Ian Paice once revealed that he and Ritchie Blackmore were ‘enemies’ before forming Deep Purple in 1968.
In his pre-Purple career, Paice was part of several bands. He started with Georgie and the Rave-Ons, which became the Shindigs and later joined a Windsor band, the MI5, eventually known as the Maze. It was during these early days that he first crossed paths with Blackmore.
Recalling an offer from the guitarist, the drummer told Melody Maker in 1971:
“I met Ritchie on a boat on the way to Italy in 1967; then we bumped into each other again at the Star Club in Hamburg, where he was living at the time. He wanted me to join with him then, but I couldn’t because I needed the money my band was earning.”
About how his rejection affected their relationship, he added:
“I made a real enemy of him because of that and used to cross the road if ever I saw him coming down the same street. Then, in 1968, I went for an audition for Deep Purple, and there he was again. Apparently, he had been trying to find me but couldn’t. They just hoped I’d see the ad in the paper, and I did. I took along our vocalist, Rod Evans, and he got the job as Purple’s singer.”
Rise To Fame With Blackmore
Following the release of their debut album, ‘Shades Of Deep Purple,’ the band slowly gained fame, especially with their cover of Joe South’s ‘Hush,’ which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
By 1971, Deep Purple’s studio albums started to enter the lists. Their fifth record, ‘Fireball,’ peaked on the UK Albums Chart, as Paice spoke of it by commenting:
“At the time I joined, I had a feeling that this band was going to make it. There was a will in the band to work hard and not sit around doing nothing.”
The Two’s Friendship Over The Years
Paice and Blackmore remained as two of the oldest members of Deep Purple until the early ’90s. But their time together ended when the guitarist left the band in 1993.
Following Blackmore’s exit from Deep Purple, he and Paice lost contact. The drummer revealed this in a 2014 interview with Classic Rock Show while talking about their long-time friendship:
“I don’t know that he’s still my friend. I don’t believe it. I don’t have anything there that convinces me he’s the guy I used to know.”
Sharing whether they were still talking, he went on:
“I didn’t put the wall up. He knows I’ve been here for 40 years. He knows who I am. I don’t have his phone number; I don’t have contact with him. Friends keep in contact.”
Recent Work From Deep Purple And Blackmore
Blackmore didn’t reunite with Deep Purple, even for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. During his absence from the lineup, the band released eight studio albums and announced a ninth last year.
Meanwhile, the guitarist focused on Rainbow and Blackmore’s Night, with his most recent album, ‘Nature’s Light,’ coming out in March 2021.
