Founding Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore says he would consider a reunion with his former band if they invited him.
Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968 and left the band in 1975 to form Rainbow. After a few stints back with Purple in the '80s and '90s, Blackmore was loath to even consider a reunion for the past 20 or so years.
But now with Deep Purple publicly mulling retirement, Blackmore tells The Guardian he "bears no malice" to his former band, whose current lineup includes drummer Ian Paice, bassist Roger Glover, vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Steve Morse and keyboardist Don Airey.
Blackmore acknowledged that a reunion is "probably not probable, though."
According to Paice, it's definitely not probable. When last he addressed the possibility of Blackmore's involvement in anything Deep Purple (about a month ago), Paice said Deep Purple just doesn't want to risk Blackmore's famous moodiness disrupting the band's positive dynamic.
Blackmore meanwhile is revamping Rainbow, planning to release new music with the group and play shows around the U.K. this summer.
Deep Purple has a world tour booked through December. View the tour dates here.
Photo: YouTube / RainbowVEVO