Biography

Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is a British guitarist and songwriter, known as one of the first guitarists to fuse classical music elements with blues rock. He began his professional career as a studio session musician and was subsequently a member of Deep Purple, after which Blackmore established a successful career fronting his own band Rainbow, and later progressed to the traditional folk rock project Blackmore's Night with his wife.