Decisive · Hard Rock, Prog & Early Metal

Rainbow

Ritchie Blackmore’s post–Deep Purple band. Rising (1976) with Ronnie James Dio set fantasy-lyric hard rock and neoclassical guitar; Dio later moved to Black Sabbath. Commercial Bonnet/Turner years followed until the 1984 Mk II Purple reunion paused Rainbow.

Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow, Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway
Own workCC BY-SA 4.0Source →

Landmark

Man on the Silver Mountain · 1975

Open-chord anthem; early Rainbow signature single with Dio.

Opened

heavy-metalhard-rock

Post–Deep Purple fantasy-lyric hard rock; Dio bridge to Sabbath; Glover/Turner seats link back to Purple.

01 / 04

Blackmore leaves Purple for Rainbow

Blackmore quit Deep Purple mid-1970s after style disputes, while Purple still flew private jets and played stadiums. He recruited Elf’s Dio, Gruber, Driscoll, and Soule for the debut. Man on the Silver Mountain sets the early sound: Dio’s mid-range, Blackmore’s ascending riff, no Hammond pad from the Purple mix. Firing the Elf rhythm section before Rising showed how tightly he controlled the lineup.

Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore with Rainbow, Oslo, 27 September 1977
Helge ØveråsCC BY-SA 4.0

02 / 04

Rising and the Dio exit to Sabbath

Rainbow Rising (1976) is the classic Dio five-piece with Bain, Carey, and Powell. Stargazer and Tarot Woman define the fantasy-lyric hard-rock peak. Blackmore wanted less sword-and-sorcery and more commercial rock; Dio left for Black Sabbath. Craig Gruber also briefly filled Sabbath bass in 1979—shared Rainbow↔Sabbath personnel. Cozy Powell and later Bobby Rondinelli both appear in later Sabbath lineups as well.

03 / 04

Bonnet, Turner, and the Purple pause

Graham Bonnet’s Since You Been Gone (1979) is the radio-rock payoff Blackmore wanted. Roger Glover (ex–Deep Purple) anchors bass through the commercial years. Joe Lynn Turner’s albums stayed competitive with Whitesnake and Ian Gillan’s band. When Deep Purple reunited as Mark II in 1984, Rainbow stalled. Turner later sang on Purple’s Slaves and Masters—another Purple↔Rainbow seat swap.

Ritchie Blackmore with Rainbow at Chateau Neuf, Oslo, 1977
Helge ØveråsCC BY 3.0

04 / 04

Stargazer

From Rising (1976). Orchestra and hard-rock arrangement under Dio’s mythic lyric. Often cited before “epic metal” settled as a fixed genre label.

Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore with Rainbow, Oslo, 27 September 1977

01 / 04

Blackmore leaves Purple for Rainbow

Ritchie Blackmore’s post–Deep Purple band. Rising (1976) with Ronnie James Dio set fantasy-lyric hard rock and neoclassical guitar; Dio later moved to Black Sabbath. Commercial Bonnet/Turner years followed until the 1984 Mk II Purple reunion paused Rainbow.

Lineup versions

  • Debut / Elf lineup

    1975

    Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Blackmore soon fired all but Dio.

  • Dio / Rising era

    Peak

    1975–1979

    Rising / Long Live Rock 'n' Roll; Dio exits to Black Sabbath.

  • Bonnet / Turner commercial years

    1979–1984

    Since You Been Gone through Turner albums; pauses when Blackmore rejoins Deep Purple Mk II.

Quotes

  • “Dio brought mythology. I brought the riffs.”

    — Ritchie Blackmore, 1976 · Press interview excerpt

Scenes

YearTrackOn stageTags
1975Man on the Silver MountainDebut single from Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Dio and Elf teammates Gruber, Driscoll, Soule; Blackmore later fired all but Dio before Rising.Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Craig Gruber, Gary Driscoll, Mickey Lee Soule
hard-rockheavy-metal
1976StargazerFrom Rainbow Rising; Bain, Carey, Powell replace the Elf rhythm section. Fantasy lyric over hard-rock arrangement.Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, Tony Carey, Cozy Powell
hard-rockheavy-metal
1979Since You Been GoneGraham Bonnet era radio rock; Blackmore’s push away from sword-and-sorcery toward commercial rock after Dio left for Black Sabbath.Ritchie Blackmore, Graham Bonnet, Roger Glover, Cozy Powell
hard-rock

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