This man composed a solo from Highway Star - the refrain of the life of an entire generation. In real life, he turned out to be a little different than we imagined. Who else in rock can match fame on one sixth of the land with the gloomy British guitarist Richie ...

This man composed a solo from Highway Star - the refrain of the life of an entire generation. In real life, he turned out to be a little different than we imagined.

TO

what else in rock can equal fame on one-sixth of the land with the surly British guitarist Ritchie Blackmore? Who else's name has remained iconic for three decades, passed from mouth to mouth? Everyone has always bowed before Blackmore, from a gopnik from a vocational school to an intellectual from an academic institute. Acquaintance with the guitar began with his creations - first of all, the famous “walker” from Smoke On the Water was learned, then the more complex, but no less legendary solo from Highway Star. It was considered a shame not to have Deep Purple and Rainbow records in your collection in the golden age of rock.

But it's one thing to know the mythical Blackmore, hovering in transcendental realms, and another thing to see a great guitarist in Moscow and try to understand what he really is. Blackmore's two concerts this year in Russia have added a new dimension to the look and feel of a guitarist whose Highway star solo has been the refrain of life for a generation. The concert was preceded by lengthy negotiations with the JSA company, the organizer of the tour, during which Richie bargained for every cent, set unthinkable conditions, put pressure on the psyche and revealed such wild greed, such an ingenuous love for profit, that even the JSA employees who had seen a lot were embarrassed. How can one not recall the notorious Improviser from Egyptian Nights. Genius may well coexist perfectly with greed.

The fact that Blackmore does not like journalists, considering them bullshit, is known to everyone. In Moscow, Richie was also in his repertoire - he flatly refused a press conference and any interviews, did not want to be photographed with anyone and give autographs. However, from a questionnaire recently filled out by Blackmore, it is known that his favorite car is a sports Mercedes, his favorite singer is still Paul Rogers (back in 1973, Ritchie wanted him to replace the departed Gillan), and his favorite saying "I'm not sixteen, so my opinion is irrelevant."

Richie, as we saw him in Moscow, looks different than on the covers of the famous Deep Purple and Rainbow records. He aged, wrinkles appeared, a second chin, senile folds on his neck. Khair, however, is beautiful, black and thick (they say transplanted). When Blackmore plays, his head is lowered, which, combined with his stoop, makes him look like a question mark. He still shakes his head nervously as he plays. Richie keeps modestly, often retreats to the back of the stage. He played mainly acoustic guitar and lute, but a few things on electric guitar. A couple of times Richie picked up the legendary Stratocaster, which caused a special revival in the stands. Everyone was waiting: will he perform at least something old? To the great joy of the public, he performed. They were Sixteenth Century Greensleeves (from Rainbow) and Soldier of Fortune (from Deep Purple). Of course, Candace Knight sang them differently than Dio and Coverdale once did, but the girl tried.

Some of Blackmore's performance techniques have persisted for decades, although the music itself has changed. The Blackmore of today, like the Blackmore of twenty years ago, likes to use scales with extended seconds, which give the music an oriental touch. He still uses the five-finger technique in his left hand, his thumb wrapping around the top of the fretboard and repeatedly tearing at the sixth string, making the instrument sound amazing, great.

Blackmore loves everything German. He drives German cars, wears German clothes, listens to German music. Since childhood, he has not crawled out of Germany - back in 1968, Deep Purple managers had to pull Richie out of Hamburg in order to create a legendary band. Even the guitarist's son, Jürgen Blackmore, is German by nationality. Such a long Germanization gave a result: now Richie looks like a prosperous German burgher, for whom the highest value is family and stability.

The Blackmores lead a rather secluded life in the state of Connecticut in the USA, although Richie always finds time to communicate with friends. For example, for more than thirty years he has been friends with Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, who recorded vocals for a friend in the song Play, Minstrel, Play.

What will Blackmore do next? He went to the 58th year. Will he return to rock, will he continue to play in the style of the Renaissance, or will he come up with something new?