This Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Guitarist Turns 81 Today

Ritchie Blackmore, famed guitarist of the British rock band Deep Purple, turns 81 today. Happy birthday!

Rolling Stoneranked Blackmore as the 50th greatest guitarist of all time. His most known contribution to the craft: the iconic opening riff in Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," which we Millennials will recognize from Guitar Hero. "I found the blues too limiting, and classical was too disciplined," Blackmore said of his genre-defining style. "I was always stuck in a musical no man's land."

After Deep Purple, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow, followed by Blackmore's Night in 1997, which remains active to this day. His wife, Candice Night, serves as the lead vocalist — hence the band's clever name. Blackmore's Night performs renaissance music and often come out dressed in medieval outfits. The group's most recent album, Nature's Light, was released in 2021 — when Blackmore was 76.

The band posted a tribute to the iconic guitarist, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, on its website. "Happy 81st birthday Ritchie Blackmore!" the message reads. "Thank you for over 60 years of musical memories! Tag him in your posts for his birthday." The site also noted that he will appear for an interview on the SiriusXM station Ozzy's Boneyard from 4-6 p.m. for his birthday interview.

The octogenarian — who boasts more than 90,000 followers on Instagram — even sat down for an hour-long livestream yesterday leading up to his birthday. On his Facebook page, fans shared their favorite photos and memories of their favorite guitarist. One even posted a photo of a guitar he owned that Blackmore smashed at a show in Michigan in 1979.

Another shared that Blackmore inspired him to pick up a guitar for the first time. "From the moment I heard the Black Night/ Speed King single, one rainy summers day in the early 70s, I was sold," he wrote. "The reason I picked up a guitar and why my first Strat was white. Thank you for the music Mr B!"