Former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has revealed that he will not be attending this year Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony because the current lineup of the band is unwilling to perform with him.
Deep Purple's Ian Paice on Rock Hall Induction: 'At Last!' » "Ritchie was honored by the offer of induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," reads a posting on his official Facebook page. "He was discussing the possibility of attending, until we received correspondence from the President of the Rock Hall of Fame, who said that Bruce Payne, management for the current Deep Purple Touring Band, had said 'No"……….!!!!!' Therefore Ritchie will not be attending the ceremony. He sincerely thanks all the fans that voted for him for their support."
Blackmore is a co-founder of Deep Purple and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including "Smoke on the Water," but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony seemed like a rare opportunity to see them back onstage together, at least for one night, and in December, drummer Ian Paice told Rolling Stone he wasn't sure what would happen.
"We have to accept that there are personalities that don't see eye-to-eye in our history," he said. "How that would work, I have no idea. Whether that could be put aside, I don't know ... Some of us would think about [performing with Blackmore]. Some of us probably wouldn't. It depends how it's presented and what everybody's individual feelings are. But precedence must now go to the guys that are still working the name and keeping it alive. Their choice is final."
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Joel Peresman says that he reached out to managers for the current lineup of Deep Purple and Blackmore to try and facilitate a reunion. "Deep Purple's manager Bruce Payne told me they were unwilling to perform with Ritchie," he says. "We've had many situations like this in the past and many times these things get worked out for one night, and then they go back to their neutral corners the next day."
Peresman relayed the band's position to Carole Stevens, who manages Blackmore. "I said to her, 'Maybe you can take the high road and reach out to them and see if something can be worked out as far as the performance goes,'" he says. "We would love to have them all play together. We always want to do that. We always want to see the actual inductees that haven't performed together in a long time, if they have the opportunity to come together for at least one night, to do that. We'd like to see it as an organization, and I'm sure fans would like to see it too."
Even if the two sides are unwilling to come to an agreement that allows Blackmore to perform with the current lineup of Deep Purple, the Hall of Fame still hopes that Blackmore decides to attend the April 8th ceremony at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. "I did read on his website that he is having surgery on his hand this month and he'll be out for at least a month," says Peresman. "I don't know how that impacts his ability to play even if he did come, but there is no way he is banned from the ceremony. That notion we would ever do that is patently untrue. We've never banned any inductee. He is invited to come enjoy the evening and accept the award."
Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan has been very consistent over the years that he would not reunite with Blackmore at the Hall of Fame. "It would be unconscionable to think about bringing Ritchie in," he told Rolling Stone in 2014. "I don't have an issue with Ritchie, nor does anyone. I've been in touch with Ritchie recently and everything's cool, so there's no bitter, personal problem. We're too old for that and everything's in the past, but no. That would be out of the question."
According to Peresman, the decision to allow the current lineup of the band to play was very simple: "There are three inductees that have kept on as Deep Purple, including some of the early original members still in the band," he says. "It's just fair that there's three of them and one of Ritch. We want to have [a performance] that represented Deep Purple's music."
David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, who were both in Deep Purple in the mid-1970s, do plan on attending the ceremony. But as of now, the plan is for only the current lineup to perform. "We can't wrestle people to the ground and hold them down and make them perform together," says Peresman. "If they want to and they can sort it out, terrific. If they can't, we can't make them."
http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1013/ritchie-blackmore-talks-upcoming-rock-shows-in-guitar-player-exclusive/56661
Ritchie Blackmore Reveals Details of Upcoming Rock Shows in Guitar Player Exclusive
Ritchie Blackmore sits down with Guitar Player for our May 2016 cover story to talk about his upcoming Rainbow gigs in Europe, where the British guitar icon will make his return to playing rock.
Blackmore announced in September 2015 that he would play a few rock shows in 2016, performing a set based on tunes from his days with Deep Purple and Rainbow.
