Ritchie Blackmore discussing Rainbow drummer Gary Driscoll

This is a brilliant story as told by Ritchie Blackmore whilst discussing the creation of Rainbow's first album ' Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'. What a character ...and one of John 'Bonzo' Bonham's favourite drummers!

[@nhojsemloh1]

I knew Gary from his days with ELF, who I saw play many times. Sometimes, Gary would come to see my band play (I am a drummer too). Soft-spoken guy and very polite. However, once he got behind the drum set, he turned into a ferocious hard hitting drummer with the most amazing fills that I had ever heard. One night with ELF, I saw him destroy his high hat stand in the middle of a song because he was playing so hard. Shortly after that, he had come to see my band and asked to sit in. I had just got my new top of the line Ludwig set that I was very protective of so I had to politely decline. He wasn't offended and spent the evening chasing down every woman in the bar. LOL I miss him. Great guy and fantastic drummer.

[@thevoid99]

i could listen to ritchie tell stories for hours. he's awesome.

[@rogercardenas111]

You should check out his documentary,it's interesting.

[@stormbringercoming8105]

Yeah, some of the stories might be true too! He never lets the truth get in the way of a good story.

[@grahamjeffries4566]

Ritchie nice guy Blackmore

[@highwaystar3780]

The Stories of That Poor drummer is the Story of my life .....Exactly!

[@PopeShaitan]

I couldn't agree more. I would love to hang out and drink with him and just listen to his stories.

[@finnmogensen9526]

It's nice to see Ritchie this relaxed!

[@peraperic8775]

Why? He is usually nervous?

[@finnmogensen9526]

@@peraperic8775 hi. No he's definitely not nervous, he's more tense, and not particularly full of humour.

[@raymondhartmeijer9300]

@@finnmogensen9526 he has humour, but it's a very black sort of humour. He used to play practical jokes on everybody with Cozy Powell when they were in Rainbow

[@AndorSolymos]

@@finnmogensen9526he is always relaxed…

[@dacrazies]

I loved when Ritchie says he liked that story.... after the bell rang. Very spiritual person.... Great fucking stories!!!!!

[@CB-xr1eg]

Glad somebody else caught that. I don't think the interviewer did.

[@JokersWild70]

Lol. His haunted clock. I believe Ritchie. It probably is haunted!

[@octobersun221]

Mr. Blackmore does himself proud with his story telling. Love him.

[@Heaven-dy9lj]

Just read up about Gary Driscoll's death. Absolutely tragic. Beautiful to hear these lovely stories. RIP poor fella.

[@gatolocoverga152]

He probably was cursed

[@NG-Lespaul]

He was brutally tortured and murdered and it was mistaken identity. They killed the wrong guy. Gary was the drummer for my father's band before Elf etc.

[@thefairydustt]

Ritchie is a great storyteller Love his stories

[@morrisanderson3180]

he ain't a bad guitar player either!

[@thefairydustt]

@@morrisanderson3180 sure My master ✌

[@ganndeber1621]

I would love to hear if the story Lemmy told about him putting a man on a ferry naked is true

[@thefairydustt]

@@ganndeber1621 I have never heard this story haha Knowing him, I think it could be true

[@turuntashtheboo7681]

Lemmy told about Ritchie and some unbeliviabile stories like this one!!And specialy about the best prank someone ever did!And of course it was Ritchie!!Wow!Blackmore is full of those rock stories,he is hilarious!!I know he has a dark side but ,hey , it's rock'n'roll, not a church!

[@Vugtivano]

Brilliant, Really refreshing to hear this light hearted side to Richie . He's always portrayed as a moody and difficult charachter but in this interview he's anything but ,and he seems a very likeble guy, with a great sense of fun . 😆

[@JamesTaunton]

The song Snake Charmer is what made me want to be a drummer. Its heart warming to hear Ritchie talk about Gary in this context. Ritchie aint the monster hes been made out to be and these stories help prove the point. I always get a little sad thinking about my first drumming hero and his horrible death, love to Mr. Driscoll, your still my first influence.

[@johnskerlec9663]

A big shout out to all the Garys. I love you guys. I think we've all known some, and I've been a Gary many times. The first album is still awesome.

[@geezberry8889]

love that first rainbow album. drumming was great especially on Still i'm Sad

[@ricko3k]

My thoughts exactly. A great "team" performance.

[@shanesthief]

Most Definitely that's my fav song you can't get any more cowbell then this song.

[@mixaliskokkinos1496]

Iconic in all!

[@donzanz9001]

thats my favorite track i did not know it was him.respect.

[@flexiblestrategist9922]

The consistent cowbell along with his snare.

