Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore

Dubbed the 'man in black', guitarist Ritchie Blackmore found fame with Seventies rock giants Deep Purple, then walked away from them to create Rainbow, only to abandon them and form another band in 1997 — Blackmore's Night. Read how he handed in his resignation in the middle of Deep Purple's 25th anniversary tour — How during his career he became involved with Lord Sutch, Joe Meek, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddie Starr and Tom Jones — How his love/hate relationship with Deep Purple's lead singer Ian Gillan and his moodiness, antics on and off stage, reputation as a 'hire and fire' merchant — His three marriages, police chases, imprisonment and passion for football.