“It will be [the best of] Rainbow and Deep Purple,” he said. “It’s just having fun but it’s only four dates in Europe. I don’t want to do anymore because I take what I’m doing now much more seriously.”
Blackmore quit playing rock in the mid Nineties and since 1997 has been working with his wife, Candice Night, in the medieval folk-rock group Blackmore’s Night. The lineup for his Rainbow shows includes Lords of Black singer Ronnie Romero, Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, and Blackmore’s Night drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau.
In our interview, we talk with Blackmore about the upcoming gigs as well as his guitar technique, greatest riffs, gear, guitar modifications—including his self-scalloped fretboards—musical inspirations, and of course Deep Purple, Rainbow Blackmore’s Night.
In this excerpt from the issue—which goes on sale April 12—Blackmore talks about preparations for his upcoming rock shows.
You’ve said that you wanted to “get back to some rock and roll” with the Blackmore’s Rainbow dates. How did it feel to musically revisit those Rainbow and Deep Purple songs?
RITCHIE BLACKMORE Interesting, because I now have to relearn the songs that I have completely forgotten about. Some of them have a lot more in them than I remembered, so I am listening to a lot more of the riffs that I used to play and relearning. I haven’t played these songs in 20 years.
Given the passage of time, did you feel like rearranging or reinventing any of the classics?
BLACKMORE No, I haven’t changed hardly anything. We’ll be playing the old songs the way that I played them 20 years ago.
How did you choose the current members of Blackmore’s Rainbow and how do they inform your playing?
BLACKMORE The drummer [David Keith] I played with before, and he knows how to groove. I am a fan of drummers that keep a tempo rather than do drum solos. The bass player [Bob Nouveau], I played with before. Great musician and very good guitar player as well. The keyboard player, Jens, I used on Under a Violet Moon on Blackmore’s Night and he was always an incredible keyboard player. Apparently one of the best in the world. I told him he would be playing more of a supportive role, which he loved because he said that’s how he was brought up. But he would still be doing his solos.
Ronnie Romero—Candy picked him up on YouTube just as I was going to bed and I really had no interest in hearing a vocalist. But then I heard him and thought, Who is this guy? He’s really good. He’s the reason I thought it would be a good idea to do some dates, because he was really good and not known. I love to introduce new people to the public. It always makes me feel good to discover someone.
Are there any other exciting, nostalgic, or musical elements regarding stepping onstage to rock these songs again?
BLACKMORE A lot of nostalgia involved. I love nostalgia too, and often listen to the old people I grew up with: Duane Eddy, Hank Marvin, and the Beatles’ early stuff. Nostalgia is within all of us. I just don’t want to play it every day of my life. We have get together at the local pub where we have all nostalgic songs and have a good time.
[Edited on 2/20/2016 by jszfunk]
[Edited on 2/22/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
I wonder if Richie would go anyways? I doubt it.
IF they dont want to perfrom together, fine, BUT, what they could , have the current members do a tune and if Ritchie would go ,have him perform Burn with Hughes and Coverdale. That might be a good thing to do to get people pumped up about his shows thie summer. Just let him tear it up on that song. 😛 😛 😛 😉 😉 😉 
[Edited on 2/22/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
JOE LYNN TURNER Blasts RITCHIE BLACKMORE's RAINBOW Comeback: 'The Fans Deserve Better Than A Cover Band'
Former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE singer Joe Lynn Turner has blasted Ritchie Blackmore for going out and performing the two bands' classic material with a new group musicians, explaining that "the fans deserve better than a cover band."
Blackmore, 70, quit rock and roll in 1997 to form a medieval folk band called BLACKMORE'S NIGHT with then-girlfriend and now-wife Candice Night. Since then, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT has released ten studio albums, with the latest CD, "All Our Yesterdays", arriving last September.
