He was a founding member and the lead guitarist of Deep Purple, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds.

[7] In an interview with Sounds magazine in 1979, Blackmore said that he started the guitar because he wanted to be like British musician Tommy Steele, who used to just jump around and play.

After the line-up for Roundabout was complete in April 1968, Blackmore is credited with suggesting the new name Deep Purple, as it was his grandmother's favourite song.

[12] Deep Purple's early sound leaned on psychedelic and progressive rock,[13] but also included cover versions of 1960s pop songs.

[14] This "Mark One" line-up featuring singer Rod Evans and bass player Nick Simper lasted until mid-1969 and produced three studio albums.

[4] This "Mark Two" line-up featuring rock singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover lasted until mid-1973, producing four studio albums (two of which reached No.

"[16] Guitarist Steve Vai was more complimentary about Blackmore's role in developing song ideas: "He was able to bring blues to rock playing unlike anybody else.

Featuring vocalist Ronnie James Dio and his blues rock backing band Elf as studio musicians, this first line-up never performed live.

Rainbow was originally thought to be a one-off collaboration, but endured as an ongoing band project with a series of album releases and tours.

[23] After the next studio album's release and supporting tour in 1978, Dio left Rainbow due to "creative differences" with Blackmore, who desired to move in a more commercial sounding direction.

[24] Blackmore continued with Rainbow, and in 1979 the band released a new album titled Down To Earth, which featured R&B singer Graham Bonnet.

[25] The album marked the commercialisation of the band's sound and contained their first smash hit with the single "Since You Been Gone" (penned by Russ Ballard).

The album's musical style differed from the traditional Purple sound due to Blackmore's Rainbow background, which distinguished him from the other members.

[31] The next Deep Purple line-up recorded one album titled Slaves and Masters (1990), which featured former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner.

This Rainbow line-up, featuring hard rock singer Doogie White, lasted until 1997 and produced one album titled Stranger in Us All in 1995.

"[34] Over the years Rainbow went through many personnel changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up: Blackmore was the sole constant band member.

[37] As a result, his musical approach shifted to vocalist-centred sounds, and their recorded output is a mixture of original and cover materials.

[34] In subsequent albums, particularly Fires at Midnight (2001) which featured the Bob Dylan song "The Times They Are a Changin'", there was occasionally an increased incorporation of electric guitar into the music, whilst maintaining a basic folk rock direction.

In the 1970s, Blackmore used a number of different Stratocasters; one of his main guitars was an Olympic white 1974 model with a rosewood fingerboard that was scalloped.

[43] Blackmore added a strap lock to the headstock of this guitar as a conversation piece to annoy and confuse people, as it didn't actually do anything.

He has also used Schecter F-500-Ts, Velvet Hammer "Red Rhodes", DiMarzio "HS-2", OBL "Black Label", and Bill Lawrence L-450, XL-250 (bridge), L-250 (neck) pick-ups.

He also sang praises for Jimi Hendrix, Yes guitarist Steve Howe, Bob Dylan sideman Mike Bloomfield and Tommy Bolin, who would soon take his place on Deep Purple.

But now I feel an obligation to tell the kids 'look, just give classical music a chance' ... the guitar frustrates me a lot because I'm not good enough to play it sometimes so I get mad and throw a moody.

Along with former Scorpions "axemen" Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker, Blackmore pioneered the use of the harmonic minor scale in the 1970s, effectively laying the groundwork for neoclassical metal.

Notable examples include Judas Priest's "Hell Bent for Leather",[56] Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution",[57] Mötley Crüe's "Shout at the Devil" and Iron Maiden's "Two Minutes to Midnight".

[60] Here's a brief list: Introduced by jazz musicians Les Paul, Barney Kessel and Tal Farlow in the 1950s, sweep picking was first used in a rock context by Ritchie Blackmore.

"[65] Lick Library's Danny Gill also praises Blackmore work on this solo, pointing out that it "displays his mastery over modal playing, with a clever mix of Dorian and Mixolydian modes."

[92] Blackmore has been an influence on several 1980s guitarists such as Akira Takasaki, Fredrik Åkesson,[93] Brett Garsed,[94] Jeff Loomis,[95] Janick Gers,[96] Paul Gilbert,[97] Craig Goldy,[98] Scott Henderson,[99] Dave Meniketti,[100] Randy Rhoads,[101] Michael Romeo,[102] Wolf Hoffmann,[103] Billy Corgan,[104] Lita Ford,[105] Brian May,[106] Phil Collen[107] and Yngwie Malmsteen.

[108] For his part Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who praised Blackmore on numerous occasions, highlighted that his "wild stage presence" led him to buy Deep Purple's Fireball, his first album ever.

[110] Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen acknowledged having been early on influenced by Blackmore;[111] during his childhood he learned to play Fireball in its entirety.