Born on April 14: Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), guitar hero extraordinaire

Like Van Morrison and a few other rock legends, the English guitarist born in 1945 is also celebrating his 80th birthday.

The man isn't known for his legendary humility. If you asked him to name the greatest guitarist of all time, it's a safe bet he'd say... himself! But, after all, charity begins at home, and when one belongs to the very exclusive circle of "guitar heroes", a healthy dose of ego can even be seen as an additional asset. An ardent fan of the famous Fender Stratocaster, the Scottsdale (USA) company - created a year after his birth - even named one of their models after him. Scholars may argue over whether Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Angus Young, or Jimi Hendrix surpass him in technique or originality, but the fact is, Blackmore is certainly no slouch!

It's often forgotten, but the young boy first learned classical guitar. This proximity to grand music has never waned. When he suggested his companions in Deep Purple join forces with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, it was 1969, and such transgressions were considered an unforgivable betrayal rather than an opportune broadening of horizons.

Ritchie Blackmore certainly imprinted a good dozen historical solos in the pantheon of rock. Incidentally, the immortal "Smoke On The Water", "Lazy" as well as "Highway Star", all feature on the "Machine Head" album in 1972. One must not forget the ten epic minutes of "Child In Time" on the "In Rock" album in 1970.

Ritchie Blackmore undoubtedly possesses a strong-willed personality, intolerable as many of his ex-wives affirm, but he also prides himself on a kind of lucidity tinged with a dash of irony. All things come to those who wait. In an interview for the Franco-German channel Arte, on the program "Tracks" in 2007, he explained his attraction to other musical genres, notably leaning towards a more soothing renaissance style. "Even back when I was with Deep Purple, I realized I was playing primarily for other guitarists crammed into the front row. At some point, I thought it could be interesting to play for the entire audience. What you call my conversion tends to transform this idea into reality."

Very recently, performed by his partner Candice Night, "The Last Goodbye" appeared on streaming platforms. Co-signed by Blackmore but without a single note of guitar, this touching song concludes with a Goodbye whispered by the singer as if closing a homily. Perhaps like a premature funeral oration that leaves us wondering about the guitarist's health…

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Ritchie Blackmore with Rainbow on stage at Forest-National in Brussels (Belgium) on 19 June 1981