Over the past few years, RAINBOW was the frequent subject of reunion rumors, with Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — claiming that the former RAINBOW and PURPLE guitarist was "itching" to play rock music and insisting that he was in talks with the guitarist about a renewed collaboration.
Ritchie last year surprised everyone by telling a French newspaper that he was contemplating a return to rock music but excluding Turner from the project. "I think that Joe will not be part of the adventure, and he doesn't know it yet," Ritchie said. "He does his thing, I like him, and I made good albums and good songs with him, like 'Street Of Dreams'." The guitarist has since recruited LORDS OF BLACK vocalist Ronnie Romero, STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau to accompany him at the upcoming shows.
Now in a brand new interview with Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live", Turner slammed his former bandmate, insisting that Ritchie is "making a mistake" by using replacement musicians at this summer's concerts and arguing that "a man of [Blackmore's] status, an icon, really deserves a lot more."
Asked if Blackmore's announcement that Turner would not be involved with the RAINBOW comeback "stung" him at all, the singer said: "Well, I was shocked, only because for over a year… See, the truth is I wanted an authentic lineup for RAINBOW. I think the way that it should have gone down is an authentic lineup. I was talking to [bassist] Bob Daisley, [drummer Bobby] Rondinelli, [bassist] Roger Glover, [keyboardist] Don Airey… There's a whole bunch of guys out there that were really willing to sort of get involved with this… open up their schedules and get involved. And, apparently, Ritchie didn't wanna do that. So I spent a good year of my time working that out with Carole Stevens, his manager. And I was shocked, because I'll tell you why. She was putting my name out there — and I have all the e-mails to prove this, by the way — she was putting my name out there, and it was… even in German, with a big agency out there in Germany, saying, 'Joe Lynn Turner and Ritchie Blackmore this June, 2016, together again. The perfect pair. Blah blah blah.' And she was getting feedback from it."
He continued: "I'm honestly flabbergasted, because it made so much sense, especially with the deal that was presented to him. It made so much sense… number one, for the fans. You know, I've read a couple of things he said. He said he was doing it for nostalgia. Well, if he was doing it for nostalgia, why wouldn't he do it the right way? So I don't understand that contradiction sometimes. If we were gonna do it for nostalgia, we would have done it with an aggregate of guys that were authentic. And, to me, that's the way to come out. We would have honored Ronnie Dio's era [RAINBOW vocalist from 1975 until 1979], we would have gotten Graham Bonnet [RAINBOW vocalist from 1979 until 1980] up there, Doogie White [RAINBOW vocalist from 1994 until 1997] up there. To me, it was gonna be a RAINBOW extravaganza, and it was all set. A few songs from these guys, a few songs from those guys… It would have been great. We would have [Ritchie's son] Jürgen Blackmore out on guitar… family. It was just gonna be a big party, and he just didn't go for it. So I'm still scratching my head."
Turner added: "I thought it was a classless thing to do that Ritchie by announcing in [the French newspaper] Le Parisien [that he was going out and playing RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE songs with a new singer]. I had to laugh. [Ritchie] said [to Le Parisien], '[Joe Lynn Turner] doesn't know it yet.' And the first thing I said was, 'Well, I think he's making a mistake, but he doesn't know it yet.' What I mean by that is, Ritchie's allowed to do whatever he wants to do, and he always does. I have no sour grapes about this, so let that be told. But I think a man of his status, an icon, really deserves a lot more. And what we were trying to put together, and we had a turnkey operation with Live Nation, the biggest festivals of the summer; we had UMG — that's Universal Music Group, for those out there that don't know — we had Universal [express an interest in releasing] box sets; we also had Rock Fuel Media, a huge video company, going to put out a DVD and the whole thing. I wanted to do a new album — at least four cuts — and maybe redo some other, older cuts in a new way, sort of update them. So this was a huge package and it was gonna be a big deal. And apparently he didn't wanna do that. So it was a shock to me that somebody would turn down not only an incredible way to, sort of, go out in style, but also to make a whole bunch of money for himself, because he was set to make quite a bit of money on this one. So I wish him well. Like I said, I've got no sour grapes. I'm very busy and very fortunate and blessed, and I thank everyone out there for that love and support all these years that keeps me going. But I really wish he had done it a different way for the fans. I think the fans deserve better than a cover band."
