“He didn’t do anything amazing”: The guitarist Ritchie Blackmore thought was overrated
Ritchie Blackmore started making music during one of the most exciting periods for rock. So, who out of all the legends that were making a name for themselves inspired him the most?
Vanilla Fudge. At a time when Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton were busy ruling the roost and turning guitar heroes into demigods, Blackmore was taking his cues from a bloody covers band. Sounds daft at first, but it makes sense. Blackmore always had an ear for the odd and inventive, and Vanilla Fudge – when they hit their stride – were absolutely devastating.
There are different ways that people can look at a song. Some people merely view a track for what it is, meanwhile, other bands can isolate specific elements in a bid to draw them out, expose or cut them, twisting a song so that it resembles the original creation but also represents something entirely different. That’s what Vanilla Fudge did, and it’s something that Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord were both particularly inspired by.
“We shared the same taste in music. We loved Vanilla Fudge – they were our heroes,” he said, “They used to play London’s Speakeasy and all the hippies used to go there to hang out – Clapton, The Beatles – everybody went there to pose. According to legend, the talk of the town during that period was Jimi Hendrix, but that’s not true. It was Vanilla Fudge.”
While Blackmore was a fan of Hendrix, it was more the guitarist’s attitude that appealed to him as opposed to his playing style. Previously described as animalistic, the way that Hendrix walked, performed and carried himself managed to capture Blackmore’s imagination. Despite his adoration, when it came to the actual music, there was no one better than Vanilla Fudge. Blackmore was such a fan that the band became a big part of Deep Purple’s eventual sound.
“They played eight-minute songs, with dynamics. People said, ‘What the hell’s going on here? How come it’s not three minutes?’” Recalled Blackmore, “Timmy Bogert, their bassist, was amazing. The whole group was ahead of its time. So, initially we wanted to be a Vanilla Fudge clone. But our singer, Ian, wanted to be Edgar Winter. He’d say, ‘I want to scream like that, like Edgar Winter.’ So that’s what we were – Vanilla Fudge with Edgar Winter!”
Something admirable about Blackmore is how unwavering he is when it comes to speaking his mind. He is more than happy to fly the flag of an underappreciated band like Vanilla Fudge, be equally happy to controversially say that he wasn’t a fan of much-loved artists. When Stevie Ray Vaughan died, loads of people in the music world were obviously devistated. He was seen as one of the most exciting blues-rock players of the lot. Blackmore, though, while clearly mourning the bloke, didn’t shy away from giving a few digs about Vaughan’s style.
“His death was very tragic, but I’m surprised that everybody thinks he was such a brilliant player when there are people like Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Peter Green and Mick Taylor; Johnny Winter, who is one of the best blues players in the world, is also very underrated. His vibrato is incredible,” said Blackmore, “Stevie Ray Vaughan was very intense. Maybe that’s what caught everybody’s attention. As a player, he didn’t do anything amazing.”
Blackmore’s ability to step outside of the mainstream when forming his musical opinions is what led to him creating such innovative and exciting music throughout his career. While that means he has some controversial opinions here and there, it all leads to the establishment of mind-bending music.
