Brian May’s opinion on Deep Purple

Although Brian May began his musical career in 1963, he ended up being part of a second wave of successful and influential British guitarists, as Queen wouldn’t release their debut album until 1973. While he was still developing as a musician, May witnessed the rise of many incredible bands in London, including Deep Purple. Over the decades, he has talked about them many times and shared his opinions on their music.

What is Brian May’s opinion on Deep Purple

Brian May has always been a huge fan of Deep Purple and Ritchie Blackmore is one of his biggest heroes. He once revealed that his favorite guitar riff from their discography is “Black Night” and that he loves playing it to himself. “I grew up alongside those guys, and I’m a big fan. For me, it’s hard to beat ‘Black Night’. What an enormous riff – one of the biggest and best of all time. I love to play it myself, and I’ve played it on stage with the guys.”

“Playing off Paicey, one of the most monumental drummers in music, is quite something. He has that signature shuffle that not many people can do well. Being on stage with him, and locking into that, was one of the most memorable moments of my career. ‘Black Night’ has got the best drum break in the world… (Brian imitates it, laughing)… that always makes me smile,” he said in an interview with Classic Rock in 2024.

One of the times Brian had the chance to play with Deep Purple members was during Paice’s charity event Sunflower Superjam in 2012 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. One of the songs played was exactly “Black Night”, which also had Bruce Dickinson on vocals and John Paul Jones on bass.

Another Purple song May also loves is “Smoke on The Water”. He included the track on the “Air Guitar Anthems” (2016) compilation album featuring songs he chose because are perfect for air guitar. He was part of the cover made in 1988 as part of a humanitarian effort by the British music industry to raise money for people affected by the Armenian earthquake that year.

Why Brian May thinks Ritchie Blackmore is one of greatest guitarists of all time

To Brian May, Blackmore is one of the best guitar players in the world. When interviewed in Ritchie’s documentary in 2015, he called him a “great originator and creator of the wild electric guitar”.  “He’s a fireball, you know. He really is beyond belief. His technique is incredible. Where did that come from? I have no idea. And this is before Hendrix. Ritchie really is a great originator and creator of the wild electric guitar.”

“No, it’s not just speed (That is Blackmore’s secret). There is a lot of people that can play fast now. But they can’t be Ritchie Blackmore. I think Ritchie will be remembered as somebody wild and untamed to the end of his days. I think that’s a magnificent thing to be. When people get things all in perspective, Ritchie will be right there as one of the cornerstones of what Rock and Roll is today,” Brian May said in “Ritchie Blackmore Story” (2015) (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).

During the same conversation, Brian said that every kid in the world can play the famous “Smoke on the Water” riff, which seems simple, but in his view, nobody can actually play it like Blackmore does. Besides his work with Deep Purple, Brian is also a big fan of what Blackmore did in his own band, Rainbow.

May said Jon Lord was a magical keyboardist and composer

Besides Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Paice, another member of Deep Purple that Brian May praised was the late keyboardist Jon Lord. After the musician’s death in 2012 at the age of 71, he wrote a tribute. “Immensely sad to hear of the passing of Jon Lord. (He was a) magical keyboard player and composer, who created a whole new style in his work with Deep Purple, and on the boundaries between rock music and orchestral. A fabulous musician, an inspiration, and a true Gentleman of Rock. Our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. R.I.P. JON,” he said.