Joe went on to say: "I don't know what happened. I don't understand why he would go out and pick up, basically, two guys from BLACKMORE'S NIGHT. Jens is brilliant on keyboards, of course; I played with him in [Yngwie Malmsteen's band]. And [new RAINBOW singer] Ronnie [Romero], I don't know Ronnie. [He] sounds great. I don't know. So I don't know. I wish them well. But I'm still shaking my head."
The singer also revealed that he has had no communication with Blackmore since RAINBOW's return was officially announced. He said: "No, I haven't spoken to him since then. You've gotta understand something: he doesn't talk to people; he talks through people. I talked to Dr. Drew Thompson, I talked to Carole Stevens… I talked to these people instead of him. He always puts them in front of him so he doesn't have to actually converse with me — or converse with anyone, for that matter."
He continued: "The one thing I will say I'd like to defend a bit is the fact that everybody thought I was delusional, and I know I wasn't delusional at all; I was talking to [Ritchie's] camp, and they were telling me this was gonna happen. So all these people that came out and said, 'Oh, he doesn't know what he's talking about.' And, 'It's all wishful thinking.' No. That's not the truth at all. This really was going down, and as people can see, it is going down."
After Blackmore's final departure from DEEP PURPLE in 1993, he resurrected RAINBOW before focusing exclusively on BLACKMORE'S NIGHT.
Blackmore will perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at three shows this year in Europe. The U.K. concert will take place on Saturday, June 25 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham. The performance will be Blackmore's first U.K. rock show in over 20 years. The two concerts in Germany will take place at the Monsters Of Rock festival on Friday, June 17 at Freilichtbühne in Loreley and on Saturday, June 18 at Festplatz am Viadukt in Bietigheim-Bissingen.
Last month, Blackmore insisted further dates could be added in the future if everything went well live.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
It sucks there won't be a performance with Blackmore at the HOF induction, but I really wasn't expecting it.
As far as Rainbow goes, I didn't care for Turner's era of the band so I'm ok if he's not the singer. I'm just glad Blackmore is doing some rock shows again.
I would be pissed too if I was Turner who has been reduced to singing in cover bands. But he was such a minor cog in Rainbow, his exclusion means nothing.
Disappointed that replacements to the original band, Hughes & Coverdale get in, but not Tommy Bolin.
For any number of reasons, beyond even DP, Bolin should be in.
"Is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?"
Saw Deep Purple the first time when they released Made in Japan.
Saw the current band last summer.
If Blackmore can't get along, eff him.
HOF should include Steve Morse and Don Airey, they've both been with the band longer than Ritchie.
Current band kicks ass as hard as the original three lineups.
IF they dont want to perfrom together, fine, BUT, what they could , have the current members do a tune and if Ritchie would go ,have him perform Burn with Hughes and Coverdale. That might be a good thing to do to get people pumped up about his shows thie summer. Just let him tear it up on that song.
^^ This. First off, they should take the Metallica approach and be gracious toward the fans and just suck it up for a night. Sounds like Gillan is the problem with that though. I don't think Steve Morse would have a problem sharing the stage with Ritchie, or even subbing out on a song or two to let Ritchie have the spotlight, as long as the current members weren't completely excluded from the evening. I don't know if Ritchie would have been cool with that though. Was he "all or nothing" about it being him on guitar?
But if Gillan can't get over himself to allow that for one night, then why not go to Plan B and let the current "Deep Purple" play a few tunes and then a band of current/ex-members play a few tunes together? I'm reading into quotes, but it sounds like Paice would have been at least open to that option. Instead, Ritchie took his ball and went home if he couldn't get his way playing with "Deep Purple".
