The awkward first meeting between Eddie Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore
The late Eddie Van Halen was never scared to discuss his influences, given that a broad range of artists helped him establish his distinctive and searing style. One of those who had a tremendous impact on him was Deep Purple legend Ritchie Blackmore.
Notably, Blackmore was a master of the string-tapping technique before Van Halen popularised the method and made it a staple of modern metal and virtuoso playing. He also heavily used his whammy bar, creating a pulsating sound that is as unique as the group he made his name in.
When reflecting on his career, Eddie Van Halen openly listed Blackmore as one of his ultimate heroes. When discussing his formative influences during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2011, Van Halen noted how the use of the whammy bar had a life-altering consequence on him. He said: “Ritchie Blackmore I liked because of his vibrato bar use on Deep Purple in Rock (1970). Also, they come out with great riffs. I mean, come on, ‘Smoke on the Water’ is one for the history books.”
Given that both Van Halen and Blackmore are two of the most influential rock guitarists of all time, it was only fitting that they would cross paths. According to keyboardist Don Airey, who played in Blackmore’s supergroup Rainbow, their first encounter was incredibly awkward.
Airey revealed the story during an interview with Mulatschag TV. He claims that one night, Van Halen and Gary Moore – another celebrated figure the keyboardist had worked with – went to see Rainbow perform in Los Angeles, but Blackmore wasn’t hospitable in the slightest.
“There was once when Gary Moore first came to LA; he befriended Eddie. Because for the first time in his life, he had someone that seriously frightened him. They came to a Rainbow gig at Long Beach, and they both looked so young, especially Eddie,” Airey recalled.
Adding: “Eddie wanted to meet Ritchie. I suddenly saw Ritchie coming, and I said, ‘Hey Ritchie! I want you to meet two people. This is Gary Moore, and this is Eddie Van Halen’. Ritchie kind of stormed off (laughs). I don’t know what he thought. (Maybe that) I was trying to set him up or something”.
It seems that Blackmore did take some issue with Van Halen. During an interview with Guitar World in 1991, he criticised the Dutch-American for kicking off the “tapping movement”, which many guitarists would agree with. However, following the younger axeman’s death in 2020, Blackmore penned a candid tribute to his fallen peer, writing: “Eddie Van Halen was a brilliant guitarist who started a technique of guitar playing which was emulated by a whole generation of guitarists”.
He even called Van Halen “the ultimate guitar hero”.
Watch Airey discuss the first meeting of Van Halen and Blackmore below.
