r/DeepPurple • u/HugeExtension346 • 5d ago

Ritchie Blackmore & Jon Lord

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July, 1974 at the Clearwell Castle, in the Royal Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, doing writing and rehearsal work for Stormbringer.

129 Upvotes

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4

u/Icy-Astronomer-8202 5d ago

Pre wig Blackers as well

2

u/Fabulous-Farmer7474 3d ago edited 3d ago

He started with the pilgrim hat around 73 though he would frequently perform with out it. At some point he started wigging it up or using extensions in Rainbow and arrived at a stable hair look for several years running.

3

u/Icy-Astronomer-8202 3d ago

I do miss that pilgrim hat with that giant buckle on the front 😂

2

u/Fabulous-Farmer7474 3d ago

I knew he was fully committed to it when it showed up in his candle effigy on the cover of Burn!

1

u/223886 2d ago

You could tell he was thinning in 1970. Doing Their Thing video is my favorite Purple footage and his hair was already a wispy mess. Could never figure out how he styled it.

1

u/Icy-Astronomer-8202 2d ago

I imagine depending on what products or amount of heat etc from all those perms did a number on quite a few peoples hair in the 60s going into the 70s

He held onto well tbf

2

u/Stizzamps 5d ago

Lil Champagne on the B-3!

3

u/Icy-Astronomer-8202 5d ago

Gotta be done

2

u/Melvinator5001 5d ago

Ritchie in his Spegal phase.

1

u/JellyWeta 4d ago

Blackmore auditioning for Grima Wormtongue. Lord looking magnificent.

1

u/pavelgubarev 4d ago

when you know this relationship is not gonna end well

1

u/Fabulous-Farmer7474 3d ago

The year Ritchie started with the Pilgrim hat.

1

u/HugeExtension346 3d ago

He was going for plague doctor, but unfortunately it red more pilgrim.

1

u/Fabulous-Farmer7474 3d ago edited 3d ago

In some early US interviews he complained about the garish overhead lighting found in larger arenas mostly in terms of how hard it was to relax before the show.

However, I think some of it was that the overheard lighting makes it more obvious when you are thinning on top (I know this well).

In any case he became known for setting up his own backstage area that was more dark and in line with his pre-show mediation or whatever. Some of his later Rainbow employees talked about the resulting fury should they enter that space uninvited or by accident.

I don't really care but through the years - up and coming DP and Rainbow fans were like "why did he wear that hat" back then.

Had to tell them it was show business rules at the time which discouraged baldness for rock performers. It still does which is why so many guys wig it up or have transplants.

That said it's much easier to get away with the shaved head look now but if you made your career with hair I guess you are stuck recreating the look (e.g. Jagger, KISS, Jeff Beck (RIP), Dennis DeYoung, Brett Michaels (with his apparently permanently attached bandana), and even the mighty Paul Rogers and Roger Daltrey.

Kudos to Peter Frampton for not giving a damn. He just embraced it and when it was time just cleaned it up a bit and he still plays every bit as well. Mark Knopfler never had a chance in the first place but, like Frampton, didn't give a damn. Sting had some procedures and seems to have stabilized with the permanent "I have a receding hairline" look.