I think that was probably the Van Halen Plan B had rehab not been in the picture and they couldn't have all gotten along with all 6 guys playing together. I think Sammy & Mikey would have played a couple Van Hagar tunes with Paul Shaeffer's band, as they did do, and the current version of VH would have represented the classic era (which Velvet Revolver did instead with EVH in rehab).
Whatever, sometimes the talent can't give past themselves.
Gillan has said before the issue with him and Blackmore is something personal that he doesn't want to share with the public. Why should he have to "get over himself"?
It sucks that they can't get along, but I don't feel they owe it to anyone to play nice for a TV show to receive an award that they were constantly snubbed for that they deserved decades ago. The tension makes for good TV, but distracts from the award.
This happens at the HOF all the time. I think Levon didn't show up for the Band's induction because Robbie was going to be there.
Funny that Kiss didn't play at the HOF because the HOF demanded that the original band play without replacements. However the HOF is not instituting that some rule for Deep Purple. They are random with who gets to play and what band members get in.
Gillan has said before the issue with him and Blackmore is something personal that he doesn't want to share with the public. Why should he have to "get over himself"?
Admittedly Purple is not one of my favorite bands such that I follow all the ins & outs real close like I do with other bands, but from what i've read is that it's only Gillan that refuses to perform with Ritchie. Fine. He's not the only Purple singer being inducted, so leave the stage and let Ritchie play with one of the other singers. Just seems more like Gillan is saying Ritchie cannot perform, as if he gets to make these decisions. And now Ritchie is saying he won't even attend (the take his ball and go home reference).
If it's really a personal thing that he wants to keep private, then fine. Don't play together. Step aside and take turns. Mission accomplished. Just seems like current Purple (Gillan??) is sort of acknowledging on the one hand that all these other members are being inducted, but at the same time only current version can participate in the performance.
I thought Metallica handled their HOF situation with grace even after the somewhat acrimonious split with Newstead.
Agree on the comment about KISS and the HOF inconsistencies in the way they handle these things.
To be honest, I find it hard to beleive Ritchie was even entertaining the idea of going. Nothing was ever said about him playing. Maybe some folks were assuming that would happen. Maybe I could be wrong and he did want to go and accept the award, make an apperance, get some pub for his up coming shows and call it day. Nobody ever said or from what I read there would be a performance from him.
Let the current version of Purple do they're thing, then he could get up there with Hughes, Coverdale, and if Paice would do drums and get a keyboard player and rip through Burn and You Fool No One.
Turner is just sore about not being included. I never heard it was a "reunion" to begin with. He almost sounds delusional with some sort of fabricated story/fairy tale dreaming in his head.
Even if there was a chance for him to do something with RB, I am sure by his interview its out of the question now , and he said nothing to endear him. Rainbow is whatever Blackmore wants it to be. That group never had a steady lineup.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
https://darkerthanblue.wordpress.com/interviews/ritchie-on-rainbow-2016/
Ritchie on Rainbow 2016
Ritchie was interviewed for the January edition of the Dutch rock magazine Aardschok.
You’ve put together a group of new musicians for the new Rainbow incarnation. Why not a more famous singer for example?
Ritchie: The whole idea was to find good musicians. Of course there were many familiar names around, but this idea didn’t appeal to me. Unlike many others, I prefer to discover new musicians who can add a fresh approach to my music. It’s great to present new musicians to the public. The singer Ronnie Romero is complete unknown. He’s 34 and I’m sure that he’ll have a great career in this scene. He is orginally from Chile, but lives in Spain. Bassist Bob Nouveau is from Connecticut, and Jens is a known and respected keyboard-player. It’s very easy to work with him, because he’s so experienced. With drummers I always tend to be very selective. For instance, I do not like to work with showmen. On stage I need a groove and a lot of these so called ‘famous’ drummers often rely more on the show element than on feel. I know many guys who can make their sticks fly and use sixteen bass drums, but who are mediocre when it comes to music. David Keith however has a great feel for rhythm.
