Jodo: The forgotten band Ritchie Blackmore hailed as classic rock heroes
Look through the rock ‘n’ roll history books, and it won’t be long before you find some kind of praise for Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore.
Consider Gene Simmons, for example, who said that the Deep Purple guitarist meant the world to him. Blackmore is sometimes overlooked, and unnecessarily so, as when you see the kind of artist he influences, there is no denying his shredding impact. “To those of us who know,” said Simmons, “Ritchie Blackmore means the world, he’s got the goods.”
He was one of the hardest guitarists to truly put into words, because his influences stemmed so far and wide. There was no such thing as pigeonholing when it came to Blackmore; no styles of music were off limits, and he was happy to inject the playing technique of different musicians from across ages and genres into his own style of music.
That’s why when you listen to bands like Deep Purple and Rainbow, you come across such an expansive mix of genres. When Blackmore and the rest of the band were writing music, they would all put ideas on the table, and while there had to be some form of direction present, there could be plenty of different styles contributing towards that direction.
Considering some of Deep Purple’s most notorious music was a celebration of hard rock, it’s interesting to listen back to the band’s early work and hear how classical music influenced them. When Blackmore was growing up, he came across a rock band that used classical music in a similar way, and that’s what helped influence him.
“My interest in classical music overall is what led me in the direction of trying to combine blues, rock and classical ideas into the stylistic statement,” he said. “At the age of 15, I saw a band that did rocked-up classical tunes, called Nero and the Gladiators. They all wore togas, and you would think they must have looked really silly, but it worked.”
Nero and the Gladiators are just one example of underground rock bands that Blackmore took influence from. He always kept his ear to the ground when it came to discovering new music, which means he has a library of underrated rock bands lingering in the back of his mind who didn’t quite get the praise they deserved. One of these bands is Jodo, a psychedelic outfit that didn’t do a great deal, but was responsible for some music that really blew the door to rock off its hinges.
Rod Alexander, one of the founding members of Jodo, recalled meeting Blackmore for the first time. “I first met Ritchie briefly while I was playing at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany,” he said, “Some months later, I went to see the newly formed Deep Purple at Klooks Kleek in North London. Ritchie and I were chatting after the gig, and I told him about the band Bill and I had formed. He offered to come and have a listen.”
Blackmore did have a listen and loved the band so much that he helped them record their album, Guts. While the band may not be one of the biggest names in the world of psychedelic rock, you can guarantee that Blackmore’s recommendation goes pretty far, so they’re well worth a listen.
“Ritchie liked the band and brought producer Derek Lawrence to have a listen, and so Jodo Guts was born. Thanks, Ritchie!”
