"Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" is the debut studio album by the rock band Rainbow, released in 1975. The band was formed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had previously been a member of Deep Purple. The album features a mix of hard rock and heavy metal with elements of classical music, showcasing Blackmore's distinctive guitar work and the vocal talents of Ronnie James Dio. The release marked the beginning of Rainbow's influential career in rock music.
During studio sessions in Tampa Bay, Florida, on December 12, 1974, Ritchie Blackmore initially planned to record a solo single, "Black Sheep of the Family" (a cover of a 1970 track by Quatermass) and the new composition "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" as the B-side. Joined by Ronnie James Dio, drummer Gary Driscoll of the band Elf, and cellist Hugh McDowell of ELO, Blackmore decided to expand the sessions into a full album.
The album was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, West Germany, in February and March 1975, featuring Elf members keyboardist Micky Lee Soule and bassist Craig Gruber. Originally intended as a solo project, it was released under the name Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and evolved into a new band endeavor. However, shortly after the release, Soule left the band, and Gruber and Driscoll were dismissed. This first lineup did not perform live, and the album's cover art used live photos of Blackmore with Deep Purple and Elf.
The final track of the album, "Still I'm Sad," is an instrumental cover of a song by The Yardbirds from their 1965 album Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds. A vocal version of this track later appeared on Rainbow's live album On Stage* and their 1995 studio album Stranger in Us All.