Are you surprised about the big hype about it in the media?
Ritchie: It’s always nice to know that people are interested in what I do for a living. I have always taken this interest with a grain of salt. In my career I have played the biggest venues and festivals, but also played in the tiniest clubs for selective crowds. Intuitively it is all about the playing. My own effort is what counts most, not publicity or sales.
At one time Rainbow was one of the most famous bands in hard rock. About twenty years ago, the interest for this music died away, but now the demand for classic rock has aquired unprecedented dimensions. Currently, the name “Rainbow” seems to be bigger than ever before. What do you think about that?
Ritchie: I never think about how good or bad things are going in a group. I’m just trying to create music of a high-quality standart. My music never really got into the charts. I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself. I think that Rainbow made some memorable albums, which aren’t less appreciated than any Deep Purple album. Both groups were advanced for their time. The nostalgia aspect certainly has a role in the upcoming shows. Some people will use this project to check if I can still do it, while others will probably see it as an opportunity to see me on a bigger stage once again. I don’t want to sound morbid, but I do believe that thoughts like these come with the age that I have. I turned 70 and that has its disadvantages. Have a sore back or stiff fingers on stage is no fun. However, all this comes totally from myself. There were moments, a few years ago, when I thought of how much fun it would be to play some of the old songs again. However, the longer I thought about it the less appealing it all became. It was not until I found out about Ronnie that the whole idea came back again and when I started realizing the idea. He has a great voice and his fresh input is what gave me the final push. I am quite demanding when it comes to singers, but with Ronnie is absolutely feels good. This guy has a great future in the scene. He sounds like a perfect fit for this job because he has a voice that reminds of Dio but is versatile enough to also handle the Gillan songs well.
How did you get in touch with the musicians?
Ritchie: Ronnie was contacted by my wife, Candice, and she briefly told him about my plans. Then the manager took care of all the business matters. Before we spoke to Jens, we had been negotiating with David Rosenthal, because of his past in Rainbow. But he was unavailable due to his work as a musical director for Billy Joel. I was offered to work with a variety of well-known names, but, as I said, I refused all the offers. I deliberately decided to choose fresh blood. However, due to the fact that all the musicians come from all over the world, we have to develop a strategy for our rehearsals. Our next rehearsal session will be held in April or May.
What can you tell us about the set for these shows?
Ritchie: The setlist will be Rainbow songs for about 70% including Stargazer, because appearently that’s a song everybody wants to hear. About 30% will be Deep Purple songs. We will focus on the best known songs. The Dio-era will be a central part of the show, but we will also play songs from the Joe Lynn Turner- and Graham Bonnet periods. As far as Purple is concerned; we will play the Gillan-era but will also play something from the David Coverdale period.
But why only 3 concerts?
Ritchie: I deliberately chose to only give three concerts, to see if I’m still able to do this. Of course, there have been a lot of attractive offers, especially from Sweden and Finland. However, we must remember that I have already planned a German tour for Blackmore’s Night in July. As you know, after I suspended the activities of Rainbow, I became very interested in playing Renaissance music. To move back to the electrics from the acoustics, won’t be easy. I’ve rarely played rock music in the last years, and before these shows I have to cut my nails short. Because when I play this other music, I need long nails. Five days after the last Rainbow show, there’ll already be the first Blackmore’s Night show, so it’s unclear if I will have enough time to grow my nails back. If it won’t work so fast, I have to rely on false plastic nails. I never had this problem before, but I’m glad that I can help me out.
How big are the chances for more Rainbow shows?
