GUITARIST RITCHIE BLACKMORE BEING BLOCKED FROM ATTENDING THE ROCK HALL INDUCTION FOR DEEP PURPLE
Ritchie Blackmore reports that Deep Purple’s manager won’t let him attend the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
The guitarist, who co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, said the band’s long-time manager, Bruce Payne, has refused to allow for him to take part in the ceremony on April 8th at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Blackmore posted the news on his official Facebook page:
“Ritchie was honored by the offer of induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was discussing the possibility of attending, until we received correspondence from the President of the Rock Hall of Fame, who said that Bruce Payne, management for the current Deep Purple Touring Band, had said “No”……….!!!!!”
“Therefore Ritchie will not be attending the ceremony. He sincerely thanks all the fans that voted for him for their support.”
The reason for Payne’s decision was not apparent, but it likely stems from past issues between Blackmore and the Deep Purple camp. Blackmore sued Payne several years ago for money he says he was owed and for access to the band’s accounting. He also sought to be paid a share from T-shirts bearing his likeness that were sold at the group’s shows. Blackmore’s face was subsequently removed from the items, a move that he found insulting.
Andy Greene of Rolling Stone reports that in a new interview with the magazine, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Joel Peresman says that he reached out to managers for the current lineup of Deep Purple and Blackmore to try and facilitate a reunion. “Deep Purple’s manager Bruce Payne told me they were unwilling to perform with Ritchie,” he says. “We’ve had many situations like this in the past and many times these things get worked out for one night, and then they go back to their neutral corners the next day.”
Peresman relayed the band’s position to Carole Stevens, who manages Blackmore. “I said to her, ‘Maybe you can take the high road and reach out to them and see if something can be worked out as far as the performance goes,'” he says. “We would love to have them all play together. We always want to do that. We always want to see the actual inductees that haven’t performed together in a long time, if they have the opportunity to come together for at least one night, to do that. We’d like to see it as an organization, and I’m sure fans would like to see it too.”
Even if the two sides are unwilling to come to an agreement that allows Blackmore to perform with the current lineup of Deep Purple, the Hall of Fame still hopes that Blackmore decides to attend the April 8th ceremony at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. “I did read on his website that he is having surgery on his hand this month and he’ll be out for at least a month,” says Peresman. “I don’t know how that impacts his ability to play even if he did come, but there is no way he is banned from the ceremony. That notion we would ever do that is patently untrue. We’ve never banned any inductee. He is invited to come enjoy the evening and accept the award.”
…The band was confirmed for induction in 2015, but the honor was diminished by the committee’s decision not to extend it to founding bassist Nick Simper or current members Steve Morse and Don Airey. Simper told Classic Rock magazine, “Maybe I am being naïve, but I always thought that if a band gets into the Hall of Fame then all members, past and present, are part of it. Obviously not.”
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan also criticized the Hall for omitting guitarist Morse and keyboardist Airey, calling the decision “very silly.” In an interview with Classic Rock last October, Gillan denounced the committee, saying, “I have no respect for them. They’re the kind of people that having seen A Hard Day’s Night decided that the Monkees would be America’s equivalent to the Beatles. They’ve no idea what goes on in the big, wide world outside of their self-arbitrating surroundings. To me, those people are bloody arrogant and rude.”
As for Blackmore,…the guitarist is currently preparing for his first rock shows since 1997, where he’ll be performing with a new lineup of Rainbow, his post–Deep Purple group.
Read more at Guitar Player.
[Dana’s note: Thank you, as always, to T for passing this story along.]
additional source: guitarplayer.com
Don’t know whether DP’s manager really trying to “ban” Blackmore from attending/performing, seems unlikely he would have that kind of pull. Doesn’t the Hall decide who’s being inducted, and the band decides who’s performing? That’s how the KISS one seemed to go down. Gene, Paul, Ace & Peter got their award, “made nice” and no version of KISS performed. Face it – the MARK II line-up is the best/most important/influential version of the band. (Yes, “Burn” is great also with Coverdale/Hughes)…but beyond that, I mean really?! The original DP didn’t sound ANYTHING like the DP of “In Rock” and forward, and the ONE album they did with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals sounded like Deep Purple “lite”. As to the current DP, yes I can admit I like more than I don’t, and Steve Morse is an amazing player, but it’s just not TRUE Purple to me without Blackmore. It would be like trying to stick another guitarist in for Page or Iommi, then pretending you like it just as much. It’s an exercise in futility.
So to sum up…if Blackmore isn’t up there to get an award, I’m gonna end up just shakin’ my head (probably along with Eddie Trunk and a few million other Purple fans) and mumble to myself… “fucking Hall of Fame, it just never ends…”
If Richie’s European shows go really well, I wonder if he’ll relent and do a show or two in the US. The demand would certainly be there if he chose to do so. I would really like to see this band he’s assembled, do all those great songs we all love. His singer is not Dio or Freddie Mercury, but he’s pretty damn good.
He can now attend and accept the award as that was decided by the Hall. The manager had no right to exclude Ritchie. The current band and management are allowing him to accept the award but is not allowed to play with the band. Blackmore founded the band with Lord so he should be allowed to enjoy the entire evening. He has no love for Gillan, but the remaining members backed Gillan during a dispute causing Ritchie to leave and becoming the band leader. Ritchie could get over the issues for one night but Gillan couldn’t and he is the one trying to keep Blackmore out.
i don’t want any more drama with the purple people either.
Folks – this has nothing to do with Bruce Payne….its Ian Gillan being insecure and petulant. He made an official statement yesterday and confirmed that RB was not invited to play with the band, and he asked David and Glenn not to perform out of respect for Steve and Don.
http://www.deeppurple.com/1511-2/
This smells of hypocrisy…Ian left on his own accord in 1973 and the band hired replacements and carried on. The same happened with Ritchie in 1975 and 1993. How is that Steve and Don are justified to perform, yet the same level of respect is not afforded to David and Glenn. I did not think that Ritchie was ever going to show and that his statement was more tongue in check. If Ian Gillan reached this so-called compromise, than the same should be afforded to past and current members. Why don’t Ian and Roger take a back seat – for one damn song!!!!!!!! – and allow David and Glen to perform with Ian P, Steve and Don…..Ian G’s definition of compromise is totally biased on his part. I am a tremendous fan of all versions of the band – was looking forward to the new album, but my hopes were dashed with this cowardice act by Ian and the petulant/childish behavior by guys in/or near their 70s. I will not support the new album nor will I attend any shows. I agreed with Ian Paice’s Rolling Stone interview – all band members should have been inducted. It’s a shame there is an insecure person on top who just won’t let go of things. The DP fan base is angry with Ian Gillan, and to a lesser extent with Roger and Ian P, who again stick their hands in the sand. And one more parting shot – where the hell is the support for Rod and Nick who helped kick start the band, and Ian G always stated he was a fan of the band….A very frustrated fan.
Thanks for the link, C, however what you have linked to says nothing about Payne vs. Blackmore, or Simper or Evans. It is a statement about who gets to perform, which is the current line-up.
It has everything to do with Bruce Payne. Don’t forget he was the one Blackmore sued years ago. When the manager lets the lead singer decide whats going on for one night, the manager is thus irrelevant. He has a chance to get people interested in DP again for one night, which can be a money making opportunity. But like the lead singer, he’s thinking with his emotions and not his brains, of which he hardly has any. Remember when Blackmore’s image was taken off the tour shirts?