Richie Blackmore: Fender Q and A

Q&A with Ritchie Blackmore

Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore co-founded hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow before making a dramatic switch in 1997 with the creation of Blackmore’s Night. Formed with his wife Candice Night, Blackmore’s Night is a Renaissance-influenced pop rock band. Fender News recently caught up with the esteemed guitarist – Rolling Stone lists him as one of its “100 greatest guitarists of all time” – for the following Q&A…


Ritchie Blackmore and his wife Candice Night in
their Blackmore Night's garb.
FN: As a founding member of Deep Purple and Rainbow, it’s very interesting that you have also become so successful in a totally different genre. When did you first feel an inclination towards Renaissance-inspired music?
RB: I felt an inclination towards Renaissance inspired music ever since I heard the song “Greensleeves” when I was 11 years old. And then again in 1972 when I heard David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London. I would always listen to this music at home or in the hotels on the road. I was fascinated by the sound of woodwind music from that era.



FN: Blackmore’s Night’s debut album Shadow of the Moon became a gold record, while the latest album Secret Voyage debuted at #1 on the Billboard New Age charts, spending four weeks at that position and 41 weeks in the top ten. Although you’ve said you aren’t a fan of being in the studio, you have certainly had tremendous success with your recordings. What creative approach do you take when making albums?
RB: The creative approach starts with a vague melody and vague chord progression, which I put down on a small hand recorder. The next step is Candice humming a melody and we both decide whether there is any potential with the idea. If there is, Candice will go write the lyrics and we put that down on the recorder as well. I never make demos. Then when our producer is in town, he comes to the house and stays with us. We have a small studio downstairs. It’s really a tavern turned into a studio. We record it in the house. I like to be spontaneous in the studio. I usually don’t have too much worked out before I play.

full details