Blackmore doesn’t care about Deep Purple Rock Hall nod

Ritchie Blackmore insists he won’t be present if Deep Purple are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.


The iconic band have been nominated for the first time after having been eligible for 20 years. Also on the 2013 list are Rush, who have been entitled for 15 years, plus Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Procol Harum.

But guitarist Blackmore, who left Deep Purple in 1993 after three stints with the band he formed, tells Billboard: “Personally I couldn’t care less.

“I would never go – I’m not really a fan of that stuff. Considering some of the people that are in the Hall of Fame, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.

“I think our fans seem to care more than I do. They’re always saying, ‘You should be in the Hall of Fame.’ If I can pay the bills that’s all I care about.”

Blackmore and wife Candice Night are working on what will be the eighth studio album of their band Blackmore’s Night.

The guitarist says: “From my point of view it’s the same of crap we’ve been doing for a long time. I’m not a person that goes in any direction – I just play whatever I feel like at the time.”

Deep Purple have been working on a new album with producer Bob Ezrin, although no release date has been set. Founding keyboardist Jon Lord died in July after a fight against cancer.

Meanwhile, two albums by Blackmore’s post-Purple band Rainbow will be re-released in two-disc deluxe format on November 5. Live recording On Stage from 1977, and third studio album Long Live Rock’n'Roll from the following year,  both feature Ronnie James Dio on vocals. The second disc in each set includes bonus material, some of which has never been released before.

source: classicrockmagazine.com

Why Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy supergroup didn’t take off

Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy supergroup Baby Face went nowhere because Phil Lynott wasn’t a good enough bass player, says drummer Ian Paice.

He and Lynott formed the band with Ritchie Blackmore in 1972 and got as far as a brief rehearsal session before the idea was abandoned.


Paice and Purple tour manager Colin Hart tell the story in Classic Rock Magazine No.176, on sale now.



Blackmore and Paice approached Lynott with the idea of forming a band that would let them flex their muscles outside their increasingly strained confines of Deep Purple. Lynott had come to the guitarist‘s attention after he heared Lizzy’s self-titled 1971 debut album.

“Ritchie used to love his singing,” says Hart. “Kind of like a young rod Stewart or Paul Rodgers.”

With Thin Lizzy yet to make a breakthrough, Lynott took Blackmore and Paice up on their offer. Settling on the name Baby Face, the guitarist instructed Hart to arrange an impromptu session.

“They did a couple of covers,” says Hart, who was in the studio with them. “It was only a short session, two or three songs, then it was out with the equipment and off home. I don’t think they did anything original. It did sound great together, the three of them.”

Paice recalls: “It was meant to be a free-flowing kind of thing. It never got off the ground mainly because Phil wasn’t really a good enough bassist yet.

“He had the voice, but learning to play bass well takes time. And for a thing like that to work, all three players need to be at a certain level. Phil just wasn’t there yet.”

The name Baby Face would end up being used as a title on Lizzy’s next album, and the Irish band would record a Deep Purple tribute album in 1972 under the name Funky Junction, with vocals provided by Benny White of Irish group Elmer Fudd.

But, for a brief moment, the prospect of an early-70s supergroup was tantalisingly close.

“Phil was bowled over by Blackmore,” Lizzy drummer Brian Downey later said. “That was the first time I’d ever seen him hesitate about anything.”

Deep Purple’s classic 1972 album Machine Head is set for a 40th anniversary re-release in five-disc deluxe format. Meanwhile, bands including Metallica and Iron Maiden have contributed tracks to Re-Machined, the band’s official tribute album. It’s available with exclusive bonus track in a Classic Rock Fan Pack. Read the full Deep Purple feature in Classic Rock 176, on sale now. Get it on your iPad and iPhone here: http://goo.gl/z4Yhu (in the UK) or here http://goo.gl/YUnR9 (for the US).

source: classicrockmagazine.com