One of the most influential guitarists in history, Ritchie Blackmore was an inspiration for countless musicians especially for his work in Deep Purple and Rainbow.
Many incredible guitarists who credited him as an artist they looked up to appeared in the following decades and one of them was the late legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads. Over the years Ritchie Blackmore gave his opinion on many of those musicians, including Randy.
What is Ritchie Blackmore’s opinion on Randy Rhoads
“Oh (he was) brilliant. I met him in a place called The Ship, in Wardour street. It was a pub where all musicians used to meet. He was a small guy, very nice. When I met him, he was a fan of mine. I thought: ‘Well, that’s nice’, because he is so good. He was ahead of his time and it’s terrible that he died in that plane crash. (He was) almost like Eddie Van Halen. Very similar attitude, very humble, which I always appreciate when I talk to people. There’s no reason to be conceited about music,” he said during a live stream (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).
Although he was a fan of Randy Rhoads’ guitar playing, after Ozzy Osbourne passed away in 2025, Blackmore shared a message paying tribute to him and said his favorite period of Ozzy’s solo career was the late 80s. “I had the good fortune to meet Ozzy a couple of times. He was a very humble man with no rock and roll attitude. I think he was very grateful to be doing what he loved. He had a melodic, warm and harmonious voice over Hard Rock tracks. It worked out incredibly well without having to resort to screaming over the music.”
He continued:
“A wonderful way of singing. The late 80s was my favourite period but that is just my opinion. His home show was my favorite. It reminded me of Faulty Towers. I make it a habit of trying not to smile and laugh very much. But Ozzy made me crack up with laughter on his show every time I saw it. It was so honest. I think that’s what people loved about him. Our hearts go out to Ozzy’s family. Candice and I share your grief. We have lost a brilliant singer, a great musician and a wonderful family man. Rest in peace Ozzy,” Ritchie Blackmore said on his social media.
As Blackmore mentioned, Randy Rhoads tragically died in a plane crash in 1982 at the age of 25. He was replaced by Jake E. Lee, who remained in Ozzy Osbourne’s band until 1987. Lee was then succeeded by Zakk Wylde, who became Osbourne’s longest-serving guitarist, working with him on and off over the following decades.
Since Blackmore said his favorite era of Ozzy’s solo career was the late 1980s, it can be inferred that he enjoyed Jake E. Lee’s work on The Ultimate Sin (1986) and Zakk Wylde’s playing on No Rest for the Wicked (1988), the two Ozzy Osbourne albums released during the final years of the decade. Those records featured songs such as “The Ultimate Sin”, “Lightning Strikes”, “Killer of Giants”, “Shot in the Dark”, “Crazy Babies”, “Miracle Man” and “Fire in the Sky”.
Randy Rhoads said that Ritchie Blackmore was very melodic and played with a lot of feeling
Sadly Randy Rhoads passed away too soon and didn’t have the chance to talk a lot with the press about his personal tastes and artists he admired. But he did mention Blackmore in an interview with Guitar World. After praising UFO’s guitarist Michael Schenker, he mentioned the Deep Purple and Rainbow guitar hero. “I think Michael Schenker is excellent, a great rock player. He’s very melodic and he plays with lots of feeling. Oh, I could name a hundred (other great players). I mean, everybody who’s out there is really good at what they do. Eddie Van Halen is fantastic, Ritchie Blackmore…,” he said.
Curiously, the way he described those guitarists, including Ritchie, was similar to how he often talked about Mountain’s Leslie West, one of his favorite guitarists, who was also greatly admired by Blackmore. “One of my favorites was Mountain and Leslie West—those harmonics and that sustain. I just thought Leslie was the greatest. But now, I don’t have a favorite—I just like anybody who plays guitar,” Randy Rhoads told Guitar World back then. According to Blackmore, Mountain influenced Deep Purple when they were still trying to find their way as a band.
He said:
“I really loved Leslie West’s playing. (…) Ultimately, Purple and Mountain did a few tours together. Every now and again, Leslie would just walk out onto the stage unannounced and start playing, while his band was still in the dressing room. They all come running out of there and to the stage as fast as they could, after which he’d immediately walk off. Madness! I like that eccentricity in him. And he plays mostly with just three fingers. He doesn’t bother with the pinkie much at all, but it’s all there. Great vibrato,” he said in an interview with Andy Aledort.
Although Ritchie Blackmore and Randy Rhoads never had the chance to play together, Blackmore and Ozzy Osbourne worked with several musicians in common. One of them was Bob Daisley, who served as the bassist and principal lyricist during the first decade of Ozzy’s solo career. Before that, he had been a member of Rainbow from 1977 to 1978 and played on the album Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Another was keyboardist Don Airey, who played on Ozzy’s solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz, and is best remembered for the iconic intro to “Mr. Crowley”. He continued working with Osbourne from 1983 to 1985 and toured with his band from 1981 to 1983. During his time in Rainbow, Airey recorded the albums Down to Earth (1979) and Difficult to Cure (1981).
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