Dubbed the 'man in black', guitarist Ritchie Blackmore found fame with Seventies rock giants Deep Purple, then walked away from them to create Rainbow, only to abandon them and form another band in 1997 - Blackmore's Night. Read how he handed in his resignation in the middle of Deep Purple's 25th anniversary tour - How during his career he became involved with Lord Sutch, Joe Meek, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddie Starr and Tom Jones - How his love/hate relationship with Deep Purple's lead singer Ian Gillan and his moodiness, antics on and off stage, reputation as a 'hire and fire' merchant - His three marriages, police chases, imprisonment and passion for football.

An essential read for any fan of classic rock - Classic Rock Society

Jerry Bloom is a freelance writer and designer who first heard Ritchie Blackmore's fiery guitar in 1971 and has passionately followed Blackmore's career for the past thirty years. He first met Ritchie in 1984 and in 1996 he jointly established the international Ritchie Blackmore magazine More Black Than Purple which he has edited since 2000.