Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow, which fused hard rock with baroque music influences. Over time, Rainbow moved to catchy pop-style mainstream rock. Rainbow broke up in 1984 with Blackmore re-joining Deep Purple until 1993. In 1997, he formed the traditional folk rock band Blackmore's Night along with his current wife Candice Night.
Blackmore is prolific in creating guitar riffs and has been known for playing both classically influenced and blues-based solos. As a member of Deep Purple, Blackmore was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2016. He is cited by publications such as Guitar World and Rolling Stone as one of the greatest and most influential guitar players of all time.
