This is an original Now Spinning Magazine interview with Ritchie Blackmore, recorded exclusively for our 13-part “In His Own Words” series. The Copyright belongs to Now Spinning Magazine
Ritchie Blackmore: In His Own Words – Episode 1
How the Deep Purple Reunion Really Happened
Welcome to the first part of Ritchie Blackmore: In His Own Words, an exclusive 13-part Now Spinning Magazine series.
For me, this is a conversation I never imagined I would have. Ritchie Blackmore has been one of my musical heroes since I first saw him with Deep Purple on the Burn tour in 1974.
Across this series, I’ll be asking Ritchie about Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmore’s Night, his guitar playing, musical influences and his life in music today.
But there was only one place to begin.
After more than three decades away from Deep Purple, Ritchie recently stepped back onto a stage with his former bandmates for one song: “Smoke on the Water.”
So I asked him how the idea came about.
Phil Aston:
I’d love to hear the story of that day with Deep Purple from your perspective, Ritchie.
When did the idea of playing with the band first come up? Was it something you had been thinking about for some time, or did you simply walk into the kitchen one day and say to Candice, “I think I might play with Deep Purple in a couple of days — what do you reckon?”
And what was the reaction from Candice and the children when they realised this was actually going to happen?
Ritchie Blackmore:
I sat up bolt upright in bed, which I don’t usually do. Not that I’m aware of.
Mind you, I snore and I’m not aware of it. I’m convinced I don’t snore, but Candice tells me I do. I blame it on the cat. We have a cat called Winter.
I sat up in bed and thought, “What about if I got up on stage?”
They were in the area and playing a great place called the Jones Beach Theater. It’s outside and the view is over the water. It’s a magnificent place, and I’d always wanted to play there.
I thought, “How do you feel about me asking Ian if it’s all right if I play ‘Smoke on the Water’ and then just disappear?”
Candice thought it was a good idea, so she sent an email.
I don’t deal with that nonsense. I’ve only just learned how to use the telephone and that’s still difficult for me!
So Candice sent the email and Ian said, “Yes, of course. Welcome aboard. All the band are up for it. Come on stage for ‘Smoke’.”
I only wanted to do one song, and I thought that would be the song. It’s very big over here — probably bigger here than it was in Europe.
We advertised it a little bit. Not much, just enough. And funnily enough, the ticket sales went up, which was nice.
I came along to the show and everybody was so helpful. It was almost like overkill. Everybody was incredibly nice.
Then I got up on stage and played “Smoke on the Water”.
I hadn’t done a soundcheck, which was a little off-putting because I do like to do one, but my roadie did it for me, thank goodness, and the sound was good.
I played my three or four minutes of “Smoke on the Water” and it seemed to go down like I’d just invented the cure for cancer.
The people went nuts.
Half of them were sitting in water because, for some reason, the venue gets covered in water at certain points because it is right on the water. So the front three or four rows were sitting in water.
I felt very good about it because it was like playing with old friends.
Everybody was super nice and super efficient. It had been about 35 years since I had actually played with the band, and nobody had changed. Everybody was great.
Thank goodness it went off without a hitch, because it could quite easily have fallen apart. That would have been embarrassing.
I felt like one of the soldiers who had come back from the Western Front and everybody thought I was dead — and there I was. I was alive.
It really went down incredibly well.
I almost felt like a celebrity for the four minutes I was on stage, and I’m not a celebrity type of person. I just play the guitar — sometimes well, sometimes not so well.
But it was well worth doing.
It was a good idea, and it came to me very early one morning when I was in bed.
I just thought: why not?
Because we never know when we’re going to meet again.
Editor’s note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity while preserving Ritchie Blackmore’s wording and meaning.
Ritchie Blackmore: In His Own Words continues next week with Part Two.
A new episode will be published each week here at Now Spinning Magazine.
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Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
