During an Instagram livestream on his page, Ritchie Blackmore answered many fans’ questions, including ones about his friendship with Tommy Bolin, the first guitarist to replace him in Deep Purple, as well as his current relationship with Ian Paice, Ian Gillan and Don Airey.
Ritchie Blackmore recalls Tommy Bolin and says he is still in touch with Deep Purple members
“Well, I knew him more as a friend. And he was such a nice guy that I couldn’t believe he was a guitar player, because most guitar players aren’t nice people. He was so nice, and he was an Indian — I think Sioux Indian or something — and I would go around his house, and we’d often have fun just talking to each other. There was never ever any envy, no competition whatsoever.
“I said to Tommy once, ‘When did you last change your strings?’ And he looked at me, like, ‘I should change them?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ And he said, ‘Well, probably about five years ago,’ ’cause they were so caked in dirt and grit. He was a brilliant player, a great player, but he never changed his guitar strings.”
“Yes. (I’m in touch with) Ian Paice sends me regards now and again, and I talked to Ian Gillan and David Coverdale. But I don’t know the new people in the band. I mean, obviously Don Airey was in RAINBOW. Don is a brilliant keyboard player, but he has been in every band in the business,” Ritchie Blackmore said (Transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Ritchie Blackmore was a member of Deep Purple from 1968 to 1975, when he left and formed Rainbow. He returned to the band from 1984 to 1993, when he left for good and never reunited with them anymore. After he left he was replaced by Joe Satriani (only a few weeks), Steve Morse (1994 to 2022) and Simon McBride is their current guitarist.