[@CallMeChato]

Gary would make a great character in Spinal Tap II.

[@markevans1968]

Gary was tragically murdered and no one knows why, nor who did it. Poor guy

[@koaguilds]

They had a clear suspect but he slipped out of the country before they could pick him up. Haven't they heard of Interpol? Upstate new York keystone cops should have been fired.

[@stevemcnary7963]

Dio did it for him fucking up his vocals. Lol

[@markevans1968]

Hope it’s not too late for his family to get justice

[@ricko3k]

It is terrible, but he made a great impression on me on that 1st album. Great drummer.

[@stephen-truthseeker]

Sound like witchcraft

[@andrewbryce7927]

Love those stories they are quite funny 😁 😂 😀 😄 😆 🤣

[@farshadp6114]

Probably the only person Ritchie didn't do a practical joke on, poor Gary didn't need it😂 RIP

[@fronthorse]

Never thought Blackmore would make me laugh so hard one day.

[@billystar1306]

Fantastic drummer. One of my favourites.

[@messi8921]

Wow. How have i never heard these stories before? Brilliant Its nice to hear Ritchie talk so fondly about someone. Also ill never be able to listen Man on the silver mountain in the same way again lol

[@richardperusse4299]

maybe 15 years ago, me and Pete Mendillo ( R.I.P. ) we've talk about the fact Gary Driscoll was an amazing drummer, he lived in the same area than Pete, they were friends, i seen the first Rainbow show in Montreal in 1975 , it was Cozy Powell on drums but i was disappointed that it was not Gary, myself and Pete ( we were drummers too ) we loved the work Gary made on the first album, he had also an interesting drum sound....though i have respect for Cozy who was a hot 2 bass drum drummer in the same vein than Carmine Appice at that time ....

[@JokersWild70]

I love when Ritchie's haunted clock chimes after that one story, lol. I absolutely believe him about the clock too

[@timh4369]

this is got to be the best story I have heard from Ritchie lol

[@dmacnic]

It's nice to hear Ritchie speak fondly of Gary. The Elf musicians only lasted one album and it seemed to me that Ritchie didn't like their playing. I was wrong. Gary seemed like a character. lol

[@sparkyguitar0058]

I always thought that any mistake by any other musician would be the end of that musician. But very fond stories of a failing frailing player, almost sounding like a friend.

[@raymondhartmeijer9300]

The keyboard-player, Mickey Lee Soule, actually quit himself. He didn't particularly like the direction of the music. He later joined Ian Gillan's band, which was more his thing. But the bassist and drummer were fired, yes. I think Ritchie just found them to be unstable, and not having the chops he needed. So he opted to find top-notch guys, Cozy Powell and Jimmy Bain

[@ron-yo2fv]

Bonzo and Ritchie would have been a crack up together!

[@Robylazarus]

Brilliant narration by Ritchie....Enjoyed every bit of this...

[@AdvancedMarketingGro]

great interview with Richie!

[@davidgreen7622]

Thanks for that. Very funny 😂 rip Gary

[@ricko3k]

Ritchie that's such a lovely story. I'd always thought that you held the band members of mki in contempt, like "amateurs". My sincere apologies. My favourite album was your 1st, and I just loved the whole line up and the story behind it, just wonderful. Thanks for that ❤️.

[@zigmonger6646]

Man aren't you the cognizant one!? You either need a. Strong shot of coffee or just stop being a sycophant!! Ritchie tell a 'lovely' story about someone else besides maybe himself or his wife trust me your former inclination was correct because Richard does hold them in contempt he was taking the piss out of this guy he was clowning him.... And if Richie was ever to shed a tear over this it would be because he was disappointed in his delivery of the story not because he has a soft spot in his heart for this dude.

[@AlesAndBluesGuy]

Great stories thanks for sharing Richie ☺️🎸👍

[@gitaneVYS491R]

I probably listen to the 1st lp more often than I listen to any of the later ones, great record.

[@ricko3k]

Same here, funny how over the years I've moved from "Rising" to the 1st album. Class.

[@smoovegittar]

Agreed. It had soul.

[@ricko3k]

It's all I ever play of Rainbow now, occasionally some Rising. Funny how we change with time.

[@TheOfficerMahoney]

Wow a person that Richie liked!

[@jeffduponte1418]

This is great! This appears to have been done at the time of the"Ritchie Blackmore Story" Bluray. I would purchase another if they made it available

[@brunovallesmunoz4757]

FANTASIC STORIES I almost fall to the ground because of the laughs😂

[@stevemash7505]

Huge Rainbow fan, saw them many times in Philadelphia. August 2, 1978 at the Tower Theater was the first and only time I had front row seats in that theater.

