusicRadar

“I can hear a lot of Ritchie Blackmore fans crying out, ‘No! He’s using digital stuff!’” Simon McBride is ditching stacks for modelers and transforming Deep Purple’s sound

But his reason for the switch isn’t what you might think

Guitar World

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Megadeth's Dave Mustaine names his guitar heroes and praises Deep Purple and Rainbow's Ritchie Blackmore for "being metal as f*** back when there were no metal guitar players"

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine's "Last Supper" of guitarists includes special place for Deep Purple and Rainbow icon Ritchie Blackmore

Metal Hammer

"I'm not too struck on Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, I never saw what was in Clapton at all". In 1975, Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore was asked for his thoughts on his peers: he did not hold back

Blackmore on Hendrix, Beck, Page, Clapton, Townshend and more

Louder

"He only became a heavy metal guy after he’d spent time touring with Deep Purple and started in Rainbow." What happened when Ronnie James Dio met Ritchie Blackmore

Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore recruited a largely unknown vocalist to sing on his new project. The rest, as they say, is history

Louder

“I’d given up hope. Then Wendy Dio called me. She asked how I’d feel playing in front of 20,000 people”: Rowan Robertson was 17 years old when he joined Dio. He looks back on how he got the gig – and why it all came to an end after one album

The English guitarist recalls the advice Ronnie James Dio gave him, the demo tape that landed him the role, and why he never reunited with the iconic singer

Guitar World

“I always felt like I was the weak link in the band. I felt that my guitar playing was was too raw and unpolished”: How guitar hero Vivian Campbell overcame self-doubt to create a heavy metal masterpiece with legendary singer Ronnie James Dio

His solo in Dio's most famous song was cut in one take

MusicRadar

“Ozzy asked whether I had night-sight goggles. I didn’t. He told me you could pick up an ex-military pair for $10,000!”: Legendary songwriter Russ Ballard tried to write a song with Ozzy Osbourne – and failed

Ozzy offered Ballard tips on how to get high-grade military hardware - and Ritchie Blackmore just wanted to play “minstrel music”

Louder

“I reckon Ritchie Blackmore might have thought we’d made a mistake having them open for Rainbow, as we just couldn’t match them”: When AC/DC blew Rainbow off stage

Warning: never, ever let AC/DC open for your band

Louder

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Louder

"A 42-piece orchestra, mellotron, and a string thing all playing this half-Turkish scale." The story of Ritchie Blackmore's most epic Rainbow song

Inspired by a cello riff and launched by one of rock's great drum intros, Stargazer found Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio at their absolute peak

Guitar World

“He only ever said one thing to me about sounding like anyone he’d played with before”: Rowan Robertson on the key piece of advice he received from Ronnie James Dio on how to faithfully play Tony Iommi’s riffs

Though Robertson was only 17 at the time he was hired for Ronnie James Dio's band, the legendary frontman had the utmost confidence in him

Guitar World

“He called and said, ‘I don’t like what’s going on with Ritchie Blackmore. I’m looking for an escape’”: That time Ronnie James Dio offered to front ’70s glam-rock outfit The Sweet

Internal disagreements led Dio to very different gig as he sought an escape from Blackmore’s Rainbow, while The Sweet were grappling with their frontman's drinking problems

Louder

"I don't know how many thousands of times I've sung it, but I've never once thought 'Oh no, not tonight'." How Deep Purple created an all-time hard rock classic with a song that "didn't go anywhere"

Built from a riff that came from nowhere, Smoke On The Water has been covered by everyone from ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic to Black Sabbath

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Metal Hammer

"Noel Gallagher would be in the room across from me." From underground darlings to collabs with Mastodon and Gojira: Urne are the best-kept secret in British metal

After exploring the effects of dementia on 2023's A Feast On Sorrow, Urne decided to reconnect with metal's roots for their 2026 follow-up

Louder

"Can this possibly be the perfect rock album?" Deep Purple climb an early pinnacle on Machine Head

Machine Head was the album that set the template for Deep Purple’s entire future direction

Guitar World

“Jon offered me the gig and I turned him down. It still amazes me how close I came to not following this path”: Roger Glover’s path to bass greatness with Deep Purple

Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple formed the holy trinity of hard rock that would ultimately induce heavy metal

Guitar World

“It’s a bit of a mystery. I’ve found that at my age it’s time to pull back on touring”: Ritchie Blackmore issues health update – and explains how he’ll get back to live gigs

The guitarist was forced to scrap touring plans last year, and ongoing health issues are forcing him to reconsider how and when he’ll return to the stage

Louder

"I learned this note-for-note because it really touched me emotionally; it was so vulnerable." The eight songs that fuelled Steve Stevens' teenage rock'n'roll dreams

Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens recalls the songs that rocked his world during his formative years

Louder

Ritchie Blackmore finally confirms that yes, Christopher Cross really did replace him at a Deep Purple show that one time

The incident took place in Texas in 1970 after Blackmore reacted badly to some flu shots

Guitar World

“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

Blackmore says he has nothing but respect for the Led Zep guitarist

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