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 appearance was notable because of Blackmore’s long-standing estrangement from the group, which began in the early 1990s and previously saw him miss its 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Blackmore, 81, had not played rock music for 25 years, having focused instead on acoustic and folk-rock material, and described the prospect as daunting. He contacted singer Ian Gillan about appearing for an encore, and Gillan publicly welcomed him back on stage, calling the reunion an “absolute pleasure”.
- Blackmore performed with Deep Purple after 33 years.
- The reunion took place in New York.
- He returned for ‘Smoke on the Water’.
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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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