[@wm.g6664]

Great show, great venue. Saw Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa, many great artists played there. I remember they couldn’t fit the giant Rainbow in the Tower for that show

[@stevemash7505]

@@wm.g6664 Yes, I remember that! That was just before I was old enough to be allowed to go to concerts with friends. And I remember reading about it in one of the magazines. Prior to Rainbow (Cheap Trick opened), some of the first shows I saw there was Sweet/Eric Carmen, Slade/UFO, Judas Priest/Iron Maiden (with their first singer), and Rush/Max Webster/Cheap Trick.

[@d.lelinho9888]

Ritchie N 1 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL

[@gusmarokity6482]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@stege9979]

Ritchie Blackmore - a great storyteller and one of the greatest guitarists ever! Would have loved sitting down with him for a bear or two, listening to him talking of the old glory days.

[@canadianroot]

A live bear?

[@CB-xr1eg]

@@canadianroot A bear behind?

[@canadianroot]

@@CB-xr1eg Don't mind if I do. Badump-bump.

[@raymondroberts8709]

Drinking my favorite beer: Spaten Oktoberfest!!!

[@mehrdadhavardad4674]

You are beste guitariste Man ☀️😘😘

[@rodmac8358]

Brilliant stories, brilliantly told too.

[@MrKayley10]

Yes!!!! I have always wondered if there was more material from this interview! I would love to see more, please keep these coming!!!

[@rogercardenas111]

It's more likely from his documentary.

[@LEEFORDJAGG]

I do remember the story about Gary’s headphones coming off in the studio. I have the Ritchie Blackmore documentary,but I don’t think the other Gary stories made the documentary, I need to double check.

[@rogercardenas111]

@@LEEFORDJAGG cool great documentary though.

[@MrFchank]

I remember seeing Deep Purple with Elf as the opening act. At the end of that tour Ritchie left DP and started Rainbow with the members of Elf. Only lasted one album though.

[@clancykobane9102]

Nothing went right for Gary except that Ritchie Blackmore loved him

[@Ragnar-Viking]

Richie is the greatest stratocaster player of all time. No one rocked like him.

[@shaunduffy8019]

WRONG

[@peraperic8775]

Hendrix is kinda bigger but I sure like Ritchie more...

[@artysanmobile]

Ummm…

[@elpablosky6300]

​@@peraperic8775 Beck too (R.I.P).

[@thomasgood3472]

@@shaunduffy8019 No, you're wrong.

[@Romulus980]

Great stories from the past told by one who also quite active off stage...

[@thesaneparty4079]

I had a friend like that; one of many stories is him striking a nail with a hammer and having it fly back and stick into his eyeball. After a life of that pretty much daily, it culminated in him electrocuting himself welding under a car. He was hilarious.

[@gusmarokity6482]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@fndjufri]

Gary's drumming on that first LP was brilliant. The whole band was brilliant. Individually, those Elf members were great musicians. Too bad as a band they never made it into the big time. I'm just glad Ritchie got that lineup to record that first LP. Rainbow Rising would not have existed if Ritchie had kept that lineup but somehow I could picture those guys playing at least half of the Long Live Rock 'N' Roll album.

[@flexiblestrategist9922]

He was although he didn't hit those drums with velocity as Cozy did. I do like the consistent cowbell on "Still I am Sad".

[@bluzzedude2677]

Ritchie took care of himself. He never smoked a cigarette in his life. Never did hard drugs...a little boozin' but...he came out clean and can still play his ass off. I've been playing over 40 yrs and I STILL fuckup some of his "Licks" LOL God Bless you Brother!!

[@dansvideovault2186]

Absolutely killer stories

[@rwendell0912]

Love these stories

[@benniehelders]

As a child I listened to great drummers, all virtuosos but there is only one drummer in this world who is naturally unique, creative, impressive and talented, that is Gary, someone incomparable who became a legend at a very young age. when i opened the rainbow album cover and saw that huge photo of a drummer with his ludwig with cymbals arranged in reverse, releasing all his passion, i said... he is my reference from today and he continues to be so. R.I.P. Gary

[@metalheadbill]

This is fantastic, please post this interview in full!

[@martythemusicmonster6772]

I have really only heard negative stuff about Ritchie in the last 40 years but seems humble here

[@anastasiosmitropoulos1989]

Richie loved so much Gary that he fired him after recording with him the epic "Richy Blackmore's Rainbow", one of the most iconic albums ever in the history of rock.

[@ferrreira]

And the album is not that exciting, Ritchie complained about Stormbringer and then released a worse album.

