LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Ritchie Blackmore: Deep Purple
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Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in '75 whilst involved in a side project with Ronnie James Dio's band, Elf. The project expanded from a song to an album to the band Rainbow. The original line-up was Elf, minus their guitarist:
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Ritchie Blackmore is still an excellent guitar player, but his acoustic playing enabled him to show a superior technique that was not really visible in his work with Deep Purple and Rainbow. But the key to the show was that Blackmore is more than just his back catalog with his former bands, a rarity for artists of his age who are content to do the same thing they did in 1972. The best part of this concert was that it was a unique experience filled with many surprises, which is what concerts always should be about.
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A Japanese video interview with DEEP PURPLE/RAINBOW guitar legend Ritchie Blackmore (currently in BLACKMORE'S NIGHT) has been posted online at the PURPLE fan site The Highway Star. Ritchie discusses, among other subjects, his school, THE OUTLAWS, his time with DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, the possibility of a PURPLE reunion, and perils of playing hard rock.
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Take a look at the music and innovation of celebrated guitarist Ritchie Blackmore -- whose accomplishments include serving as front man for Deep Purple and Rainbow and the solo project Blackmore's Night -- with this fascinating program. Former members of Rainbow discuss their onetime bandmate, shedding light on his remarkable talent, and numerous musicians, including Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Iain Paice and Blackmore himself, provide their insights.
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Ritchie Blackmore reformed Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple a second time in 1993. In 1995 they released Stranger in Us All which was about Blackmore's frightening experience of having a doctor's head stuck in his anus for two hours. He hired a hermaphrodite named Joe Lynn Turner whom was apparently gayer than him.
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With Deep Purple and Rainbow, Blackmore almost exclusively played a Fender Stratocaster. He is ... one of the first guitarists to use a "scalloped" fretboard where the wood is shaved down between the frets. It requires the player to play with a lighter touch as pressing hard will cause the note to sound sharp. The result is increased control of vibrato and bending at the cost of making chordal playing more difficult. Other scalloped neck users include John McLaughlin, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth, and also Steve Vai, whose signature Ibanez is scalloped above the 20th fret.
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