Genius guitarist Ritchie Blackmore: biography and interesting facts from life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Richard Hugh Blackmore is a brilliant British guitarist. He not only performs, but also writes songs himself. Blackmore was one of the first to bring elements of classical music to blues-rock.

Ritchie Blackmore biography: childhood

Richard Hugh Blackmore was born April 14, 1945 in the English resort town of Weston-super-Mare, located on the coast of Bristol Bay. At the age of two, Richard moved with his parents to Heston (a suburb of London). His father worked at Heathrow, London airport. He worked in a brigade laying lanes for aircraft. Mother had a small shop of her own.

At school, Richie studied without diligence, and in sports he achieved a lot. Most of all he succeeded in swimming and shot put, but he also succeeded in throwing a spear. Due to serious achievements in sports, Richard was wanted to be included in the England team, but he did not pass the age.

How Ritchie Blackmore's passion for music began

At the end of the 50s. Musical life was in full swing in London. Thanks to television, which began broadcasting the first pop shows, Ritchie Blackmore heard rock and roll for the first time. Most of all he was struck by the performance of guitarist Tommy Stahl. Blackmore immediatelyborrowed a guitar from a friend for a while and tried to start playing. And although nothing immediately happened, he realized that this was his passion.

First steps to fame

After a while, his father gave him a used acoustic guitar he bought for seven pounds. At first, Richie spent a year studying the classic game, learning the basic rules. It was Ritchie Blackmore's first guitar. Most blues guitarists played with just three fingers. Richie learned to use all ten.

Over time, Blackmore converted his first musical instrument to an electric guitar, adding a speaker and an amplifier. With the help of his brother's friends, he met Jim Sullivan, who was considered one of the most respected guitarists of the 60s. Polishing the skill, Richie practiced for six hours a day. During this time, he developed his own unique style, combining rock and classic.

Blackmore's first performances and the creation of his own group

The first ensemble in which Blackmore played was organized in 1960. During this time, Ritchie worked as a radio mechanic at Heathrow Airport. After saving up, he bought a new electric guitar for £22 and worked with a local band for a while. Then I decided to create my own team. This was Ritchie Blackmore's first band he created.

From school days, Blackmore was friends with Mick Underwood, who had a real drum kit. He invited him to his group as a drummer. Then he recruited the rest of the participants. The group did not exist for long and soon broke up. After that, along with Mick Ritchiejoined The Satellites.

In May 1961, Ritchie Blackmore saw an ad for a guitarist in one of the popular bands called The Savages. There he first met David Sutch, with whom he often crossed paths in his work. He came to the audition with his girlfriend and father. But, despite the obvious talent and virtuoso passages, Richie was not taken into the group due to the fact that he was only 16 years old. A year later, Blackmore was still taken to The Savages. Despite his young age, Richie already has his fans. The group spent several months on tour in Australia and Scandinavia. Combining work with show business became increasingly difficult, and Richie quit in 1963.

The rising fame of Ritchie Blackmore

In 1965 Richie was invited to work with The Crusaders. It was led by singer Neil Christian. Prior to Blackmore's arrival, the band's guitarist was Phil McPill. But before the appearance of Richie, he disappeared without a trace. Blackmore stayed with the band for a short time and returned to The Savages. But he did not stay there either due to strained relations with leader David Satch. Ritchie Blackmore left the group after three months. He was followed by bass player Avis Anderson and drummer Tornado Evans.

All three went on a temporary tour to Germany with another band. After the completion of the contract, they remained in Germany and began performing at a music club in Bochum, forming their own group, which they called the Three Musketeers. But after a while, the administration stopped liking the noisyperformances, and the contract with the musicians was terminated. In the spring all three returned to England. After arriving, Richie wrote a song that hit the 14th place on the hit parade. Richie's fame began to grow. They started talking about him not only as a virtuoso guitarist, but also as a composer.

Blackmore depression period

After returning to England, Richie didn't stay there long. He again decided to return to Germany and changed several groups there. But, disappointed, seeing that this could continue indefinitely, and there was no progress, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore decided to interrupt his musical career indefinitely.

Daytime he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Hamburg, playing scales in his hotel room in the evenings, preparing for the final exam at the conservatory, where he entered a few years ago. In 1967, Ritchie returned to England, passed the exams at the conservatory, received his diploma and went back to Germany.

Blackmore's return to the music world

Back in Germany, Ritchie Blackmore spent days honing his skills. This continued until he received a telegram from London with an offer to join Deep Purple and accepted the invitation. This band soon became one of the most famous, and Richie was called the dark and incomprehensible king of hard rock guitar.

Ritchie's style was distinct in its individuality. According to him, during the concert he does not listen to other guitarists, dissolving in the sounds of his own instrument. Apparently, Richie's unusual style of playing was influenced by his love for string music (specifically, played onviolin and cello). The education received at the conservatory also played a significant role. But Richie felt uncomfortable in the group, he seemed to lack something, and after a while the musician left it.

Hidden Dreams

Ritchie Blackmore's biography is replete with many bands from which he left and returned again. One of them was Deep Purple, which he left in 1975. Blackmore left for New York and invited several musicians from the Elfa group to organize their own band. They agreed and named their team Rainbow. In the same year, the group released their first album. And after a while, internal conflicts began to arise in Rainbow.

In an interview, Blackmore admitted that, having left Deep Purple, he wanted to create something new, where he would breathe easier. And as a result, he again found himself in the same tension, from which he tried to escape. And with the growing popularity of Rainbow, it only intensified.

Ritchie shared with reporters and his desires. It turned out that at home he most often listens to Bach. Richie would like to play classical music, but at concerts it seems boring. It lacks a bit of joy, a sense of celebration. And it's in rock 'n' roll. He dreamed of creating something in between, a new direction, but so far it has not worked.

Blackmore's new round of music

Richie left Rainbow and for some time periodically returned to the groups in which he performed earlier. Despite the successes achieved, in 1997 he decided to create a new project Blackmore´s Nightalong with his wife. The idea came from music that Richie heard while touring in Germany. A group of musicians played medieval music on ancient instruments. Ritchie Blackmore's musical ear helped him find the zest that was required to create a musical masterpiece.

In his home studio, he recorded all the parts of keyboards, drums, etc. The result was an unusual album. An original cocktail of different medieval music, in which there is passion, romanticism, pathos and mysticism, with the addition of the sounds of electric and acoustic guitars, stringed old melodies and the charming voice of Blackmore's wife performing songs. The project still does not lose its attractiveness.

Blackmore's personal life

Ritchie Blackmore (photo can be seen in this article) married Margaret Volkmar on May 18, 1964. She was originally from Germany. At first they lived in Hamburg, where their son Jurgen was born. Richie divorced a few years later. The second time he married Barbel Hardy, also a German. The wedding was played in September 1969. The marriage was short-lived and Blackmore divorced again. In 1974 he moved to Oxnard, where he met Eni Rothman, who became his third wife. The marriage lasted until 1983, then another divorce followed.

In the late 80s, Blackmore met Candice Knight, a poetess and vocalist. At that time, the girl was only 18 years old. Soon they got engaged, but the wedding was played only 15 years later - in October 2008. Two years later they had a daughter, who was namedAutumn Esmeralda. And the second child was born on February 7, 2012