[@InterestingStuff888]

It's business, not personal. his style was not suitable for the plans the band had. firing him doesn't necessarily mean they fired him from their lives and never spoke to him again. or whatever. Ritchie says years later he even went to see the band Gary played in.

[@hieinh]

Look at how he bounced around styles in Deep Purple. That's just who he is. He cares about the music unlike other guitarists who only care about their solos

[@DrTomoculus]

I JUST SAID the other day he never should have gotten rid of this dude!!!!

[@Cabdrum1]

Good to hear Spinal Tap stories ....

[@Bone74838]

He should really tell stories of the old days. I mean there must be millions of stories to bank in from, from bands that were there back in the day and how the music business and industry was back then and the artists etc... , ppl would just love to hear about it. The real grind essence of being a rock/metal band from the late 1960's through to now basically. Do a shoot interview and hold nothing back.

[@mikewhipps3161]

Fantastic

[@andresduplex1152]

I love the 1st record and love it's line up. For me Gary is exactly the right drummer for these dark and lyrical songs. I like Man on the Silver mountain exactly in studio version but not live when they speed up the tempo loosing all groove and mysterious vibe of it. And Craig Gruber probably was the best bass player band ever had. His patterns and arrangements are amazing on the album.

[@ricko3k]

Yeah not forgetting Craig, or Micky.

[@jeffjodibrent]

Craig Gruber and Gary Thain were huge influenced on me as a bass player. I first picked up a bass in Feb. '76, and learned as much of this first Rainbow album and Heep's Magician's Birthday as possible!!.

[@MattiasKroon]

I laughed a lot on this one, totally humorous!!

[@gatolocoverga152]

Yes me too. But the poor Gary was murdered. Nobody knows how and why

[@radiomindchatter7994]

Ritchie is a great storyteller...

[@danielmacdonald8349]

RB is a piece of work. Back in the 70’s and 80’s you couldn’t get a single word out of him. Now he can’t shut up. Funny story teller.

[@barrymccreary9565]

Great story ritchie

[@-Atmos1]

Funny & entertaining at the same time .

[@translucent_nick]

Ah poor Gary !!! Bless his heart !

[@gatolocoverga152]

He was murdered.. It is creepy but true

[@RichardGeiszler]

Could Gary Driscoll have been an inspiration for the continuing drummer issues in "This is Spinal Tap"?

[@uncannyvalley444]

Actually that was based on Judas Priest's endless string of drummers. The Stonehenge sequence was based on Black Sabbath's Born Again tour with Ian Gillan.

[@markgordon2260]

What a nice story!

[@IshadaKatzteilov]

3:05 he does with his beer what he does with his guitar. He's so subtle, you barely notice he's showing you the brand.

[@Purpledream.]

🖤💜

[@metaldave08096]

I was in Ithaca NY last year, and visited the house Gary was unfortunately murdered in. It’s in a nice neighborhood, but the house itself is very eerie and just has a dark atmosphere to it.

[@SteveAmaon]

Very entertaining!

[@Cl4rendon]

I really envy this guy who`s sitting across Blackers interviewing him.

[@Hamerguy68]

I think Elf have come to an end by then anyway. So, Dio tried to get his guys in to make the record. They made lots of promo shoots, so Blackmore could pretend to have a band going on. I guess it was clear from the start for Blackmore, that he would look for other musicians that would play different, less boogie, blues and funk style. I think, Blackmore was searching for a hard hitting drummer and he remembered that former drummer of the Jeff Beck Group. Possible that Blackmore thought, the Elf guys (except for Dio) weren't up to his way of professionalism.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

Gary was a very human rock star, God bless him, but it seems he was a 'drummer's drummer'. Bonzo loved his playing on what he kept remembering as "Love on the Silver Mountain"! If you listen to Snake Charmer from the Rainbow album, then the song Because of Your Love from Gary Moore's G-Force album, there are strong similarities in the rhythms - and the drummer in G-Force was Mark Nauseef, who had played in Elf alongside Gary Driscoll.

[@smack7917]

LOL! I knew someone like that

[@snapascrew]

The image Ritchie is describing at 2:14 is hilarious.

[@renbenyanthan8592]

I like Rainbow

[@richarsormr5624]

Sometimes i feel like Gary...

[@d.lelinho9888]

Gary has done worse than me 😅....but he's still the drummer on one of my favorite records 💚

[@Expertcouch.]

Он мне нравился..Не понимаю почему с ним так поступил Риччи.

[@d.lelinho9888]

He took a certain....Cozy Powell

[@barryrammer7906]

​@D. Lelinho no complaints Cozy Powell was a top 3 drummer in the world at that time. Had some Bonham and Pace perfect. Best of both worlds. Rip Cozy and Garry.