Ritchie: Hard to say. If we enjoy ourselves and the audience gives us a positive vibe back, then I won’t rule out the possibility of continuing. However, the second round of dates will probably take place in 2017. But the crucial factor will be the chemistry between the musicians and the audience reaction. These shows will be recorded on video, so that we can release it later on. But my heart will always belong to Renaissance music.
You are considered as an explosive and aggressive person. Are you really like that, or is just a mask you put on, when you’re in public?
Ritchie: Not really… The whole Rock n’ Roll scene is largely based and driven by stress and aggression. Renaissance music, on the other hand, is based on passion and melancholy.
How would you describe the old Rainbow singers?
Ritchie: Ronnie James Dio had a very powerful and strong voice, and because of his experience of playing the trumpet, he also had mastered the art of phrasing. Graham Bonnet had a very large range. I was always amazed of his singing in “Only One Woman”, his world hit in 1968 with The Marbles. Joe Lynn Turner had a commercial voice. We became very succesful in the US because of his voice. His voice is suitable for romantic ballads, but he could also handle all the hard rock songs very easily. Joe sounded like the singer of Foreigner, and I think that because of this, Foreigner sold a lot more records (laughs).
What do you think of the endless series of reissues of Deep Purple and Rainbow albums?
Ritchie: It infuriates me constantly! Of course, it’s true that I get a lot of money from these releases. But I believe that this is pure robbery! Every time they release the same record under a different name or with a different cover, I’m starting to get angry. My management can’t do anything against it. When possible, we try to prevent it. But most of the times we don’t have the rights to do so. We simply have no way to control it.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
The current Deep Purple lineup is the one that has been carrying on the Purple legacy for a lot of years now and therefore they deserve to perform at the Hall.
From Blackmore in above interview:
But my heart will always belong to Renaissance music.
Well, there you go. Maybe they could run a video of Ritchie in a 17th Century costume with silk lace frilled sleeves playing a mandolin.
[Edited on 2/24/2016 by robslob]
I love Steve Morse, but Ritchie is the guitar face of Deep Purple write large. No contest, in my opinion.
That is the beauty of it, there is no competition or need to compare or judge. Both are amazing guitarists and Steve fully understands Ritchie's legacy. The important part is that Steve is in the band and Ritchie isn't.
The band saw it as an error not including Steve and Don in the HOF. So why cooperate?
The HOF snubbed them for years. Why cooperate?
Ritchie and the guys have all been screwed by the HOF. Common ground.
They went separate ways long ago and don't get along. Sh*t happens.
For all anyone knows, they all discussed it and decided not to give the HOF what it wants. I wouldn't blame them and as if Ritchie cares if he plays Smoke On The Water.
The important part is that Steve is in the band and Ritchie isn't.
The band saw it as an error not including Steve and Don in the HOF. So why cooperate?
BINGO!!
http://www.deep-purple.com/2016/02/with-respect-to-all/
Ian Gillan Speaks about RNRHOF
With respect to all:
We were faced with a hard decision when we heard about the Hall of Fame inductions. It was a surprise to us that Steve Morse and Don Airey did not qualify as inductees.
Ian G. Ian P. and Roger G. – decided upon the offer of a compromise which has been agreed with the HoF and enables us to turn up on the night.
DP Inductees will accept the awards and then the living breathing Deep Purple will perform.
It should be stressed that there is no slight intended nor any desire to upset anyone regarding this decision; it is purely a mark of respect to Steve and Don.
I spoke with David Coverdale last week and he expressed complete understanding of the way it was being handled; thanks David you’re a Gent.
Outside of this event there are no circumstances under which a ‘reunion’ could or would take place.
So, let’s all get up there, shake hands, smile for the cameras and get it done with dignity and respect for all the existing and past members of a very special family.
[Edited on 2/25/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
DP Inductees will accept the awards and then the living breathing Deep Purple will perform.
And exactly the way it should be. Overall, a very classy statement by Ian Gillan, part of "the living breathing Deep Purple". Thanks for posting that, jszfunk.
