Watch Ritchie Blackmore perform with Deep Purple for first time in 33 years
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Ritchie Blackmore reunited with Deep Purple on stage for the first time in 33 years, joining the band for ‘Smoke on the Water’ at its Jones Beach concert in New York on 12 August. The one-song appearance mattered because Blackmore, a founding guitarist, had been estranged from the group since the early 1990s and had previously missed its 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Blackmore, 81, said he had not played rock music for 25 years after focusing on acoustic and folk-rock material, and found the prospect daunting. He contacted singer Ian Gillan about joining an encore, received the band’s approval, and was warmly introduced by Gillan, who called it a pleasure to welcome him back.
- Blackmore joined Deep Purple on stage after 33 years.
- They performed ‘Smoke on the Water’ in New York.
- The reunion followed decades of estrangement.
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Deep Purple are a British rock band formed in the late 1960s, best known for songs including Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. They were one of the leading bands in the development of hard rock, alongside groups such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
Ritchie Blackmore was Deep Purple’s original guitarist and played on many of its best-known recordings. His distinctive guitar playing helped define the band’s sound, though its line-up changed frequently over the years.
Blackmore left Deep Purple in the 1990s after difficult relations within the group and went on to work mainly on music influenced by folk and the Renaissance period. Deep Purple continued without him and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
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