Richard Hugh “Richie” Blackmore http://blackmoresnight.com today is his 69th birthday He was the former & lead guitarist of the English hard rock band Rainbow He was the former guitarist of the English hard rock band Deep Purple http://deeppurple.com Guitar World ranked Blackmore #16 on “100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time (2004) @RollingStone ranked Blackmore #50 of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (2011) Great Guitarist