[@kaikenlaistamukavaako5787]

The way he is telling those stories😅

[@shardug]

Drummers who can't count, usually have a problems with their fills coming out in the wrong place. Too bad about Gary, seems to have had a dark cloud over him his entire life. Ritchie's fantastic. One of the best guitar players I've seen.

[@jonblackers4339]

Reminds me of my parents saying to, being a child,me......Wow, you always have bad luck. I could not escape it , only for some moments/periods in my life.....which I maybe should have myself tied to but I was full of selfesteem by that point, having reached certain goals I fought for. So I fucked up.........

[@bobthebear1246]

DAMN. Gary Driscoll was a regular Amelia Bedelia. Poor guy. R.I.P. 🌹

[@anthonyspina5723]

Great stories. Never heard any of them before. But at the end of the day even with Ritchie singing his praises Gary - like so many other great musicians - got fired.

[@hieinh]

It's because Ritchie switches styles all the time. Elf was never gonna do a neoclassical record

[@anthonyspina5723]

@@hieinh So what was the first Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow album if it wasn't neo-classical?

[@donzanz9001]

laffed till i was sore :>)

[@jussiniemi9560]

Saw an interview where Ronnie J Dio shared the same respect for Blackmore. Although he said he could be nicer to his fans. Don't know if r.b is notorious with fans.

[@coreyg.3106]

This sounds like one of the drummers for spinal tap. Driscoll's death was also unsolved just like the first drummer for spinal tap.

[@carlhardwickofficial]

Everyone heaps praise on the Rising album. The first album is my favorite by far. Ritchie's tone and playing on the first was never surpassed on the later albums. (Sure, Gates of Babylon was a great solo, but his tone was so ragged on it.)

[@gusmarokity6482]

Temple of the King might be the best Rainbow song !

[@crucify40]

Not sure about that Gary Driscoll story at the 3:00 minute mark. Gary came to Ritchie's room while on tour? That first version of Rainbow with the Elf guys never toured. By the time they started touring Cozy was on drums. I don't think Blackmore was ever on tour with Gary, Craig Gruber, nor Mickey Lee Soule. He had replaced all of them before Rainbow started touring.

[@PMwarrior]

I'm pretty sure Ritchie is talking about when Elf toured with Deep Purple before Rainbow

[@crucify40]

@PMwarrior that kinda makes sense, although still a bit surprising. Ritchie wasn't known for fraternizing with the tour openers. That Blackmore enigma. Ronnie once stated that he never had a conversation with Ritchie on most of those tours until the very end when Blackers appeared at his door and told him you're a great singer. Right he was on that one.

[@andyrethmeier]

Poor Boy! 😀

[@danubiogm.9l746]

Brazil fan's 🇧🇷👀

[@steelfanther328]

Once I had a hot discussion with a Malmsteen fan who told me that Ritchie is only good enough to wipe the dust off Yngwie's guitar. So I told him that Yngwie was only good enough to wipe the dust off the guitar of MY favorite guitar player Russ Parrish who is the driving force of Steel Panther - MY favorite band ... He practically hit the roof and we split up for good ...

[@levvellene570]

Snigger! Sorry about that, but one, two , many? Dragonlance D&D series? And yet, here Ritchie sounds like the mature person everyone else says he's not? I can understand his snarkiness never being forgiven (cue Ian Gillan, and I'm quite agreed there, with his version). Still, Ritchie met up with his muse much later on, and they made those ever delightful Blackmore's Night albums! I still play DP and Rainbow albums every now and then, but the much more interesting later offerings are egged on by others in my household just totally loving that! Sorry, Ritchie, but my three female amazon parrots really DO love your music in all arenas even more than I thought I did! 😁

[@Dave-xs9dm]

The only time I heard a dude was booted from his own club. He was attempting to meet ritchie

[@marceloduro]

___Does anyone know if the first Rainbow lineup have ever played alive (or if they just recorded the first album - and were fired) ?

[@dplzkc6713]

They never played live

[@marceloduro]

@@dplzkc6713, thanks for the answer. __It is a shame, kind of frustrating, isn't it?

[@nilshult5115]

Suddenly Sisyphus struggle with his stone seems like a walk in the park compared to poor Gary.

[@mattmurray517]

These need to be way more frequent!

[@QXZJX]

Poor Gary

[@ryokan9120]

Hi, where can I see the full interview?

[@ShadovvV]

Eddie Van Halen was also a master of 'cleaver screw-ups'. He even admitted it several times, but in a roundabout way. He called it "Magical".

[@JonCombo]

I was waiting for each story to end with him hurting his eye.