Latest about Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore on why he switched from the 335 to the Stratocaster – and the one he used to record Smoke on the Water
Deep Purple icon Ritchie Blackmore tells us how a visit from Slowhand’s roadie turned him into a Fender Strat diehard – and why he kept breaking whammy bars
Deep Purple’s Simon McBride on the Ritchie Blackmore lick he found most difficult to learn
McBride has also discussed where he thinks Blackmore's compositional strength lies
Deep Purple play Smoke on the Water on the lake that inspired it – with actual fire in the sky
The band return to Montreux, the site of the 1971 casino fire depicted in the lyrics of their iconic track
How Ritchie Blackmore ended up buying his first-ever Fender Stratocaster from Eric Clapton
Blackmore switched up his ES-335 for a Strat after he was given the chance to buy one of Clapton's own examples – and the rest was history
Ritchie Blackmore swapped rock for Renaissance music – but says he’s still not above cranking a tube amp once in awhile
The former Deep Purple guitarist says he's still disenchanted with rock, but not with his Engl amp
Deep Purple almost lost the legendary Smoke on the Water riff because of armed police storming their studio
Despite having a self-imposed 10pm noise curfew while recording in Montreux's Pavilion, the band continued playing until four in the morning – and the resulting “racket” riled up some unhappy locals
Ritchie Blackmore based Smoke on the Water on a classical masterpiece – and the riff’s roots might surprise you
The Deep Purple legend divulged the origin of the riff in an interview back in 2007. But was he telling the truth?
Get to the roots of Eddie Van Halen’s groundbreaking playing with this lesson on his biggest influences
In six immersive studies, we approach Eddie’s playing style from the perspective of the players he idolized
Ritchie Blackmore: "It's much easier to flow across the strings on a Gibson. Fenders have more tension, so you have to fight them a little bit"
In this classic 1991 GW interview, the Deep Purple guitar hero chats about his whammy bar violence, his switch from Gibsons to Strats, and why he thinks Smoke on the Water has endured as a rock classic
