Number 24

#24 Ritchie Blackmore

Holding down the “24” spot on my “The 100 Most Beautiful Rock Stars on the Planet” is legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Ritchie has been working professionally since the 1960’s, beginning with plenty of session work for other artists. He then spent some time with the bands Outlaws, Screaming Lord Sutch, and Neil Christian & The Crusaders. 

Blackmore is more widely known for his place in the band who started out calling themselves Roundabout, then later changing their name to Deep Purple. In addition, he also formed the very successful band Rainbow (originally named Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow), as well as Blackmore’s Night. 

Although Blackmore landed himself plenty of work before Deep Purple, this would be the turning point in his career. By the early 1970’s, many rock bands began to incorporate heavier guitar riffs into their music. These bands, including Deep Purple, helped with the evolution of the ’hard rock’ genre. Ritchie’s infamous guitar solos quickly helped draw a larger audience to the entire genre.

I have included a video showcasing one of Blackmore’s live solos in my favorite Deep Purple song of all time, which is "Space Truckin". I was actually torn on my choice of video for this blog. A live version of Rainbow’s "Man on the Silver Mountain" found on the YouTube link provided below the video, also shows some of Blackmore’s brilliant guitar playing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFH36je9Hro&list=RDxXsx8g41MSc&index=12

With such a wide range of music under his belt, it is no surprise that the main reason Ritchie Blackmore is so beautiful is his diversity. He has worked with bands and artists in a variety of musical genres. Ritchie is currently preparing to tour this summer with his band Blackmore’s Night. To see if they will be playing in a city near you visit http://www.blackmoresnight.com/ for future tour dates, band info and merchandise, as well as a biography on Blackmore’s Night and Ritchie himself. Thank you, Ritchie Blackmore, for your multiple contributions to music and your impact on the rock world.