Former Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli says people should stop focusing on Ritchie Blackmore’s moodier moments. After spending three years in a lineup with Deep Purple’s cofounding electric guitarist, he argues that, while there were angry instances, they were hugely outnumbered by positive experiences.
Rondinelli performed on 1981’s Difficult to Cure, which featured the hit “I Surrender,” as well as on the 1982 follow-up, Straight Between the Eyes, which contained “Stone Cold.” He was dismissed before 1983’s Bent Out of Shape was recorded, but his overall feeling about his time with Blackmore remains positive.
“I got along with him great,” Rondinelli told VIP Rocks. “For years, we hung out together all the time, and it was great until it wasn’t. If it wasn’t for Ritchie I probably wouldn’t [be here today]. He gave me my break.”
Describing Blackmore as “one of the best guitar players ever,” he continued: “He put me in the drum seat after Cozy Powell, which brought me to attention. It showed that he really had faith in me.”
He went on to offer two examples of Blackmore’s kindness.
“I remember we were playing the Budokan,” Rondinelli says. “He was used to my drum solo, because I would do a solo every night — but I kind of made a mistake. I made the mistake three times in a row, so now people think it’s a part!
“After the show he hugged me and goes, ‘I know you made a mistake, but you made it like it was part of the solo. It was great!’ He was complimentary.
“After we did the San Antonio live show for MTV, he hugged me and goes, ‘Man, I wouldn’t want to be that good every night. It’s too much pressure!’”
Rondinelli, who went on to work with Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult and others, reflected: “He could be the funniest guy in the world. He’s very smart, he’s very personable — and sometimes he’s not. But when he is, he’s very likeable. Everybody just talks about when he’s throwing a mood, but he was a regular guy 98 percent of the time.”
Blackmore recently reunited with his former Deep Purple MkII bandmates for a performance of “Smoke on the Water” at the group’s August 12 show at Jones Beach, near his home on Long Island. The guitarist subsequently told Guitar Player he thought the reunion was an opportunity to heal old wounds, adding, “I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other.’
