Today (April 14) marks the 80th birthday of one of the all-time great hard-rock guitarists, Ritchie Blackmore. Blackmore first enjoyed international fame as the co-founder of the legendary British rock band Deep Purple. He then enjoyed further success when he launched a second popular hard-rock group, Rainbow, in the mid-1970s.
In 1968, Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple with keyboardist Jon Lord, drummer Ian Paice, singer Rod Evans, and bassist Nick Simper. The group was initially heavily influenced by psychedelia and progressive rock. The band scored a huge hit in 1968 with a cover of Joe South’s “Hush,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Deep Purple’s classic “Mark II” lineup came together in mid-1969 when singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover replaced Evans and Simper. The band then embraced a more hard-rock-influenced sound.
In 1971, Blackmore created with what is widely considered one of the most famous guitar riffs in rock history, for Deep Purple’s signature tune “Smoke on the Water.”
Ritchie left Deep Purple in 1975 to form Rainbow with singer Ronnie James Dio. Over the next decade, that group underwent several lineup and stylistic changes, with Dio being replaced in 1979 by Graham Bonnett, who in turn was replaced in 1980 by Joe Lynn Turner.
Blackmore rejoined Deep Purple from 1984 to 1994, then relaunched Rainbow with new frontman Doogie White.
Since 1997, Blackmore’s main musical outlet has Blackmore’s Night, the neo-medieval folk-rock band he leads with his wife, singer Candice Night.
It’s difficult to narrow down all the great songs Blackmore has helped create to a short list. That being said, here are four unforgettable tunes featuring and co-written by the influential guitarist in honor of his 80th birthday:
“Highway Star” – Deep Purple (1972)
The hard-driving “Highway Star” is the lead track of Deep Purple’s most successful album, Machine Head, which was released in 1972. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and spent three weeks at the top of the U.K. chart.
“Highway Star” was co-written by Deep Purple’s five members—Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, and Paice. Ritchie delivers multiple solos, included one where he harmonizes with himself, and another featuring a blazing barrage of staccato riffs.
In 2022, “Highway Star” was ranked No. 13 on Total Guitar magazine’s list of the 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.
The song has been Deep Purple’s opening tune in concert for years.
“Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple (1972)
“Smoke on the Water,” which also appeared on Machine Head, is undoubtedly Deep Purple best-known song. Like “Highway Star,” the tune was co-written by the band’s five members.
Built around the famous riff created by Blackmore, the song tells the true story of an incident that occurred in December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, when Deep Purple was in the city to record Machine Head. The band had intended to do the recording at Montreux Casino, but while they were in the city, a fire broke out at the venue during a concert by Frank Zappa and the Mothers and it burned to the ground.
“Smoke on the Water” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It’s the only Deep Purple song besides “Hush” ever to reach the Top 30 of the chart.
“Stargazer” – Rainbow (1976)
“Stargazer” is an epic song featured on Rainbow’s second album, Rising, which was released in 1976. Blackmore and Dio co-wrote the tune, which tells the fantastic tale of a powerful wizard who enslaves countless people and forces them to build him a mystical tower to the stars.
The song features an extended guitar solo by Blackmore that features machine-gun riffs and displays heavy Middle Eastern influences, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.”
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked “Stargazer” at No. 14 on its list of the “The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time.”
“Stone Cold” – Rainbow (1982)
As Rainbow moved into the 1980s, then band begun embracing a more accessible rock sound. “Stone Cold” appeared on the band’s fifth studio album, Straight Between the Eyes, which was released in 1982.
“Stone Cold” was a mid-tempo power ballad co-written by Blackmore, Turner, and bassist Roger Glover, who’d joined Rainbow group in 1979. It featured a tasteful, melodic solo by Ritchie.
“Stone Cold” was Rainbow’s highest-charting single in the U.S. It peaked at No. 40 on the Hot 100 and topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.