Ritchie Blackmore to reunite with Deep Purple for the first time in over 30 years: “I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven't done in over 25 years”

['Janelle Borg', 'Staff Writer', 'Layer Van-Ds .Vds-Author Font-Size Var --Text-Base', 'Font-Size Var --Vds-Author-Font-Size', 'Var --Text-Base', 'Line-Height Var --Text-Base--Line-Height', 'Line-Height Var --Vds-Author-Line-Height', 'Var --Text-Base--Line-Height', 'Letter-Spacing Var --Tracking-Normal', 'Letter-Spacing Var --Vds-Author-Letter-Spacing'] Latest from Guitar World 2026-08-12 13:26:05

Ritchie Blackmore has confirmed he will be joining Deep Purple for the first time since 1993. Blackmore went on to say that he initially brought up the idea with Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan. I hope I can compete with the [current Deep Purple] guitar player [Simon McBride], ’cause I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him. As for Blackmore, he’s looking forward to being on stage with Deep Purple again. Anyone who wants to witness this historic moment live can grab last-minute tickets on Deep Purple’s official website.