Ritchie Blackmore

British guitarist

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Born 1945 · age 81United Kingdom

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Wikipedia
52 languages
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Age
81
Born 1945
Known for
The Ritchie Blackmore …
2015

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

The man behind some of hard rock's most recognizable riffs — "Smoke on the Water" among them — built a career on marrying classical phrasing to overdriven blues, first with Deep Purple, then Rainbow, then a sharp left turn into Renaissance folk.

Biography

About

Richard Hugh Blackmore was born 14 April 1945 in England and started his professional run in the 1960s with outfits like the Outlaws and Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages, filling session slots for singers including Glenda Collins and Heinz. He co-founded Deep Purple, where his classically inflected solos helped define the sound of early heavy metal, then left to form Rainbow and later Blackmore's Night, a folk-rock project that swapped distortion for lute and mandolin. Guitar World and Rolling Stone have named him among the most influential players in rock history, and Deep Purple's inductio…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Ritchie Blackmore

Ritchie Blackmore

said1973

Listening to as many guitar solos as possible is the best method for someone in the early stages. But saxophone solos can be helpful.

— Ritchie Blackmore, in: Guitar Player. Vol. 7. (1973). p. 235:

Ritchie Blackmore

saidundated

Guitarists who play fast are insecure. I can’t really stomach too many guitar players who just play these non-stop, incessant runs. It gets crazy; it’s just exercises.

— As quoted by

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